A Holocaust Survivor’s Legacy of Pain and Hope
by Elizabeth Semrai
May 11, 2009
A grandmother’s mission to never let the children forget
In February 1942, at the height of Adolf Hitler’s reign and in the throes of World War II, 11-year-old Ela Stein was forced with her Jewish-Czech family to move into the Terezín concentration camp, more widely known under its German name, Theresienstadt. Expelled from her home and separated from other loved ones and the world she knew, she remained captive for three-and-a-half years, until the end of the war.
Terezín was a fortressed zone northwest of Prague in what was Czechoslovakia. Strangely referred to as a “model ghetto” by the Nazis, the concentration camp had false signage for schools and shops, which was used to dupe outsiders. Oddly enough, it was known for its real musical output. There, the young girl and hundreds of other children, amid chaos, sang and played tattered musical instruments – all to entertain Hilter’s Army.
Brundibár, the seminal opera of the Holocaust, ultimately shaped the girl’s life. Composed by Hans Krása, who himself was a prisoner at Terezín, it’s a children’s story about a villainous organ grinder who terrorizes the other meek characters. Stein was in the original cast as the cat, and she was forced to perform the opera with other enslaved children throughout her internment. And although the opera was performed specifically for, and enjoyed by, the Nazis, little did they know that the piece’s hidden meaning was about them. Each show was a veritable staged victory against the enemy.
In 1944, the Red Cross visited Terezín. The representatives were to film a segment to bring back to the United States because of vague reports circulating about the cruel treatment of Jewish prisoners. Brundibár, as successful propaganda, deluded the Red Cross and the outside world of what was really occurring. In retrospect, the only hint anyone could’ve had was in a publicity photograph of the entire cast, where not one child was smiling.
The opera was performed 55 times, though rarely by the same cast because children were taken away and killed at Auschwitz. The composer, Krása, suffered the same fate. Of the estimated 15,000 children who came through Terezín, including those who performed in Brundibár, fewer than 100 survived. Stein was one of them. Today, she stands as one of the last survivors.
In America, things dramatically changed for the girl. She married and became Ela Stein
Weissberger, who now lives in Tappan, N.Y., a suburb of New York City. A grandmother of four – two grandsons, ages 21 and 24, and two granddaughters, 6 and 10 – she’s a source of admiration and compassion and a figure of fun, especially when she dances and performs karaoke with them. In between visits to her grandchildren, who live in Florida and North Carolina, she travels across the United States and to Europe, mainly for documentary filming and appearances about her ordeal in Terezín and life as a Holocaust survivor.
Recounting her story and sharing life experiences is Weissberger’s mission. This past winter, while in Pamplona, Spain, she was invited to a memorial event where she and 150 children sang the final victory song of Brundibár. Weissberger said she was overwhelmed with joy knowing that today’s children are educated about the Holocaust through the opera, which has resonated so profoundly throughout the decades. It’s moments like these, moments of innocence, that Weissberger treasures most. It’s a legacy that she says, needs to survive for generations to come.
Grandmother Ela Stein Weissberger is an extraordinary beacon of hope – a stalwart of courage. And today, May 2, the United States Holocaust Memorial Council and the rest of the world commemorate and honor the millions of victims who lost their lives in the most devastating genocide mankind has ever known. The day also pays homage to those who withstood the odds and survived the horrors of the Holocaust. This 78-year-old exemplifies pure triumph of good over evil.
Grandparents.com spoke to her about her role as a Holocaust survivor, an ambassador of remembrance, and as a grandmother.
Grandparents.com: What propels you to travel and tell people – especially children – your story?
Ela Stein Weissberger: I want to speak for the children who died; I ask people to remember my friends. By doing this, they stay alive in our hearts and minds. I’m the bridge between today’s children and generations to come. And if we, as survivors, keep talking, we’ll be heard. We can’t keep it silent – it’s a part of our bodies.
GP: At what age do you deem it appropriate for children to learn about the Holocaust?
ESW: It’s amazing to me how young children all over the world know about the Holocaust. They’re aware. They’re sensitive to what happened. Children learn about the Holocaust in school – in history class, or in English class reading about Anne Frank. I can’t say what age they should be, but if taught in the way of a story, children – even little ones – will understand. I remember I once saw my friend Tovah Feldshuh [the award-winning stage and film actress] give a powerful reading on the subject to a young audience. I’ll never forget the emotions that filled the room. Children sense sadness and pain; they empathize.
GP: When were your grandchildren told about the Holocaust? How did they react that their grandmother was a survivor?
ESW: They learned at a young age from their parents, in school, and in Hebrew school. I’m a storyteller, and it’s a part of my life to share my experiences. I explained to them that I was one of the people kept alive, and as such, my younger grandchildren think I’m special. The ones who weren’t as fortunate as I shouldn’t be forgotten, and I tell my grandchildren this.
GP: How do you cope with the memories and make your life positive to your grandchildren?
ESW: I still get together with my survivor friends, who are also grandparents. We remember together and cry. But we want to be strong and, most importantly, we don’t want to scare little children. It’s about educating them on what happened. For me, though, it’s that I survived, and I believe that’s the most important thing. It was my destiny. I’ve always been a positive person – even while at Terezín. I was always singing and dancing. It’s my personality and my nature. My friend [who was also at the camp] and I were looking at photos snapped during a performance of Brundibár, and she said to me, “You still stand like that.” I was a show-off! That attitude got me through it all – and I still have a strong attitude on life.
GP: You co-authored The Cat With the Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezín (Holiday House, 2006) with Susan Goldman Rubin. How cognizant are your younger grandchildren that this is a memoir – of your story while at Terezín?
ESW: It’s special to them because it’s about me! My granddaughters are still young to fully understand everything. But it’s on each of their bookshelves and they’re able to read about survival and friendships – two themes that can relate to anything in life.
GP: Do you take your grandchildren to Holocaust and Jewish-heritage museums, memorials, and exhibitions?
ESW: I always encouraged my grandsons to go, and they’ve attended some of my appearances. They’re very interested in their heritage and Jewish traditions. My granddaughters [are] slowly learning more and more about their religion.
GP: Do you help strengthen the Jewish faith with your grandchildren?
ESW: Our family likes to celebrate the holidays together. But it’s more about being together – learning, sharing, and creating memories. My late husband and grandsons would make challah bread together, and that’s a wonderful memory.
GP: Do you see your grandchildren often? How do you stay in touch with them?
ESW: I don’t see them often enough! Since they live in North Carolina and Florida, we stay in touch over the telephone. When I do see them, there’s a lot of talking and laughing. The girls and I like to bake my favorite sweet: Linzer tarts. We also love to sing karaoke – especially songs of the Beatles and ’60s and ’70s music.
GP: What is most important to you in life?
ESW: To be a good person. To listen. To respect one another. We must remember that we are the same soul, the same heart. There is no need to divide ourselves. It’s also important to me that I’m surrounded by good people, and I can’t stress that enough to everyone.
GP: What do you think the best advice is for your grandchildren? For the grandchildren of today? What words of wisdom do you implore?
ESW: I believe that we all must be productive people. I know I don’t want to stop working, learning…. I want to be a role model because of this. Education is so very important. The children of today must have an idea of what’s going on in this world. It’s scary – war – but it must be realized because it’s tearing us [as a world] apart. The coming generation must think about what was and is being destroyed for no reason. The Holocaust is an example of destruction. The best wisdom I can give is that life is short and you have to savor the good times. It’s that simple.
Source: Grandparents