“Pogroms were quite common in Zaporozhe, Ukraine during those years. When they entered the synagogue, they found an old, pious-looking man deep in prayer. They grabbed him by his beard and dragged him through the streets of the town.”
“Four days later, he died from the wounds. His family was frightened. They heard that it was easier for Jews to live in Rostov, so they packed their bags and left.”
“The old man was my grandfather, Merel Berel.”
“A few years later, in 1926, I was born. They named me Miriam Baila, in his memory.”
“I lived through some of the darkest times, witnessing firsthand the atrocities of the Holocaust and the oppression of communism. But tonight, as I quietly light the Chanukah candles, I listen to the flickering flames whispering Judaism’s message to me: no matter how much darkness we face, we can always light a candle and brighten up our world.”
“Will you join me?”
Source: Souls on the Don