It is extraordinary when worlds collide. On a recent journey to Israel, my family and I had the profound opportunity to experience Yad Vashem through an entirely new lens. Alongside my mentor and dear friend, Lynne Feldman—Director of Operations and Holocaust Scholarship for Teach the Shoah, as well as a seasoned Yad Vashem guide—we crafted a visit unlike any other. Together, we wove historical expertise with deeply personal testimony to retrace the steps of my grandparents, Minia from Łódź and Muni from Kielce.
As Lynne guided us through the galleries, we paused intentionally at the chapters of history that belonged to my family. There, I stepped into my role as a storyteller, sharing my grandmother Minia’s lived experiences in the exact spaces dedicated to those moments in time. In the Łódź Ghetto gallery, Lynne laid out the historical landscape before I shared Minia’s daily struggle for survival within the ghetto walls. In the Auschwitz gallery, amid the haunting artifacts, I recited the harrowing accounts of her arrival and the reality of life inside the camp. As we moved toward liberation, I told scenes documenting her enduring strength during the death march.
Sharing these testimonies before my husband David, our grown children Lexi and Aidan, my in-laws, our Israel tour guide, and a fellow descendant connected to Łódź was deeply moving. Yet, the emotional epicenter of the day took place in front of a single artifact in the Łódź Ghetto exhibit: a handwoven straw boot covering, designed to keep SS soldiers’ feet warm during the freezing winters.
Though I had seen photographs of these coverings before, standing face-to-face with one was overwhelming. Surrounding archival images showed young hands weaving straw to stay alive, making the weight of Minia’s survival painfully real.
Years ago, my grandmother stood in this exact spot at Yad Vashem, looked at that very display, and told her group, “I could have made this.”
Standing there decades later, telling her story with the next generation listening, created a powerful full-circle moment. It was a sacred bridge between past and present, a reminder of why we bear witness and ensure their voices endure.
Jessica:
By interweaving the objects and the stories, the emotions come through so strongly, as does the resilience of your ancestors and your power to bring all that into the present and the future. Thank you for sharing!