Esther Ross, 97, got a goody bag for Rosh Hashanah from the Goodman Jewish Family Services, who reached out to over 700 Holocaust survivors in South Florida to try to make their holidays extra special.
Now during the pandemic, these services are even more important when some survivors feel like they did in the past.
"When they were younger during the war, and now with the current situation being isolated from their families, not being able to see their care managers on a regular basis," Rami Spiegel from Goodman JFS said.
Ross lost her family when Hitler rose to power. She was born in Poland and later survived Auschwitz.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
"A Nazi was walking on the sidewalk and my father didn't go into the gutter. He shot him," she recalled.
Painful memories have haunted her whole life and even her dreams. But Ross has managed to lead a good life after moving to the U.S. with her husband. He was also a Holocaust survivor and they met on a train after the war.
They opened up a bakery in Queens New York, had two children and later four grandchildren.
