Recalling My Father and the Jewish Past in Ozarow, Poland

Lukasz holding "Memories" next to a picture of my father Ben Zion Wacholder z"l Several months ago, I wrote about Lukasz Rzepka, the graduate student who, like with my father Ben Zion Wacholder z"l, was born in Ozarow, Poland. After months of preparation, Lukasz has published the first volume … [Read more...]

A Surprising and Touching Inquiry into My Father’s Polish Past

As long-time readers know, my father Ben Zion Wacholder was born in Ozarow, Poland and survived the Holocaust, living in Germany with false papers hiding his Jewish identity. A few months ago, we received an email from a man named Lukasz Rzepka, who wrote: I'm a doctoral student of theology at The … [Read more...]

Yom Hashoah–Holocaust Memorial Day and “Sepharad”

A year or two ago I attended the funeral of a neighbor's father. One of the eulogies described how the kindness, knowledge and experience of the deceased were a model that is gradually being lost as the generation raised in pre-World War II Europe dies out. At the time I thought of my father, now … [Read more...]