ESTHER AT 93

Like many Jews who grew up in Germany in the 1930s, Esther Adler has had a lifelong mission. Having been among those who survived the Holocaust, she has devoted her many talents to keeping alive the memory of those who perished. It is a task that can never be fully completed, but that has not deterred Esther from working steadily to fulfill the calling.

Last year, when Esther was 92, she authored Best Friends: A Bond That Survived Hitler, a young adult fictional account of her teenage years in Breslau Germany. Esther was in her teens when the war broke out. She wrote this book so that today’s youth could visualize the chaos and fear that unexpectedly and cruelly ended childhood for Esther and her peers.

The story, based on actual events, focuses on one of the most gut-wrenching times in Esther’s life. It was 1938, and the war activity was accelerating. On November 9, in Breslau and many German communities, Nazis torched synagogues and destroyed Jewish-owned businesses. The event, known as Kristallnacht (translated as “the night of crystal”) to reference the broken glass left on the streets after the looting and the fires, was an unambiguous alarm that Jews were increasingly unwelcome in their own communities.

Esther saw this as an opportunity to fulfill her dream to leave Breslau and head to Eretz Yisrael, (the land that, in 1948, would become Israel). It entailed leaving all that was familiar – her hometown, her family and her dearest friends – but the mounting war was already forcing families to scatter in different directions and face an approaching uncertainty.

Saying goodbye to her dear friend and schoolmate, named Gina Wolf in the novel, was particularly poignant, perhaps because it symbolized the end of the comfort and security that had defined their lives to date. When Esther boarded a ship to take her to the Middle East, she did not know what Gina and her family planned to do. Would they try to move to a safer country? Would they go into hiding? Even among best friends, details of the future were not shared in a time when it wasn’t clear who could be truly trusted.

Throughout her life, Esther used her multiple talents as educator, poet, writer and playwright to share the story of Germany before and after Kristallnacht. What was unique about Best Friends was her determination to delve into her most painful personal memory. She had never before publicly shared the angst of saying goodbye to her dearest friend.

Although the novel offers resolution to the mystery surrounding the Wolf’s wartime experiences, Esther has never discovered what actually happened to them. Esther, like so many, has had to contend with the grief of losing loved ones and the trauma of not knowing what they had endured.

In the book’s acknowledgments, Esther offers thanks to the women who share her table in her building’s dining room every Monday evening.

“I trusted them to tell me whether it was something I should continue to write.”

Their advice to complete the novel was recently fully validated. Esther has been informed that Best Friends: A Bond That Survived Hitler is now on sale in the gift shop at the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. This is a noteworthy stamp of approval.

Esther’s book may be on the bookshelves, but she is hardly slowing down. It is not difficult to imagine that Esther in her 20s or 40s or 60s was in constant creative motion. At 93, she operates as if there was an aura of energy surrounding her. She is always inventing her next project.

“My mind does not rest.”

 Her sense of purpose is clear. She is grateful for her good health, which makes it possible for her to think of others.

“If I can make myself useful, I do. I don’t want others to do for me. I thrive on being able to contribute to humanity.”

Esther’s current contributions would dispel any myth that older people can no longer change the world.

Once a week, she goes to the skilled nursing facility that is located in her housing facility to meet with a group of 12 or so residents who will be eagerly awaiting her arrival. For the next hour or two, they will engage in activities that Esther has prepared to encourage them to speak, think creatively, and interact.

Some weeks, Esther reads short poems to the residents that are missing the final word and she invites them to offer their own ending. Recently, she orchestrated the group to rewrite the poem on the Statue of Liberty, offering an opportunity to create their own message of welcome to those arriving in the United States. To better understand the current refugee situation, they spent several weeks collectively composing a story about a family from Nigeria. It enabled participants to imagine the physical and emotional toll that emigrants face leaving one land for another.

Esther treasures a thank you note that she received from this group that expressed their appreciation “for enriching our lives and giving us many magical moments.”

It would be misleading to describe Esther and not share her delightfully playful side. She has authored many stunning poems – including a self-published collection of nature poems – that are solemn and thought evoking. She is however equally equipped to write ones that showcase her wit.

Recently, Esther had glaucoma surgery. The procedure went well but she found the post-surgical eye drop regiment to be bothersome. There are, of course, many ways to handle annoying tasks. For Esther, it invokes a poem:

 Eye Drops, Eye Drops

When your eyes need medication

To improve the situation

An array of drops you must use

Your eyesight you don’t want to lose.

Color caps help clarify

Proper drops for each eye. 

Follow the list of frequency

Drip the drops and you will see!

[Note: Best Friends: A Bond that Survived Hitler is available for purchase at the U.S. Holocaust Museum and on Amazon.com.