My grandmother, Henya (Henia), died in Lodz ghetto in 1943. After 73 years, her grave is finally getting a headstone.
Her children, my father and his sister, never knew where she was buried. Yet, we have now managed to find her exact grave and, by working with the Lodz Jews Heritage Foundation, have, incredibly, been able to have a Jewish headstone made for her after all these years.
My 93 year old father, Joseph, was born in Poland, but moved to Vienna as a child, with his sister and parents, Henya and Moses. Before war broke out with the Allies, they were taken into custody, but were released as the officer in charge was a customer of my grandfather's. My grandparents then managed to get Joe and Betty to safety in Britain, shortly before WW2 broke out. Moses was then taken to a concentration camp where he perished. Subsequently, Henya too was taken, but no-one knew where to, exactly. She had been transported to, and later died in the Lodz Ghetto. My father could only find out the general area of her burial.
Recently, I found that she did, indeed, have a specific grave. I contacted the Lodz Foundation and, through their lovely translator in Israel, we were able to have a stone, a matseva, made for Henya. My father, and Henya’s five grandchildren, contributed to the stone - to honour her after all this time.
My father, now a resident in Nightingale Home, is planning to visit his mother’s grave for the very first time and see her new matseva.
This has only been possible because of the Lodz Foundation. Set up in 1995, their most important goals, today, are in the cleaning, renovating and research work on the Jewish Cemetery. Its’ board members and president fulfil their positions on an honorary basis. Some are not even Jewish, but dedicate themselves to this work.
I would be so grateful if you could join me in recognising the amazing work which The Foundation is doing, by making a donation to support the continuation of their work.
Thank you