Mazel tov to Holocaust survivors Abe Sloma and Chava Felner Sloma, who celebrated their 74th wedding anniversary this month! Both Abe and Chava were born in Poland and survived the war after fleeing to Siberia. When the war broke out, Abe was smuggled across the Russian border and sent to the Novosibirsk slave labor camp. Unbeknown to him, his future wife was placed in the same exact camp. Chava arrived there with her sister on a train that was originally destined for a concentration camp, but was diverted to Siberia after a deal was made with the Russians. Chava and Abe both returned to Poland after the war. Abe went looking for his parents and six siblings, but he found his home empty. His loved ones were taken to the Majdanek death camp and only one sister survived. Similarly, Chava returned home to discover that her entire family had been murdered in the gas chambers of Treblinka. By the time the couple met, they had both lost everything. When they married, they only had each other, and together they left Poland in 1949. The two eventually settled in Toronto where they built a close-knit family, which they call “their riches.” At age 102 and 95, Abe and Chava are a constant source of strength and inspiration for their family, which now spans four generations!
Source: American Society for Yad Vashem
Photo: Naomi Parness
