Beyond Trochenbrod: The Betty Gold Story

Epilogue. Other Voices

– 111 – epilogue Other VOices ( speaking to young people as a docent at the Maltz Museum or at schools has inspired me to continue telling my story. i’m lucky to have been a positive influence on numerous young lives for so many years. the kids have been so interested in hearing my talks and so kind in their responses that i feel a responsibility to continue delivering my testimony about the events of the holocaust. My goal is to convince those young listeners to do something to stop all the hate in this world. i’d like to share a few of the many hundreds of letters i’ve received from these beautiful children. Dear Mrs. Gold, i want to thank you for the amazing story you shared with us yesterday, complete with a plot, setting, main characters, and a hero—you. What made it remarkble, however, was that it wasn’t a story, but two and a half years of your young life. A living breathing human being, you stood befor us modest and eager, and recounted the horrors you had experienced, free of embellishments and exaggerations. You looked at us with the same eyes that watched those you knew and loved be ruthlessly murdred, and occasionally drummed on the podium the same fingers that pilfered bits and pieces of epilogue – 112 – beyond trochenbrod bread on the fridge. i did not feel worthy of such a gift, one beyond my level of comprehension. A firsthand retelling by someone who was actually there, alive and present during one of history’s most atrocious exhibits of inhumanity. By sharing your memories, however painful they may be, you have given a timeless gift to me, to us, and to the world, for you have been a part of shaping the conscience of the upcoming generation to prevent such calamities from reoccuring . i will pass your story, down to both my children and theirs, knowing that in my own, small way, i have changed the world for better. You showed me that yesterday. My admiration for you is endless. sincerely, [MB] [hathaway Brown school, shaker heights, Oh] Here I am telling my story as a docent at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood, Ohio, in 2011. – 113 – epilogue Dear Mrs. Gold, My reaction to hearing your story was pure shock. i could not think about or even try to fathom all that you had gone through. truthfully, i don’t think that i want to fathom the emotions, the pure horror, especially, that you must have felt. if i am able to relate at all to those feelings then i will know that the world is in a very bad place as it was when you were living out the horrible tale. i really want to thank you, Mrs. Gold, for being willing to tell us your story. All those terrible memories must be very hard to talk about. even now, as i remember sitting there in complete shock and rapt attention to what you were saying, i cannot imagine how much braver it would take to be able to tell those stories. i do not know if it gets easier to tell the stories over time, or if it is still hard as it was the first time you had to relive the years that you spent in the woods, cold and afraid. Does time really heal the wounds? Did time heal yours? Or are they still as fresh as if it were yesterday? that night when i was helping my mom make dinner, she asked me to go get bread from the freezer because we didn’t have any in our kitchen. in the freezer we had three loaves of bread. i stood there, staring at the bread, and remembered everything that you told us just that morning. to me that was the most powerful part of actually hearing your speech; i had realized how much i took for granted, like three loaves of bread, and how important those three loaves really were. sincerely, [hB] [hathaway Brown school, shaker heights, Oh] – 114 – beyond trochenbrod Ms. Gold, My name is [sK]. You spoke at the cleveland Public Library on May 15, 2005 to a group of chaminade Julienne [Dayton, Oh] students. Your story about the holocaust has touched my life. i remember your story, especially about you making a bet about strawberries and a quart of cream. You...