14 North Shore Towers Courier n June 2016 Son David related his mother’s harrowing struggle to survive and eventual arrival in the United States, highlighted with archival photos and interspersed with readings by Diana of the poetry she wrote in the orphanage. And that is where Diana’s story would have ended, if not for the actions of her granddaughter, Hannah Champness. In 2014, son David’s daughter was conducting research into her grandparents’ Polish roots to find an appropriate Bat Mitzvah project to honor their lives. She learned of the restoration of the cemetery in Serock, her grandmother Diana Albert’s hometown, and its upcoming rededication ceremony. Diana Albert subsequently returned with David and Hannah for that reason, where she reunited with the son of the farmer who secreted her during the war. Diana and her family have since petitioned to get Goshorovsky “Righteous Among Nations” status, with which he will be honored this summer in a ceremony at the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, more than six decades since the atrocities, anti-Semitism continues in Poland, despite the nigh nonexistence of Jews. The mayor of Serock, who attended the the rededication ceremonies, asked that he not be photographed or mentioned in the press for fear of his association with the event adversely affecting his chances of re-election. Still, hope persists. There were German students at the rededication, there to pay their respects. And the Warsaw Synagogue has reopened. Surprisingly not destroyed during the war, the sacred building was ideal for use as stables and remained virtually intact during the conflict. The Albert party were graciously invited to a ceremony while visiting and overwhelmed by the standing-room only crowds within for the service and lines outside awaiting entry. Despite their best—or worst—efforts, the Nazis had not stopped Jewish life in Poland. The End of the War The war has ended. I am 13 years old. My entire family has perished. I am the only survivor. A wretched cry rips through my body, Tears fall all over my face. I shout painful screams from my heart. Why did the Germans hate us so? Why was the world watching silently? My Family My family has left me. I am all alone. I see their faces where ever I go. I will never forget them. No matter where I shall be, Their special love will always be with me. I hope some day, When the war will end, I shall see their smiling faces again. The plaque erected for the dedication of the Serock Cemetery in 2014 reads: “This area comprises the Jewish cemetery of Serock. Jews were buried here from the 16th century until 1939, when Nazi German forces ordered that all traces of the cemetery be obliterated. For many years, the gravestones on this wall were piled up on a nearby site. This memorial pays tribute to a once vibrant Jewish community and honors those citizens of Serock who were murdered in the Holocaust solely because they were Jewish.” Herb and Alyce Zaller Eaneas Arkawy lights a candle in memory of Manek Werdiger, and wife Ilona, who founded the Yom Ha’Shoah memorial at North Shore Towers more than twelve years ago Gloria Beck with her daughter, Ilicia
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