>> ... Next Generation ...
Miryam
rtosenzweig's
Story
A little Jewish Geography
goes a long way back.
BECKY HURVITZ I SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
The photo Miryam Rosenzweig found on the
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's online
archives of her family members
Save Time - Lot close to
the terminals with easy
access from 1-94 & 1-275.
Save Money - Low daily
rates, continuous free
shuttle service and luggage
handling.
Save Worry - Open 24/7
with lighted, fenced and
continuous patrolled lot.
Battery booster is available.
Daily Rate: $9.00*
Hourly Rate: $2.50*
"Taxes Included
Expires 12-31-2015.
One coupon per visit.
Not Good with any other discounts.
Rates Subject to Change.
E
veryone appreciates a good
game of Jewish Geography
— it never gets old, and
everyone is a winner. Who
doesn't love putting together that the
neighbors down the block grew up with
the second cousins from Cincinnati? But
every once in a while, there is a game of
Jewish Geography that is far more than
the challenge of racking your brain for
a name or the victory of uncovering a
coincidence.
In the best games of Jewish
Geography, we're reminded of how
small the world is and how the Jewish
people, despite it all, have managed to
make their way all around it. With every
dot we connect, there is a story — a bit
of history that explains the present and
offers a glimpse into the future.
Miryam Rosenzweig, director of
NEXTGen Detroit, had one such game in
Phoenix, Ariz. This is her emotional story.
Palirwamis Wrirrle
.QwikPark.com
Dsopso
42
April 9 • 2015
I was invited to visit the federation
in Phoenix this past February. They
are working on making young adult
engagement a major focus of their
programming, and they've been looking
to Detroit for insight and inspiration.
A year and a half ago, 18 federation
CEOs and their NEXTGen directors came
to Detroit to learn from us. Phoenix was
one of those federations, and seeing
how we operate and the success that
we have had played a huge part in
their desire to create a strong NEXTGen
program there.
Since then, 10 or so people from
their leadership have come to Detroit
twice to study our NEXTGen program.
And, in an effort to learn more from our
community, they asked me to come to
Phoenix for two days of meetings with
their professionals and lay leaders. More
than happy to help another federation,
and thrilled to leave Michigan in
Miryam Rosenzweig
February, I went.
Little did I know that while working
to ensure a vibrant Jewish future, I
would be swept back into my own
family history, only to realize how deeply
connected we are through Federation,
through our community and through our
own very personal ties.
One evening during my visit, there
was a parlor meeting where I was
introduced to Phoenix's campaign
chairs, Don and Esther Schon. We began
chatting and Don mentioned that they
were originally from Detroit.
"I went to Mumford High," Don said.
"Everyone your age from Detroit went
to Mumford High," I joked.
"No, my wife went to Oak Park High,"
he said. "But she's originally from
Canada."
"My family is originally from
Canada!"
"Where are they from?"
"Windsor."
"How'd they get there?"
"Well," I said, "my grandfather's best
friend from Auschwitz sponsored them
to come into Canada."
"Well," said Don, "my wife's family is
Auschwitz royalty."
I laughed. "What does 'Auschwitz
royalty' mean?"
"Her uncle and her father were two of
the men who blew up the crematorium."
"Is her uncle Godel Silver?" I asked.
"How did you know that?"
"Because my grandfather was also
one of those men, and Godel was his
best friend. I'm Jacob Rosenzweig's
granddaughter."
Don and I began to freak out at this
point, having moved the conversation
from Mumford High to Auschwitz in
only a matter of minutes. Esther then
came over to us, and after hearing our
discovery she started to tear up.
"I was born in the DP camp," she told
me.
"You were born in Weisenhoff?"
"How did you know?"
"Godel and my grandfather were in
the same DP camp. And my father was
born in Weisenhoff," I said.
"I was the first baby there in March
of '47."
"My father was born in April."
Esther went on to tell me how she
remembers seeing my family at simchahs
once everyone came to America. My
grandfather and Godel remained best
friends for their entire lives.
I could end the story here, and it
would go down in history as one of
the most amazing games of Jewish
Geography ever. But wait. It gets better.
I have a photo on my phone of
Weisenhoff on the day Israel became a
state.
I always knew my grandfather's
Holocaust story, but I never really knew
my grandmother's. A few years ago, I
began interviewing her about her life in
the DP camp and doing some research.
One day, I was looking through the
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's
online archives and I found the photo. I
thought for sure I saw my grandfather,
my grandmother and my father. So I sent
the photo to my aunt.
"Am I crazy?" I asked her.
"No," my aunt said. "That's Bubbie,
and that's your father." She also
recognized her sister-in-law and her
baby in the photo.
I asked Esther if she wanted to see