MAY 26 • 2022 | 31
ed Poland in September 1939,
“we had to go to the borders to
fight back,
” Izzy said.
Held four years in a slave
labor camp, he recalled in
the film being forced to cut
trees that 30 or 40 people
would then carry up the hill.
After escaping with others,
the group lived in the woods
and did whatever was need-
ed to survive as part of the
Resistance. Years later, Izzy
received a letter from the
Hungarian government saying
that it was granting him about
$3,000 (the U.S. equivalent)
“for the death of your family
members during World War II.
”
The documentary has gaps
in the couple’s wartime history
but includes what happened
later. Rita and Izzy each
reached New York City in the
late 1940s and took factory
jobs. They met at Brighton
Beach in Brooklyn. Izzy’s
brother told Rita, “He’s the nic-
est person. You should marry
him.
” And they were, until Izzy
passed away 11 years ago.
When Rita died in
December 2021, author and
Detroit Free Press columnist
Mitch Albom, a family friend,
wrote about the warmth,
strength and humor of the
96-year-old woman. After
introducing Rita to Mitch in
1997, Bernie explained to her
that Albom was the writer of
the bestselling book Tuesdays
with Morrie about his visits
with a cherished professor.
Bernie agreed with Devin
Scillian that his humorous
ways could have come from
his mother, who enlivened
every gathering. Bernie said
Rita “had no filter,
” speaking
English with some Yiddish
mixed in, and “most of the
time it was so funny.
” An
example from the Albom col-
umn: “If a restaurant served
something she didn’t like, she’
d
crack: ‘The food was better in
Auschwitz.
’”
By contrast, Izzy was
the family disciplinarian.
Education came first with
him. When Bernie’s fourth-
grade report card included a
“D” in typing, Izzy made him
practice for hours.
From Bernie’s descriptions,
the Smilovitzes seem to have
adjusted pretty well to their
new lives in America. Still,
he remains convinced that
“Holocaust survivors have a
different vibe to them,
” such
as panicking when a family
member comes late.
Rita once became frantic
noticing her grandson Jake
playing basketball outside.
“She said that Germans might
be in the bushes,
” Bernie
recalled. “She’
d have little out-
bursts like this.
”
Mostly, Rita was content
to feed people her delicious
cooking and lavish love on
her family. It now includes a
new grandchild for Bernie and
Donna, who have three. Zach’s
first child is named Isabel or
Izzy, for Bernie’s father.
“There was hell,
” Rita said
about Auschwitz in the doc-
umentary, before pivoting
abruptly to tell Zach and
Bernie, “but now I have to
make you French toast.
”
At the conclusion of the pro-
gram, CHAIM gave Scillian a
copy of Invisible Ink, a book by
Dr. Guy Stern, director of the
HC’s Zekelman International
Institute of the Righteous. Silver
announced a donation to the
museum to honor the memory
of Bernie’s mother, Rita.
She said, “
As our survi-
vors age and pass, it is more
important than ever to keep
sharing a parent’s story, in
hopes that the Holocaust
doesn’t happen again.
”
Soundstage Shaarey Zedek
part of the
series
For more information, contact
the synagogue office at (248)357-5544.
They are the first female cantorial trio in the U.S. and their
collaboration has been connecting communities across the
world through harmony since 2019.
Concert tickets are FREE,
but registration is required.
Patron Seating with Dessert Reception $100.
Sponsored by the Irving and Beverly Laker Concert Series:
Shul Sisters Concert
Thursday, June 9, 2022
7:00 p.m.
The Shul Sisters is the brainchild of
these acclaimed Cantors
Laurie Akers
(Congregation Or Shalom, Chicago)
Rachel Brook
(Anshe Emet Synagogue, Chicago)
Rachel Goldman
(Congregation Ner Tamid, Los Angeles)