Page 17 - Boca ViewPointe - April '25

April 2025 Viewpointe, Page 17
Honoring My Family’s Holocaust Legacy

By Ilene Brookler families. The resilience of my father and grandparents without words, my father imparted to me a deep sense of
has shaped my identity, weaving together the enduring duty—to remember, to carry forward the stories, and to
On April 23, 2025, legacy of my ancestors with the promise of a new life in honor those who were lost.
the world will observe America. As Yom HaShoah approaches, I reflect on this legacy
Yom HaShoah, Holocaust On May 21, 1949, my father, then just 11 years old, and I bear. I feel the weight of memory pressing upon
Memorial Day, a time to his family boarded the SS Queen Elizabeth, embarking me, compelling me to share these stories. My father’s
reflect on the immense loss on a journey across the Atlantic toward an uncertain journey was not just one of survival but of perseverance,
suffered by millions and future. During the voyage, my father eagerly learned his of choosing to build a new life despite the ghosts that
to honor the resilience of first words in English: “Don’t mention it,” a phrase he followed him. The wall in my entryway is more than
those who survived. When would repeat with excitement, embracing the adventure a collection of artifacts—it is a declaration that we
guests enter my home, they ahead. Five days later, they arrived in New York City, remember, that we exist, that we honor the past while
are greeted by a wall that where the Statue of Liberty welcomed them as a beacon embracing the future.
resembles a museum exhibit—a testament to the intricate of hope and opportunity. The boxes they had sent ahead
layers of history embedded in my family’s legacy. were nearly empty upon arrival—except for one cherished Ilene Brookler, a Boca Pointe resident and Columbia
Prominently displayed are a violin, ceramic pears, and item: a violin from Prague that my father had once played Law School graduate, brings over 30 years of litigation
framed chess pieces. Among these artifacts hangs a briefly. Today, that violin hangs in my home’s entryway, experience to her role as a certified mediator. She founded
poignant collage. At its center is a photograph of my an enduring symbol of resilience, continuity, and the Family First Divorce Mediation Services with the goal of
father as a young boy seated with his parents and his four unbreakable threads of survival. helping families navigate divorce quickly and affordably.
siblings. The eye is drawn to an image of a cattle car and Growing up, I often heard my father recount his She can be reached at info@familyfirstmediate.com. For
a charred piece of paper marked with a stark red “Z,” “adventure” stories—tales of hiding from the Nazis more information, visit www.familyfirstmediate.com. 
indicating their seven names crossed off a list written behind bushes, escaping roundups by playing soccer
in German. Tucked behind this list are five 100-mark with unsuspecting German soldiers, and surviving in a
cave where he and his family slept for months on hard
German bills stamped with the Nazi insignia. A solemn rocks, ate wild pears, and played chess with a set carved Vehicle
plaque serves as a reminder of the Jewish community of
Michalovce, Slovakia, who perished in the Holocaust. by my grandfather. My father spoke with excitement and
pride, as if narrating a thrilling childhood escapade. But
My grandmother’s hand points toward a postcard of the no matter how much he tried to romanticize those years, Information
SS Queen Elizabeth, a Cunard ocean liner known for its
transatlantic voyages between Europe and America. my father could not conceal the trauma they left behind.
Adjacent, a second collage intertwines images of my He refused to use a pillow, preferring to sleep on a hard If you ha ve
son at his bar mitzvah with those of his namesake, my mattress; he never ate pears; he was wary of strangers. He purchased a new
father, at his own coming-of-age ceremony, bridging the took immense pride in his Slovakian roots, passionately vehicle within
generations with a celebration of survival, tradition, and following the country’s professional tennis and soccer the past 6 months,
continuity. Artifacts from my son’s celebration sit beside players, yet he was too afraid to return to visit. please make sure the Boca Pointe Community
my father’s naturalization papers, his Slovakian birth My father sought to leave the past behind, embracing Association management office has a copy of
certificate, and a map of Slovakia, anchoring our family his American identity and raising American children. He your current vehicle registration on file. Your
history in tangible objects. was devoted to us, yet he carried profound loss, scarcely
This wall is more than a collection of memorabilia; it recalling his murdered relatives except for faint memories gate transponder is linked to your vehicle so it
is a tribute to the past I have inherited. Though born and of riding on a horse and buggy with his grandfather is important that we have accurate information
raised in America, my story is inextricably linked to the during seltzer deliveries. The weight of his unprocessed in our system. Please fax it to (561) 395-5936 or
one that began decades earlier—when my father’s family grief fell upon me, leaving me with an indefinable void. email it to admin@bocapointe.com.
was pulled from cattle cars just moments before a death- Often, I would catch him staring off into the distance, Thank you for your cooperation!
bound train carried away both of my grandparents’ fathers, his mind seemingly trapped in another time and place. BPCA Management team 
along with two of my grandmother’s sisters and their The guilt of survival weighed heavily in his eyes, and

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