When I was very young, I learned that if I sat quietly, I could listen undisturbed to my mother and aunts telling stories from their childhoods. As I heard names I recognized and places I had seen, I sat fascinated at the revelations. People I knew as sweet old ladies...
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Candle & Chronicle Newsletter February 2026
When storyteller Cathy Polakoff shared the story of Olympic swimmer Eva Szekely with a high school class recently, a student commented that she had always known the Holocaust was “a bad thing,” but only when she heard it through a storyteller’s voice did she truly feel its enormity. [Redirects to Mailchimp]
Memories and Stories That Continue
Growing up in Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), I was always mesmerized by a black and white portrait in my maternal grandparents’ bedroom. It showed a gorgeous young woman with her head tilted slightly toward her shoulder, her subtle smile brightening her face. This was...


