My grandpa chose not to speak about his Holocaust experiences – but he asked me to tell the world | Ella Garai-Ebner
As the grandchild of a survivor, I’m proud to keep his testimony alive, in the hope that people never forget the horrors humanity is capable of
Yesterday, I watched A Real Pain in the cinema. The film is a beautiful representation of two cousins, united in love and grief for their grandma, exploring their family history on a heritage trip to Poland. This experience is familiar to so many Jews I know – whether attending a trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau or visiting Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, the idea of a poignant pilgrimage to see where our ancestors lived, died, survived and escaped from, is commonplace.
I’ve certainly had these experiences. When I was 12, my paternal grandparents, Ann and Henry Ebner, took me to Vienna, where Henry fled from the Nazis with his parents when he was two, arriving as a refugee in the UK just weeks before the start of the second world war. In the same year, my maternal grandma, Anna (Panni), took me to Budapest, to see where she and her husband, my grandpa, George Garai (Gyuri), had lived. Panni was six when Hitler’s troops invaded Hungary in 1944, and she survived by being hidden in an orphanage. The memories shared with me on this pilgrimage were painful ones; being separated from her parents, returning home after the war and sitting by the window waiting to see which family members would come back – and so many never did.
Continue reading...Topics
-
Everyone asks me about my plans for having children. A nest of noisy miner birds has taught me how to respond | Joseph Earp
Deciding to be childless does not mean living in a world entirely without children, or without the act of shepherding. Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast If you ...The Guardian - 2d -
My ex is sick but won’t retire to spite me out of benefits. He took our marriage and divorce papers, but can I get his Social Security benefits?
“I was married to my former husband for 11 years.”MarketWatch - 3d -
Roki Sasaki explains why he chose the Dodgers, what role Shohei Ohtani played in his decision
Donning a Dodgers uniform, Sasaki made his first public comments since making his MLB decisionCBS Sports - 6d -
My father had plastic surgery. Now he wants me and my mother to get work done
The cosmetics industry has been reeling men into its multibillion-dollar empire in recent years, writes advice columnist Jessica DeFino. Hi Ugly, . My father is falling down a plastic surgery ...The Guardian - 6d -
What the first 24 hours of Trump's administration tell us about the world he hopes to craft
From tariffs and the Middle East to the climate crisis and world health, here's the global reaction to President Trump’s first policy moves of his second term.NBC News - Jan. 21 -
USMNT impress vs. Venezuela as Mauricio Pochettino uses unique social experiment to learn more about his team
Here are the players who impressed in the friendly win and how the manager is taking a unique approach to learning about his teamCBS Sports - Jan. 19 -
My one-night stands mean my partner refuses to marry me | Ask Philippa
You’re chasing something that only you can give yourself: a feeling of security and self-worth. The question I’ve been with my partner for more than 25 years and while he’s perfect in pretty ...The Guardian - Jan. 19 -
‘He’s 70 and fairly wealthy’: I met the love of my life three years ago. How do I politely ask that he include me in his will?
“His two sons are against any kind of commitment between us, as their dad has had two failed marriages.”MarketWatch - Jan. 4 -
Blind date: ‘He handled an allergic reaction with stoicism, while I fretted about having to tell the Guardian I’d killed my date’
Felix, 24, a film programmer, meets Erin, 23, an archaeologist. What were you hoping for? Someone to talk to about absolutely awful movies. More importantly, someone kind in wonderful ...The Guardian - Jan. 4
More from The Guardian
-
India crowd crushes: dozens feared dead at Kumbh Mela religious festival – latest updates
Pilgrims are desperately searching for missing loved ones after deadly crushes in Prayagraj where world’s largest religious gathering is taking place. Wednesday is when the sadhus (holy people), ...The Guardian - 26m -
UN aid agencies cut back operations after Trump’s 90-day funding suspension
Exclusive: UNHCR chief orders clampdown on spending, including 90-day delay in ordering new supplies and hiring freeze. UN agencies have begun cutting back their global aid operations following the ...The Guardian - 2h -
Trump invites Netanyahu to be first foreign leader to visit White House
President makes major concession to Israeli PM, US ally who is wanted by international court for war crimes. Donald Trump has invited Benjamin Netanyahu to be the first foreign leader to visit the ...The Guardian - 1h -
Experts urge caution over use of Chinese AI DeepSeek
UK officials say they are monitoring any national security threat to data from the new AI . Experts have urged caution over rapidly embracing the Chinese artificial intelligence platform DeepSeek, ...The Guardian - 8h -
Passengers and crew evacuated as plane catches fire on South Korean runway
All 176 people onboard escaped safely after blaze began inside Airbus jet preparing to take off from Gimhae airport. An Airbus plane belonging to South Korean carrier Air Busan has caught fire on a ...The Guardian - 3h
More in World
-
India crowd crushes: dozens feared dead at Kumbh Mela religious festival – latest updates
Pilgrims are desperately searching for missing loved ones after deadly crushes in Prayagraj where world’s largest religious gathering is taking place. Wednesday is when the sadhus (holy people), ...The Guardian - 26m -
Reform U.K. Is Said to Land Over $1 Million in Populist Show of Force
Nigel Farage’s party is reshaping British conservatism and showing that it can raise money to do so.The New York Times - 40m -
U.S. Halt to Foreign Aid Cripples Programs Worldwide
Many of the frozen programs are aimed at alleviating disease and malnutrition, but even security programs with U.S. funding are shutting down.The New York Times - 49m -
Trump invites Netanyahu to be first foreign leader to visit White House
President makes major concession to Israeli PM, US ally who is wanted by international court for war crimes. Donald Trump has invited Benjamin Netanyahu to be the first foreign leader to visit the ...The Guardian - 1h -
Ukraine war briefing: Putin refuses direct talks with Zelenskyy
Russian president calls Ukrainian counterpart ‘illegitimate’; Zelenskyy says government will try to replace suspended US aid. What we know on 1,071 Continue reading...The Guardian - 1h