I was 4 years old when the war broke out. My parents had me placed in a Christian orphanage hidden with my sister, Miriam who was 14 years old, ten years older than me. My parents escaped to Siberia with my two older sisters, Menucha and Riwa. My sister Miriam worked in the kitchen and snuck me extra food that she would mash up in her pockets. All of the orphans were hungry and there was not adequate nutrition for each child.
The administrators of the orphanage kept trying to separate us because of our age difference but Miriam refused to leave me. I was so young, I would never have understood that I was Jewish but for my beloved sister looking out for me.
After the war, we were in a DP camp in Germany. I attended an ORT school and studied to be an electrician. I was always good with my hands and I wasn’t afraid of electricity.
When we got to Detroit, I studied to become a commercial electrician and with my electrician’s license, I joined the electricians’ union. I was able to work on many exciting commercial buildings and public schools in Detroit. My favorite projects included helping to erect the Detroit Renaissance Center and volunteering my skills to Habitat for Humanity. I also helped many religious families in our community install timers on their lights so that they would have adequate lighting on Shabbat (Sabbath).
I am in awe of the technological advances that are occurring so rapidly.