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Co-founder Sharon Hannah Berry is one of Hannah’s seven grandchildren. Along with her sisters, Sandra and Cynthia, this foundation was created to fulfill Ben Fainer’s wishes of continuing his legacy of Holocaust education. Ben is their father who survived Hitler's Hell.
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"While most U.S. adults know when the Holocaust happened and are familiar with Auschwitz, [...] fewer are cognizant about the number of Jews murdered and how Hitler came to power in Germany, according to a [...] American Jewish Committee (AJC) public opinion survey." /1
"I have never seen a picture of my grandmother Hannah, though I continue to search records and photos that have become available. This seemingly small matter is a profound metaphor that illustrates the reality of a life once lived full and normal — extinguished from humanity. Those of us, who carry on the legacy for the victims of this atrocity, have a responsibility to keep their stories alive in ways that honor, respect, and inspire. It is my intent to promote the affirming lessons learned through Holocaust education, hearing personal histories and conscientious reflection."
It seems the concept of Never Again has been replaced with disinformation intended to denigrate people who observe Judaism. This powerful wave of hate in the streets, the media, and college campuses propels us to challenge the rise in global anti-Semitism fueled by lack of knowledge about the Holocaust, Holocaust denial, prejudices against Jews, and the denial of Israel’s right to exist.
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Sharon is retired and now works part time in a research capacity. She devotes the lion's share of her time to the administration and management of the Hannah Ida Urman Foundation. She lives on a several acres in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and has turned her love of gardening into a farmette growing blackberries, sunflowers, and tomatoes. In her spare time, she is writing a book to be titled After the Silence; her personal story following her father's memoir Silent for Sixty Years, co authored by Mark Leach.
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/1 The survey of U.S. adults was conducted for AJC, a nonpartisan organization, by the independent research firm SSRS. A nationally representative sample of 1,004 general population adults, ages 18 or older, was interviewed from October 10 – October 18, 2022. The margin of error is +/-3.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
About Israel Friedman "Is"
Israel Friedman grew up in Brooklyn, NY. After he started college, he wanted to drop out and enlist. When he went to sign up however, he was rejected due to his eyesight.
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The medical training we received did not prepare us for the injuries we were faced with treating. And no amount of training could have prepared us for what we were confronted with upon arrival at Buchenwald.
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-- Israel Friedman
Bound in this volume are the memories of the 120th Evacuation Hospital who served in WWII and who treated Holocaust survivors and political prisoners at Buchenwald and beyond.
The book was written and compiled by Israel Friedman and others in the 120th.
Click the "pdf" icon below to read their stories and view photos taken in 1944 and 1945.
As the war continued and the U.S. involvment increased, he was drafted and passed the eye test wearing his glasses. After basic, he received
medical core training and was assigned to the 120th Evacuation
Hospital and sent overseas.
After leaving Buchenwald and arriving in Cham, Israel wrote a letter to his mom telling her of the atrocities the 120th discovered and about a child he had just met, whom he wanted to adopt and bring home to Brooklyn. You can read Israel's letter by clicking this "pdf" icon.
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Even after sixty years, Ben Fainer never forgot Israel and his kindness. Time did not lessen the bond they formed of liberator and liberated.
In his memoir, he poured out his heart recalling their time shared
together vividly as if it were yesterday.
Little did I know my dad's occasional use of Yiddish in our house once served a higher purpose than just keeping some conversations from my brother's and my ears.
-- Richard Friedman
After the war, Israel spent most of his life helping other distressed
children. He was a Social Worker for New York City, and then
supervised an office of Attendance Teachers (Truant Officers)
in one of Brooklyn’s most distressed attendance districts. His office
was devoted to finding children missing from classes and providing
the family and social services needed to get them back to class
and a chance at a better future.
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