At the age of 17, Bella Gelbart and her parents Hillel and Franya were amongst the 67,000 Jews transported from the Lodz Ghetto to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp in 1944. Upon arrival at the death camp, the Nazis selected those deemed fit to work and separated them from those considered unable to do so, nearly all of whom were sent to their death in the gas chambers.
An already fragile Hillel was separated from his wife and daughter. “I’ll see you later, Daddy,” Bella cried out to him. Disappearing into the crowd, Hillel left his wife and daughter — and their final goodbye — forever unspoken.
As the Nazis continued the selections at Auschwitz over the next few weeks, Franya Gelbart was able to find her way into the “survivor line” and to the best of her ability watch over Bella. Franya desperately wanted to live to see her only daughter into adulthood and to reconnect with her son Geniek.
Eventually however, the Nazi officers at Auschwitz directed Bella to the workers’ side of the line and her mom to the other. She hid among those in the crowd so Bella would not follow her and thereby not succumb to the horrific end that Franya knew awaited her.
Painfully aware it would be the last time she saw Bella, in her final moments before their separation, Franya implored her to stay strong and hold back her tears, promising there would be time enough for them later. She urged Bella to endure, reassuring her that better days lay ahead.
Indeed, despite losing her parents and her only brother (Geniek was murdered during the war), Bella Gelbart survived the concentration camp and after the war, went on to rebuild her life in Canada.
On Jan. 27, 2025, ceremonies will be held in several countries to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. With each passing anniversary there are fewer persons alive that bore witness to the murder of six million Jews (representing more than one-third of the world’s Jewish population) and countless others. Holocaust survivor testimonies serve as crucial reminders of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and their collaborators.
The stories also shed light on the seemingly insurmountable challenges survivors had to overcame in the ghettos and death camps. Through these stories, we learn about resilience during the Second World War that was further evidenced by the very dignified lives that so many built for themselves in its aftermath.
The difficult memories that the survivors generously shared with so many people and the lessons they conveyed to future generations are currently under unprecedented assault from pernicious influencers who would have us believe that what Bella and other Holocaust survivors endured is exaggerated.
Recent surveys done by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies reveal that nearly one in five Americans and Canadians between the ages of 18 and 24 think that the Holocaust is exaggerated. Amongst those who think this, nearly half believe that the number of Jews murdered during the Holocaust was less than six million. Around the world, in classrooms and museums, educators face important challenges in countering the spread of disinformation about the Holocaust and the affront to the hard truth that such manipulation represents.
On Jan. 13, 2025, at the age of 98, my courageous and compassionate mom Bella Gelbart Jedwab passed away.
In the end, Franya’s hope for something better indeed proved prophetic. Bella built a wonderful life for herself and her family in Canada. With her soul mate Berek Dov, she raised three children, had 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
May her memory be a blessing.
— Jack Jedwab is president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies and the Metropolis Institute
You can learn more about the experiences of Bella Gelbart Jedwab by reading “I Never Said Goodbye: Bella Gelbart’s Story” by Geula Bernstein online.
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