Gratitude.

Gratitude – the opposite of taking things for granted. 

Be grateful for you family, 

loved ones 

and all things you do have

rather than feeling sad for the things you don’t. 

Being grateful will solidify your craving for happiness. 

________

Some call it luck. Some call them miracles. Whatever it may be, I am grateful to have survived and lived through the good and the bad as it made me cherish, value and appreciate all that I have. I am grateful. Here are 23 things that I am grateful for:

1. I am grateful and thankful for my parents for keeping our family of 7 together and alive for as long as they could. 
2. Hiding in between 2 buildings in a Bochnia Ghetto during a Nazi raid at age 13 with the sounds of machine guns shooting, screams of horror and dogs ripping families apart. I survived. I am grateful. 
3. Arranged by my parents who did not survive the mission, I am grateful to have survived the escaping from Bochnia Ghetto to our final destination of Budapest where we hid under the chassis of a double decker coal truck with my little brother Tuli and 8 others packed like sardines. All while Nazi’s soldiers hitchhiked sitting on top of us not knowing we were there. I am grateful.
4. Crossing several boarders to the next without being caught. I am grateful.
5. Outsmarted Dr. Mengele, the Angel of Death at age 15. I survived Auschwitz. I am grateful.
6. Dornhau, Gross-Rosen labor camp beating with 25 brutal lashes. I survived. I am grateful.
7. I survived the Death march. I am grateful.
8. I survived Buchenwald Concentration Camp. I am grateful.
9. I survived the notorious 3-week death train from Buchenwald to Dachau without food or water. Of the 3,000 inmates that walked onto that train, only 18 walked off. Today, I am the only survivor. I am grateful. 
10. I survived the death that surrounded me. I am grateful.
11. I survived Dachau Liberation to only pass-out in a priests’ arms falling into a 2-month coma. I was then transferred to St. Ottilien Monastery in Bavaria where they nursed be back to health. I am grateful. 
12. Reunited with my sister Lola. She and I were the only survivors from a family of 7. I am grateful.
13. Traveled to America to start a new chapter of my life. I am grateful. 
14. 70 years ago, I married the love of my life, Jean. I am grateful.
15. For the strength and dedication to do my best and be the best at all that I have done in my career. I am grateful. 
16. My two daughters who gave me 4 beautiful grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. I am grateful. 
17. For the historians and educators who work tirelessly to teach our children the lessons we learned from the past in order to never repeat. I am grateful. 
18. For the scientists, doctors and first responders who dedicated their lives to keep us healthy. I am grateful.

And let’s not forget to mention that I am grateful to G-d for:

19. My awakening and courage in 1995 to speak up about the Holocaust. 
20. Guidance in making the ZACHOR Holocaust Remembrance Foundations mission known around the word. ZACHOR – Remember. 
21. And for the past 30 years giving me the strength to tell my story and leave a lasting footprint in history through my words, books, video’s, music, educational websites and through my children so the world would not acquire amnesia.
22. I am grateful to have lived a life that matters. 
23. I am grateful to be an American. 

For more information about me, please visit: zachorfoundation.org

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Did you know …

that I recently launched the first-ever Holocaust curriculum website taught by a Survivor – me? ZACHOR Holocaust Curriculum (ZHC) is an interactive teaching tool with turn-key lesson plans along with videos, photographs, personal anecdotes, an interactive timeline, student activities and dialogue prompts. The curriculum is designed to be easy to use for teachers and provide lasting impact on participants.

Join this FREE online resource today.

zachorlearn.org