A local organization is surprising those who went through one of the darkest periods of history.
More than 500 Holocaust survivors in South Florida are getting surprised with packages filled with goodies to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.
Sally Dauman, 95, is one of them. On Thursday morning, Goodman Jewish Family Services knocked on her door with a sweet surprise ahead of the celebration of the Jewish new year.
“We have honey cake, we have apples and honey, which is tradition to dip the apples in the honey. We have grape juice, so you can say the prayer for the wine,” said Rami Spiegel, assistant director for the Holocaust Survivor Assitance Program.
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The organization does more than just provide goods for people who survived the unimaginable — they also provide a sense of comfort and tradition.
“We're proud of what we do, we’re proud to bring some tradition and holiday goodies into the homes, and hopefully some happiness into the heart so she can celebrate a happy and healthy new year,” said Randy J. Colman, president and CEO of the organization. “Jews from all around the country and the world come together with their families, this is her family to celebrate the Jewish new year.”
Dauman, while in her Hallandale Beach apartment, was wearing a necklace, close to her heart, with a pendant in the shape of Israel.
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In 1944, she was sent to Auschwitz, one of the largest concentration and extermination camps in Nazi Germany. After liberation, she met her husband and the couple moved to New York. Since then, she has lived in South Florida for over 20 years.
Like Dauman, thousands of other survivors still remember those dark times.
“There’s currently about 2,000 remaining Holocaust survivors in Broward County,” Colman said.
Of those 2,000 the organization serves about 1,000 survivors in hopes of bringing light and hope to some of the bravest people in generations.
“All of our care managers, we have ten of them, have been running Broward delivering and making sure all of our survivors have a sweet taste for the new year,” Spiegel said.
