My father Yehudah Maskalik was 2-years-old and living with his parents on Yaffa Street in Jerusalem. My grandmother, Pesach Maskalik, had to hide her children in a safe house away from the attacks.
They moved quickly at night, in the dark and under cover. She reportedly had to cover my father’s head, as the moonlight illuminated his blond luminescent curls, which could expose him and his siblings.
Seventy-nine years later, the images of the past come gushing forward to the present, as we see the terror-stricken face of 2-year-old Moshe Holtzberg as his nanny, under siege from terrorists, rushes him to safety.
One cannot begin to comprehend the magnitude of such evil inflicted upon the gentle, G-d fearing and selfless shlichim (emissaries) Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg and other innocent victims.
Images of the past; pogroms, extermination camps and terrorist attacks all seem to culminate together .
As my father and generations before him, I tell my children that, as Jews, our resolve is strong. We remain a resilient nation, strong in our faith and tradition. That despite our past, we are here and, with G-d’s help, will continue to thrive and flourish.
A mother of four, Melanie Wasserman lives in Milwaukee.
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