MACON, Ga. — Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day in English, falls on April 28 this year. It’s a time to honor the lives of the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust and celebrate the lives of those who survived.
13WMAZ reporter Jessica Cha spoke with the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who is still working to uncover her mother’s history.
Deborah Adler has lived in Macon for the last 42 years. While scrolling through Facebook six months ago, she never expected to see a photo of her mother.
“The meme was a picture that said ‘Top row: Jewish women in a concentration camp. Bottom row: Granddaughters of Holocaust survivors.’ Then, using my fingers, I blew it up and there on the right-hand side is my mother,” recalled Adler.
She knew her mother, Eda Yardeni-Tavor, was a Holocaust survivor but this photo was new to her. Yardeni-Tavor died in 2002, so you can imagine Adler’s surprise seeing her mother on screen 20 years later.
"It was almost like she was reaching out to me to say, 'Don't forget. Remember what I told you, don't forget where you came from,’” said Adler.
Her mother, then 25, spent two years in Auschwitz when she was freed by American soldiers in 1945.
“In Auschwitz, your life is basically over. Your name was taken away, the starvation… the picking grass off the fields to eat. It was harrowing for her to live and for me to listen,” said Adler.
Yardeni-Tavor was sent to Sweden as a refugee and stayed there until her brother found her through the American Red Cross registry. She was able to move to Israel, get married, have children, and come to America.
For the first 40 years of Adler’s life, her mother never spoke about the Holocaust.
“I belonged to a group of children of Holocaust survivors and they all said the same thing. They survived and they wanted to move on, build new lives,” said Adler.
Her mother started sharing her story in 1996 and would go on to speak at schools until the end of her life. Adler says her mom left behind a legacy.
“She said, ‘Know where you come from. Know your history, of your people, of your family, and make them proud,’” said Adler.
She believes there are more Holocaust deniers than survivors now, and that’s why she says it’s more important than ever to keep sharing the stories.
“You might not like what you learn. What you can’t do is erase the big H in the middle of the board. History cannot be altered, nor can it be erased. To deny history is to deny people of their existence,” said Adler.
Temple Beth Israel’s rabbi Elizabeth Bahar says they’re honoring Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday, May 1. They’ll be at Congregation Sha’arey Israel in Macon at 4:30 p.m. The event is open to the public.
