This book is dedicated to the memories of Regina (Rechla) Adler Fried- mann Wachtel, Ruth Friedmann, and Hella Sabine Friedmann. Growing up, I knew that my beloved Grandma Rita was a child of the Holocaust, an awareness that ultimately set me on the journey that became this book. Rita Adler Kreinin was born to a large Polish Jewish family in Berlin, a family with five children. Ultimately, three survived and emigrated to the United States: my great-grandfather, Markus Adler, and two of his broth- ers. Another brother, Leo, was murdered for being a Jew, a story that is recounted later in this book. But the memory that was almost forgotten was that of Regina, the only sister, who stayed in Berlin, and, together with her daughters, was deported to Riga, Latvia, where all three were ultimately shot in a mass grave in the Rumbula and Bikernieki Forests in October 1942. Historian Ian Kershaw said, “The road to Auschwitz was built by hate but paved with indifference.” My hope for Generation Z, which is shared by those of us who care deeply about its members, is that instead of indif- ference, they will commit themselves to making a difference and standing up to hate. By remembering Regina and her teenage daughters—my cous- ins who never had a chance to grow into women who could have changed the world—and by working to build a better reality for future generations, I hope that this book will touch others and inspire partners and allies in this sacred work. May the memories of Regina, Ruth, and Hella be for a blessing.
Previous Page Next Page