Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue

The Shadow of the Holocaust

Why me?
A life of opportunity
To work
To love
In freedom

Born in the shadow of the Holocaust
I heard the hushed voices of my family
As I played behind the worn leather sofa
I knew they were speaking of bad things

A whisper …. a sob….a sigh…. a Yiddish curse

Later I was told
But I did not really understand.
Much later I met a friend whose father
Had escaped the Warsaw Ghetto
He told us…and then I knew.

Why me?
A life of relative peace
To mother
To sleep at night
To live

Lilly Friedman doesn't remember the last name of the woman who designed and sewed the wedding gown she wore when she walked down the aisle over 60 years ago. But the grandmother of seven does recall that when she first told her fiance' Ludwig that she had always dreamed of being married in a white gown he realised he had his work cut out for him. For the tall, lanky 21-year-old who had survived hunger, disease and torture this was a different kind of challenge.

The synagogue produces a bi-monthly magazine called Shema. It is full of interesting articles and current topics.

If you would like to receive a copy or advertise in its pages please contact the Administrator on 020 8530 3345 (answerphone) or by email admin@sukkatshalom.org.uk