It’s with a heavy heart that I share the sad news of Sigmund Siegreich’s passing. He was my mother’s 2nd cousin born & raised in #Katowice #Poland, who documented his remarkable story of survival in #Hasag concentration camp in #czestachowa where he met his lifelong beloved Hanka on New Year’s Eve just a few days shy of liberation. The book is called @thethirty.six because he believed a true Tzadik one of 36 self-sacrificing angels saved his life- before he met Hanka. I never heard of Siga or our Australian cousins who include Siga & Hanka’s daughters Evelyn, the 1st Jewish child born after the war in Katowice, & Avi, who without knowing me hosted Ariana @ariana_bevilacqua & me & our DP @paul_e_green on our 1st trip to Australia 2 years ago. It was one of the most wonderful trips we ever took and made all the more special because of Siga, an intellectual, a sage and sweet man who filled that void within me, helped me understand my deep roots & made us feel connected to a glorious family, including these total loves- his grandchildren & great grandchildren who filled his days with so much happiness & love. Filming Siga for this documentary was a true highlight & I’m so grateful I found him right in time. As he told me, “Siegreich means victory.” And you could say his life was just that - a triumph. Lots of love & deepest sympathy to his/our beautiful family @avivasztrajt @evelynepipersberg @anna.siegreich @tahnigrinblat @mishiboobarnett1980 @thethirty.six @techterior_design #baruchdayanhaemet May his memory be a blessing. 💔🙌🏼 #melbourne #melbournejewishcommunity #Survivors #HolocaustHeroism #Inspiration #family #siegreich #triumph over #tragedy
Happy Sukkot, feast of the tabernacles, no greater symbol of our wandering status, vulnerability, resiliency & love of nature. In that spirit enjoy these images from the #Sosnowiec ghetto of my mom’s #hanoarhatzioni friends, my grandmother who I never knew, my mom and some of her friends in Israel who worked in absorption centers welcoming new immigrants and some of the sukkahs they built. #shakeyourlulav #chagsameach #etrogang
Today is my mother’s 26th yarzeit. Seems like yesterday that we held hands and I promised I’d be there with you through thick and thin as you bravely fought cancer, just as you faced all the obstacles in your storied life. I wish you could have shared more of it with me but you left me with the greatest mystery to unravel and a beautiful but also difficult legacy to own. There are many ways to overcome trauma and unimaginable loss. Your path was uniquely intriguing, inspiring, empowering, an example of resilience, hope, determination and reinvention. May you Rest In Peace mommy. You deserve it. You can honor her memory or any other #ShoahShero #HolocaustHeroine #JewishResister #freedomfighter by making a tax-deductible donation to my film, which is currently in rough cut. We also have a new website. Link in bio. Thanks for your support ❤️💙🙌🏼 ברוך דין האמת
A green, bountiful 5780! Shana Tovah
An easy fast & peaceful, meaningful #YomKippur from the beautiful @labshul #gmarhatimahtovah
Have a trailblazing New Year! #ShanaTova #5780 To good health, good times & good trouble! #Apples #honey #(im)peaches
What an incredible story & testament to the indomitable spirit of #women #holocaustsurvivors like @alexborstein’s grandma and my mom. A motto I take to heart: “Step out of line ladies!” My mom never met a line she didn’t try to cut. As a kid, I’d cringe at her utter chutzpah. But I now appreciate that quality as the thing that enabled her to survive and thrive. Proud to report I’m now that woman who steps out of line & makes her kids cringe. #ldorvador #2g #holocaust #herstory #shero #shoah #generationtogeneration #stepoutofline #maketrouble #changeyourdestiny be a #risktaker #emmys #marvelousmrsmaisel
18 years ago today: Leo’s 1st day of Pre-K, Marcello was 2, Michael was on his way to his studio & I was a freelance writer for the Chicago Tribune, Newsday (when it had a N.Y. edition) & New York magazine, heading to fashion week when I suddenly had to change beats. Of my 9/11 reporting, I like this Newsday feature best. It’s a reminder of New Yorkers’ courage, grit, resilience & humanity that enabled us to rebuild our city and our lives following this devastation. 18 stands for life in Hebrew. Let the spirit of renewal guide us through our tears today. I read that Jacques Capsouto eventually left NY after his restaurant was badly hit by Sandy. He’s now a winemaker in the Galilee region of Israel, employing a diverse group of workers, his small way of working toward peace & rebuilding our fractured world, or #tikkunolam A true mensch who inspires me still. Link in bio for the full story. #911 #18 years
Happy #LaborDay a holiday we wouldn’t have without the courage & self sacrifice of #Jewishgirls & young #women like #ClaraLemlich who fled the #pogroms of her native #Ukraine (like my paternal grandparents) & rose from the ashes of the #triangleshirtwaistfactoryfire to demand workers rights & ignited our labor union movement (of which my grandfather was a major member). Sadly 30 years later on this day, Poland would be invaded by Germany and my mom & her #Jewish #teenage peers would fall prey to #Nazi #slavelabor. She, too, rose & founded a nation #Israel. #refugeestories #HerStory #neverunderestimatethepowerofawoman #neverunderestimateagirl #neverunderestimateyourself #sheroes #womenslavelabor #freedomfighter #girlpower #labordayweekend #strike Let’s remember the girls who died & fought selflessly for freedoms we should never take for granted. ❤️🙌🏼💪🏽💓
On #womensequalityday pledge to support #films by & about #women who make up 51% of the movie going public but are only 4% of directors, 3% of cinematographers, 15% of writers, 18% of producers in Hollywood. Things aren’t much better in the indie film world: #Women make up less than 28% of feature directors at Sundance. The #gender imbalance is also pervasive in #film #funding, which is where you enter the scene. Get women in the picture & on screen. Donate & disrupt the patriarchy. Link in Bio⬆️ ❤️Thanks for your support 🙌🏼💙#womendirectors 💓#documentary #HerStory #centerforindependentdocumentary #womenmakemovies #GirlsLife #ReelLife #HolocaustHERoism #Shoah #shero #survivorstories #SheDoc #dword #sisters #thegirlstaysinthepicture #newyorkwomeninfilmandtelevision #EqualityNow #EndGenderDiscrimination