NOTWITHSTANDING THE HOLOCAUST....

(Courtesy: Gary Mokotoff)

Unfortunately, I had to attend a funeral this past weekend. The memorial service was held at a synagogue. When I entered the building I noticed a large framed color photograph of an elderly woman holding a very young baby. The woman had a magnificent smile on her face; clearly a great-grandmother proudly holding a fourth-generation member of her family. It struck me as unusual that such a picture would be in a synagogue. A more appropriate place would have been in the family’s home, but as I approached the picture its significance became apparent. On the woman’s arm was tattooed a number. The family, descendants of this Holocaust survivor, refer to the picture as “Am Yisroel Chai.”

Photo courtesy of William H. Donat
A framed copy of the photo is located at the Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, New York