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FRAN SHAY
23 DEC 98
THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO THE REQUEST FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS INFORMATION. SOME OF THIS INFORMATION IS INCLUDED IN MY PREVIOUS LETTER TO THE SITE. I'M MORRIS GASTWIRTH'S DAUGHTER (MY BROTHER IS HOWARD GASTWIRTH, WHO HAS BEEN WRITING LETTERS ON THE SITE). MY DAD IS THE SON OF HERSCH GASTWIRTH, AND HIS GRANDFATHER'S NAME WAS MOJZSES (OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT). WE STILL HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HOW HE FITS IN WITH THE YIZCHAK FAMILY TREE ON THE WEBSITE.
MY PARENTS ARE BOTH HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS. I BELIEVE ALL THE JEWS IN MY DAD'S TOWN IN GALICIA, TARNOW, WERE KILLED IF THEY WEREN'T SERVING IN THE POLISH ARMY. MY DAD AND HIS TWO BROTHERS WERE SERVING IN THE MIDDLE EAST AT THE TIME HE FOUND OUT THAT HE LOST HIS WIFE, TWO LITTLE CHILDREN, AND THE BALANCE OF HIS FAMILY WHO WERE BACK HOME IN TARNOW.
AFTER THE WAR, HE WENT TO LONDON, WHERE HE MET MY MOM, ESTHER DYKMAN, OF VILNA (A LATVIAN!). DID YOU KNOW THAT GALICIANS AND LATVIANS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO MINGLE OR G-D FORBID, MARRY? MY MOM TOLD ME THAT HER PARENTS WOULD BE ROLLING IN THEIR GRAVES IF THEY KNEW SHE MARRIED A GALICIAN. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE I CAN TELL BETWEEN LATVIANS AND GALICIANS IS THAT LATVIANS LIKE TO EAT THEIR LATKES WITH SUGAR, AND GALICIANS EAT THEIR LATKES WITH SALT! I GO BOTH WAYS (BUT NOT AT THE SAME TIME!)
ANYWAY, MY MOM SPENT SOME TIME IN A CONCENTRATION CAMP AFTER LOSING HER DAD, HER STEPMOM AND HER LITTLE SISTER TO THE NAZIS. MY PARENTS NOW LIVE IN WEST PALM BEACH, ABOUT 20 MINUTES AWAY FROM ME. MY MOM IS THE CO-FOUNDER AND IS CONTINUALLY EITHER PRESIDENT OR VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS OF THE PALM BEACHES. SHE WAS VIDEOTAPED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG'S GROUP (MY DAD IS ON THE LIST TO DO SO ALSO). SHE IS ALSO ON THE COMMITTEE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DETERMINING HOW TO SPEND THE INSURANCE MONEY AND OTHER REPARATIONS THAT ARE COMING TO THE SOUTH FLORIDA HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS. MY DAD ACCOMPANIES HER EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, BUT LETS HER DO ALL THE TALKING! THE WEST PALM BEACH NEWSPAPER, THE PALM BEACH POST, SEEKS HER OUT AND PRINTS HER COMMENTS WHENEVER THERE'S AN ISSUE INVOLVING HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS. SHE'S BEEN ON TV A FEW TIMES, AND SHE WROTE A BOOK OF HER OWN POEMS AND INTERVIEWS OF OTHER SURVIVORS' STORIES. THE BOOK HAS A LIBRARY OF CONGRESS NUMBER, AND SHE DISTRIBUTED IT FOR FREE TO JEWISH SCHOOLS AND SYNOGOGUES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
I GUESS YOU CAN TELL THAT I'M QUITE PROUD OF MY PARENTS. THEY ARE BOTH EXTREMELY ACTIVE (MY DAD'S 86 AND RECENTLY STOPPED HIS SAILING AND SNORKELING ACTIVITIES) AND MY PARENTS STILL GO DANCING EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT. THEY ARE TRULY SURVIVORS AND WORKING HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WORLD WILL NEVER FORGET.
I'D BE INTERESTED IN HEARING FROM OTHER HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
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