In Their Own Words: Survivors Speak Out Before Holocaust Remembrance Day
In a deeply personal and moving piece for The Media Line, reporter Maayan Hoffman shares the voices of Holocaust survivors in Israel as they reflect on their harrowing childhood experiences and the lasting emotional impact of the trauma they endured. Published ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the article presents three survivors whose lives were shaped by extraordinary resilience and the moral courage of others.
David Frankel, 89, survived Bergen-Belsen, fought in multiple Israeli wars, and now urges Jews worldwide to learn self-defense. Recalling the horrors of the Holocaust and his mother’s selfless act of sharing her milk with starving babies in the camp, Frankel reminds readers of the quiet heroism that helped others survive.
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Bert Badichi, 93, was hidden as a child in Nazi-occupied France by a Christian woman named Madame Massona, who risked her life to protect her. “She was a simple lady,” Badichi said, “but I owe her my life.” That memory drives her to reject stereotypes and speak out against antisemitism.
Suzy Sprecher, born into hiding in France, described a childhood spent in silence and fear. Smuggled into Switzerland with her parents, she survived thanks to strangers, including a priest who was later executed for helping Jews. Sprecher’s story is a testament to endurance and healing: “The hidden children are the children of silence.”
Each account in Hoffman’s report highlights how the trauma of the Holocaust continues to echo through generations, but also how survivors transformed pain into purpose. To understand their full journeys—and why their testimonies still matter—read the full article at The Media Line.
