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In Memoriam
Marking a Death…and a Life
The story of a lost uncle, on the anniversary of his death, 67 years ago.
Sixty-seven years later. Sixty-seven years. The opening of the Nazi archives of Auschwitz has finally afforded our family the opportunity to mark the anniversary date of the passing of my great-uncle, Joseph Hamada.
Actually, I had never even heard of this uncle at all until my late 20s. My mother’s mother, Bella Brenes nee Hamada, had six brothers and sisters who were all alive circa 1985, between the ages of 66 and 86. Then Uncle Jack, the youngest, died from a botched amnioplasty, and suddenly all the siblings were reminded of their mortality. At that time, Grandma said to me, “We should do something to preserve the memories of my two brothers, Joseph and Herschel, who were killed by the Nazis.” This is news to me, Grandma.
So she told me the whole story.
“We lived in the Galicia section of Poland, in a small town named Freistag, not far from New Sanz. My father, Solomon, was a stockbroker in the Bourse of Cracow. Every Sunday morning he got on the train to the big city and rejoined the world of international commerce. On Friday he returned home to spend the Sabbath with the family and we greeted him like a king. He always had some kind of trinket as a gift to each of the little kids.
“When the Nazis began building up power in Germany about 1929, my father decided we needed to get out of Eastern Europe. He traveled ahead to New York City and went straight to work despite the Depression. Before very long he was doing well enough to send visas for all of us. My mother asked the rabbi of Kolczysz if we should go, and he said the Nazis were becoming very strong, ‘a grosser macht.’ We were fortunate to have the chance, we should go.
“‘But they say America is a very decadent environment. Will my children leave the religion?’
“‘Do not worry. They will be fine.’
“We were all anxious to leave, but my oldest two brothers decided to stay. They were both married and one of them had a baby child. Sadly, none of them survived. I was still young enough to enroll in high school in the Bronx, and I graduated. After high school I married your grandfather, who had grown up in the same small town and was a friend of one of my brothers. We traveled back to Europe by boat to celebrate the wedding in our home town, then we came back and settled in New York.”
That was it. Two great-uncles had made the same mistake as Lot’s sons-in-law in Genesis, reluctant to leave Sodom and eventually trapped in the carnage. We know their names but we had no information about how and when they died. They were swallowed by the German killing machine and left no earthly trace.
Now, 67 years forward, this grisly archive of slaughter has been unfurled and the names of our silenced heroes have been read. Joseph Hamada met his fate on February 16, 1942, corresponding to the Hebrew date of 11 Adar 5702. Herschel must have been gunned down in a ghetto, or murdered at random on the bitter road to perdition, so he is not featured in the Auschwitz log. At least we have reclaimed Joseph from limbo, reestablished him in time and place.
This year, after three score and seven years, his last surviving brother Carl along with many nephews and nieces, your humble correspondent included, will light a candle and say a prayer on the Hebrew anniversary of his passing, falling this year on March 7. The effort to abort his humanity has failed. We will honor him by standing for truth without fear, knowing well that they can occasionally destroy our bodies but they can never defeat our spirits.
About the Author
Jay D. Homnick, commentator and humorist, is a frequent contributor to The American Spectator. He also writes for Human Events. Here he speaks at the Rally for Religious Freedom in Miami on June 8, 2012.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (19) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Jay D. Homnick
More Articles From In Memoriam
http://spectator.org/archives/2009/03/06/marking-a-deathand-a-life
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Zach| 3.6.09 @ 11:28AM
Thank you, Jay. This Mormon kid will remember, and I will teach my children to remember. Both my grandfathers fought in the war against that evil, and we will not forget the price paid by so many. I think the Poles were particularly courageous in their resistance, and probably got the worst of things from both Germany and Russia. I will be thinking of your great-uncles tomorrow.
IMKessel| 3.6.09 @ 3:58PM
Yit'gadal v'yit'kadash sh'mei raba (Cong: Amein).
May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified (`Cong: Amen.)
b'al'ma di v'ra khir'utei
in the world that He created as He willed.
v'yam'likh mal'khutei b'chayeikhon uv'yomeikhon
May He give reign to His kingship in your lifetimes and in your days,
uv'chayei d'khol beit yis'ra'eil
and in the lifetimes of the entire Family of Israel,
ba'agala uviz'man kariv v'im'ru:
swiftly and soon. Now say:
(Mourners and Congregation:)
Amein. Y'hei sh'mei raba m'varakh l'alam ul'al'mei al'maya
(Amen. May His great Name be blessed forever and ever.)
Yit'barakh v'yish'tabach v'yit'pa'ar v'yit'romam v'yit'nasei
Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled,
v'yit'hadar v'yit'aleh v'yit'halal sh'mei d'kud'sha
mighty, upraised, and lauded be the Name of the Holy One
(Mourners and Congregation:)
B'rikh hu.
Blessed is He.
l'eila min kol bir'khata v'shirara
beyond any blessing and song,
toosh'b'chatah v'nechematah, da'ameeran b'al'mah, v'eemru:
praise and consolation that are uttered in the world. Now say:
(Mourners and Congregation:)
Amein
Amen
Y'hei sh'lama raba min sh'maya
May there be abundant peace from Heaven
v'chayim aleinu v'al kol yis'ra'eil v'im'ru
and life upon us and upon all Israel. Now say:
(Mourners and Congregation:)
Amein
Amen
Oseh shalom bim'romav hu ya'aseh shalom
He Who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace,
aleinu v'al kol Yis'ra'eil v'im'ru
upon us and upon all Israel. Now say:
(Mourners and Congregation:)
Amein
Amen
R. Trotter| 3.6.09 @ 4:36PM
Never again.
When Israel winds up taking out the Iranian nuclear facilities because the US is too feckless to do so, think of you uncles and remember that they are not forgotten.
Peace upon your family.
Alan Brooks| 3.7.09 @ 12:04AM
yep, send a whole bunch of shi-ite heads to their 72 baby prostitutes.
Marc Jeric| 3.7.09 @ 2:06PM
During the WW2 my old country was occupied by the Nazis from 1941-45. I was 10 years old and would bring my Jewish friend from school home to play chess; he had to carry the yellow Star of David on his coat. My mother got worried if the Nazis see me friendly with a Jewish kid; she also remarked that the Jews killed Jesus - she was a fervent Catholic. I said - "Mother, he is the best chess player, I beat everybody else; and, don't you know, Jesus himself was a Jew, as was the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph". She sat down, deep in thought, and after a while said - "Son, you are right, why didn't I ever think of that?" That kid survived - he was hidden by somebody and in 1946 left for Israel.
Alan Brooks| 3.7.09 @ 9:56PM
let's face it, the Arab nations opposing Israel, which is most Arab nations, can move on Israel any time they want, but it's not convenient for them to do so at this time. Also, Israel is the glue holding their coalition together.
But someday they will attack. The only just solution is for Germany to give a portion of Deutschland to Israel; if Bavaria is too big then perhaps Mecklenburg, say, plus Thuringia.
Dianne Stewart| 3.7.09 @ 11:24PM
My uncle died in France in 1944, while serving our country. He almost made it through the war, but not quite. I never knew him, but my mother felt his loss every day of her life.
hgjhg| 11.25.09 @ 9:08PM
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