Four years old.
That was Gerald’s age when his childhood was destroyed, and his family fled Poland to escape Nazi occupation.
For 2.5 years, Gerald, his parents, his grandfather and many extended family members lived hidden in the forest. Every few weeks they moved, quietly and urgently.
The woods were not a refuge; they were a necessity. It was where Gerald spent his earliest, most formative years. Like any small child, Gerald cried when it was time to move again. His cries echoed too loudly, threatening to give them away, putting everyone in danger.
More than once, other family members suggested leaving him behind. Each time, his mother refused.
As the mother of a 14-year-old boy myself, I know without hesitation my response would be the same.
Gerald survived because of his mother’s unwavering love, her fierce resolve and her refusal to surrender to fear. He still carries her strength with him today. As Gerald said, “My mother had a lot of hope, and she knew we needed to survive. Hope is a belief in something better than you have right now.”
After the war ended, his family returned to Poland. Two years later, the family moved to the United States.
For Gerald, family was his key to happiness, and ultimately, safety.
Gerald moved to San Diego in the 1960s, where he’d always wanted to live, and spent years as a pharmacy owner. When Gerald’s wife fell ill with dementia, he spent more than a decade caring for her. Eventually, he wasn’t able to afford the mounting healthcare bills.
It’s a devastating reality: Gerald is one of thousands of Holocaust survivors in California who are aging alone — carrying lifelong trauma while facing declining health and financial insecurity.
Survivors today — an estimated 8,000 in California alone — are in their early 80s to over 100 years old. For them, the complex challenges of aging are magnified by trauma and loss.
For survivors like Gerald, aging on a fixed income means dwindling savings at the very moment when the cost of housing, food and medication continue to climb beyond reach. More than half of the survivors in our care fall below the federal poverty line, meaning their income is less than $16,000 annually. This is not a sustainable income, especially in San Diego.
Gerald is one of more than 500 Holocaust survivors supported by Jewish Family Service of San Diego’s Support our Survivors program, which provides a wide range of critical services to survivors living in San Diego and Orange County.
Across San Diego and Orange County, Jewish Family Service of San Diego is the sole provider of comprehensive, culturally responsive services designed to meet the unique needs of Holocaust survivors with dignity and compassion.
Gerald noted that without help from Jewish Family Service of San Diego when his wife became ill, “I would have lost my house and everything.”
Many Holocaust survivors live in poverty and struggle with physical and mental health issues, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
They need individualized support, including help navigating medical appointments and paperwork, medication reminders and wellness checks, and transportation to the grocery store and community events. Survivors also may be able to receive assistance with paying for homecare and emergency needs through funding from the Claims Conference and private donations.
In the coming months, funding for California’s Holocaust survivors is at risk: The state’s $14.5 million Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program, which supports more than 2,000 survivors statewide, ends in June.
For those who endured the unimaginable, this is more than assistance — it is an act of justice, compassion and remembrance. It is our moral obligation to ensure that no Holocaust survivor spends their final years in hardship or alone.
Tuesday, Jan. 27, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, designated by the United Nations General Assembly, as a day to remember those who have passed and honor those who survived and carry lifelong invisible wounds of the past.
Yet the history books aren’t closed — there’s still an opportunity to uplift the lives of those who’ve suffered greatly in one of the world’s worst atrocities. On this day of remembrance, we honor survivors not only with our words, but with action.As a community, we can help Holocaust survivors who endured history’s darkest chapter live their remaining years with dignity, care and compassion.
Dana Toppel is chief executive officer of Jewish Family Service of San Diego.
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