We Lost A Special And Wonderfully Heroic Woman

Tonight, I am crying for a wonderful and heroic woman I never met.  I am also crying for my friend who lost her mother and best friend.  On my night stand is a music box my mother sent me and my fingers caress it and say a silent prayer relishing the special link a mother and daughter share.

Yesterday afternoon, my friend Naomi lost her mother, Edith Festinger-Litvin.  Edith was a survivor and a fighter, so much so, that Naomi wrote a wonderful book about her and her family called "We Never Lost Hope".  As survivor of the Holocaust and Nazi slave camps, Naomi traced her mother Edith and her family throughout World War II.  In those pages you hear Edith's words and feel her spirit.  Throughout, Naomi brings to life her family as they endure the horrors of deprivation and death, bigotry and bureaucracy.

I never met Edith Litvin, yet feel as if I always knew her.  I admired her courage, tenacity and gregariousness. Through Naomi and her mother, Edith, I saw that greatness still existed in the places one least expected to find it.  It is found within one's own breast.

Edith Festinger-Litvin touched thousands of people throughout her life and she will continue to do so on the pages of Naomi's book.

It was my pleasure to read the book and interview Naomi on my show on March 22, 2011.  In honor of Edith, take a few moments to listen.  Edith belongs to an era that we do well to never forget, least we repeat the mistakes and horrors.  We do well to remember and honor Edith and all who walked her path.

Edith Festinger-Litvin you may be gone, but you will never be forgotten.

ללכת עם אלוהים בשלום