Naomi NewmanNaomi Newman is the daughter of two Holocaust survivors and a passionate advocate for Holocaust education. Born to Eric Weiss and Gerda Feldmann, Naomi shared with us the memorable and inspiring story of her parents' fight for survival, one which weaves together the potential evil of mankind and the strong will of survivors. In her life, Judaism is a guiding force, a source of pride, and a symbol of her parents' resilience. Explore the website to learn more about the two impressive survivors that Naomi called mom and dad.
"It's not so much to be a hardcore religious person but to be proud of our identity as Jews." |
Parent's Background
As mentioned before, both of Naomi's parents lived through the Holocaust. Eric Weiss was born in Vienna, Austria--a Jewish hub at the time--and had a normal and happy upbringing. Despite the large Jewish population, there existed a small yet clear sense of anti-semitism, whether in schools or in the media. When Hitler came to power, Weiss quickly understood the imminent danger he was in, and worked to help his parents escape the country alongside him. Weiss's parents were able to exit the country through Japan and land in Portland Oregon. Eric, meanwhile, used his enrollment at the Hebrew University as a means to flee to Israel. While there, he served as a spy for Great Britain, recruited for his aptitude for linguistics (he spoke 7 languages fluently!), traveling across the Middle East and Mediterranean on missions.
On the other side, Gerda Feldmann was raised in a small town called Novy Bohumín on the border of modern day Poland and the Czech Republic. At the young age of 14, German forces took hold of the country, seizing Jews and sending them to concentration and forced labor camps in Poland. Among them was little Gerda, whisked away to a labor camp while her parents (Naomi's grandparents) were murdered at Auschwitz, a truth she learned years later. After moving to different camps, Gerda landed at the infamous Bergen-Belsen, known for its wildly unsanitary condition and grueling work. While there, Gerda caught Typhus, and was lucky to survive. With shortages of food and water, nearly 50,000 died at the camp, among them Anne Frank. Finally, on April 15 1945, the camp was liberated by the British, and Gerda was set free. Soon after, she recovered in Sweden with the help of the Red Cross, and by 1947, travelled to Israel with her sister. There, she served in the Israeli army and also trained to become a nurse, fulfilling her passion to finish schooling.
Eventually, the two survivors met in Tel Aviv in the year 1948. By 1952, Eric and Gerda had settled into Portland and married, giving birth to Naomi and her brother in the following years.
On the other side, Gerda Feldmann was raised in a small town called Novy Bohumín on the border of modern day Poland and the Czech Republic. At the young age of 14, German forces took hold of the country, seizing Jews and sending them to concentration and forced labor camps in Poland. Among them was little Gerda, whisked away to a labor camp while her parents (Naomi's grandparents) were murdered at Auschwitz, a truth she learned years later. After moving to different camps, Gerda landed at the infamous Bergen-Belsen, known for its wildly unsanitary condition and grueling work. While there, Gerda caught Typhus, and was lucky to survive. With shortages of food and water, nearly 50,000 died at the camp, among them Anne Frank. Finally, on April 15 1945, the camp was liberated by the British, and Gerda was set free. Soon after, she recovered in Sweden with the help of the Red Cross, and by 1947, travelled to Israel with her sister. There, she served in the Israeli army and also trained to become a nurse, fulfilling her passion to finish schooling.
Eventually, the two survivors met in Tel Aviv in the year 1948. By 1952, Eric and Gerda had settled into Portland and married, giving birth to Naomi and her brother in the following years.
Lasting Messages
Our interview with Naomi Newman was the perfect window into her connection she had with her parents. As a child, she slowly came to realize what her parents had gone through; for one, certain words or occasions made her mother emotional and brought up sad memories. Similarly, Naomi's father experienced something similar to PTSD, fearing that a blonde, tattooed hospice employee was a Nazi. Throughout her life, these stories and habits would become apparent to Naomi as she learned more about her parents' lives.
Naomi and her father Eric, pictured in Venice.
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Unfortunately, Naomi's mother passed away when she was in high school. Despite this, she found ways to connect with her father and eventually travelled with him to Europe. There, they travelled to Italy, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic, which fully immersed Naomi in the history of her parents former lives and made the story more real and emotional.
At the end of the day, says Naomi, the best thing that we can do "is to be good citizens of the world," treating everyone, no matter their background, with respect and kindness. |