Our mom, who lived through the Holocaust and worked at Schindler’s Factory, who lost almost everything worth living for, came to America, “this wonderful country” as she would call it, to work hard and hopefully prosper. She was so very appreciative to be given the opportunity to prove her worth through her good deeds, strong ethics, love for her family, and new found freedom from hate.

My mother’s words: “This country, America, is a gift from God. Cherish it!Take good care of it! I know how horrific life can be and I know if you believe in yourself and embrace the beauty in life that surrounds you, you will succeed to find happiness. Never give up! Don’t envy anyone. Just remember, no one is forever blessed. Life is the journey, happiness is the reward.”

We know our mom, Helen Fassler, is smiling from above and is proud of us.

Table of Contents

Preface...........1

Introduction.........3

Sharing His Last Slice..........4

You Will Always Have.....6

Equal, But Different ......8

Consider From Whom It Comes.... 10

That She Lived... 12

A Perfect Match.. 14

Knowing What She Didn’t Know... 16

Crying for Happiness...... 18

Words Remembered...... 20

Picking Up Their Troubles.... 21

Dancing at the Bar Mitzvah.... 22

Regrets....... 24

A Stitch in Time.... 26

Follow Me..... 28

Yours Forever...

A Grandmother’s Job...... 31

A Chance to Celebrate Life..... 32

A Good One.... 33

Marriage Counseling.... 34

Fasting For Those Who Perished... 35

Always... 36

The Improbable Survivor.... 38

Good Cows.... 40

Arriving..... 41

The Trials.... 43

Everything On Your Plate..... 44

Appreciation.... 45

On the List..... 46

A Dying Art.... 48

Her Work Was Who She Was... 50

Words Matter.......... 51

The Token....... 52

Sharing........ 54

Happiness..... 56

Understanding What They Went Through...... 57

Conclusion........ 58

Afterword......... 60

Family Photos....... 61

INTRODUCTION

My Mom. When I try to remember my mom, where do I begin? As far back as my memories allow, I have always felt so very lucky and proud to have such an anchor to what is important and what is not. I find myself smiling and filling with a warmth that is hard to explain to others. My mom had the ability to make me feel so important and knowledgeable when I was asking her for help with a problem. Her insight into things was amazing. Her solutions were so very clear and simple that when you heard her explain things, you said to yourself, “Sure – that makes sense.” She never made you feel silly for asking her, when the answer, now, seemed obvious. Her outlook on life was optimistic – to put it mildly. Every problem had a solution; you just had to understand that things could always be so much worse. She was a Holocaust survivor, after all. Her love and guidance through my life was immeasurable. She was proud of who she was and how lucky she was to be alive, and, as she said, “to have two beautiful daughters and to live in the most wonderful country in the world – the U.S.A. – America!” She would always say to my sister, Blanche, and me, “You can be anything you want to be in this great land. You just have to work for it as hard as you can.” And she would always end by saying, “Only in America!” She and dad were victims of the Holocaust. They survived. This is their story.