I know a mother who has nachas.
Ethel Kleinman is 91
years old. More, she is a survivor of Auschwitz.
Despite any descriptions
we have heard from our parents or grandparents, Auschwitz is unfathomable to
most of us. Despite “Schindler’s List” or the myriad of other Hollywood
depictions, Auschwitz, Dachau, Treblinka and the like stand as horrors far
beyond what normal people can possibly imagine in their worst nightmares. Even
with Elie Weisel’s Night, Anne Frank’s diary, the Eichmann trials, and
all the other accounts of the Holocaust that we’ve encountered and allowed to
shape our mindscape of this terrible time in history, nothing second-hand can
begin to compare with the tangible reality of having lived through those experiences.
But Ethel Kleinman—Etu
to her friends—lived through those experiences, and Etu has nachas. Why? Because the most important lesson of the
Holocaust stands clear before Etu’s eyes.
Recently, I was
privileged to watch Etu as her son Elly Kleinman and grandson Yossie Kleinman
stood with her before a captivated assembly that spanned four generations. We
had gathered together to mark the unveiling of the new Kleinman Holocaust
Education Center (KHEC) exhibit in Brooklyn. Standing demurely, with her
adoring son’s arm draped around her, Etu gazed out upon a crowd that included
not only her family and their many friends but also her great grandson and his class from Yeshiva Darchei
Torah. The occasion was more than the ribbon-cutting of this important new
exhibit at the temporary location of the center; the day was illuminated by her
great grandchild’s first donning of his t’fillin. The boy’s name is Menachem, whose name means “to comfort.” The
meaning was not lost on any of us.
Despite having navigated
for more than 90 years on this planet, and having passed through and
miraculously survived the Shoah, Etu has nachas—real Yiddishe nachas. She has witnessed firsthand not only the
tragic chorban, which cost the Jewish people six million precious souls—our holy
parents and grandparents and great grandparents—but also the rebuilding of our people, the reconstruction of our
yeshivos and mosdos, our numerous institutions which care for the sick and the needy,
the orphaned and the elderly.
In the century that Etu
Kleinman has traversed this planet, she saw the utter destruction of European
Jewry. But she also watched the rebirth and growth of Yiddishkeit and the spreading of Torah and chesed across the United States and Eretz Yisroel. Etu
beheld a genuine composite of the entire history of the Jewish people, a
history that has repeated itself more than once.
Etu Kleinman is a
witness. She witnessed our people suffer and sees our nation rising again.
Nachas. Real Yiddishe
nachas.
And I had nachas,
too—the kind that brings tears to my eyes. I had joy watching the children from
Darchei Torah stand up to thank Etu Kleinman and her dedicated family for their
generosity. I had the pleasure of watching these young students—the future of
our people—as they stood wide-eyed before the many important exhibits at the
Kleinman Holocaust Education Center and listened to dedicated teachers about
the facts and lessons of the Holocaust. I was delighted to stand with my friend
Elly and his family who have dedicated not only money and years to this vital project, but their kishkes, their passion. I know that for generations to come, people
from all over who visit Brooklyn will have the Kleinman family’s important gift
to remind us of who the Jewish people really are, and what our role and
obligation is.
Nachas. That’s what I had
watching Etu Kleinman who, at 91 years young (b’li eyin hora), understands all of this better than anyone.
Simcha Felder
NYS Senator Simcha Felder represents New York State’s 17th Senate
District.
(This article reprinted courtesy of The Jewish Press)
Senator Simcha Felder was proud to sponsor two bills that the New York State Senate passed to help veterans with disabilities afford their homes and also guide the state in developing services for aging veterans. The bills provide property tax exemptions for certain veterans with full disabilities and create a new advisory panel to help establish effective policies and programs for aging veterans.
