On Monday, April 21, at 8 p.m. the Israeli-American Council hosted Auschwitz survivor Tova Friedman in the Tenafly Middle School to speak about her life during the Holocaust, sharing memories from the concentration camp.

Friedman is described as more than just a survivor of one of the largest genocides in history. She is also a New York Times-bestselling author, therapist, and a TikTok influencer. Her coming to Tenafly demonstrates the importance of sharing what she lived through during the time of the Holocaust.

At the beginning of the event, one of the first things that Friedman stated was “there aren’t many of us left.” This year marks the 80th anniversary of her freedom. “I was in Poland five years ago, in Auschwitz, commemorating the 75th anniversary of liberation and there were close to 150 survivors from Auschwitz with their families. I was there a few months ago for the 80th anniversary and there were 17 survivors with their families. There will be no more commemoration. That was the last one,” she said. With her being one of the last few survivors, there might not be any more opportunities for the world to hear their stories directly from them. 

She stated that people like herself are very committed to coming and speaking with audiences so that nobody will grow up and say that what she and the rest experienced didn’t happen. “This is a terrible period. Whether you are Jewish or not, it is extremely difficult for the Jews, especially for the American Jews because they have been brought up in a world of plenty where you can become anything,” she said. The parents would say to the children ‘you could become president if you want to.’ Well, nowadays, not only would they probably never become president, but they can’t even wear their Star of David outside.” She referenced her grandson, who is a college student at Cornell University, when she said that she once gifted him a Star of David necklace, and he had to debate with himself whether he could safely wear it in public, or if it was simply for him to hide.

For her to have to help her grandson make the decision whether or not to hide his being Jewish isn’t something that she would’ve expected in this day and age. 

She began telling her story of how she made it out alive, when no one thought that it would be possible. When the Nazis infiltrated Poland, they took her into a ghetto in which she witnessed countless murders before almost being killed herself. The soldiers commanded that all the children were to be sent away, but instead of letting Friedman go her parents put her in hiding until the day that they were forced to go to Auschwitz. Everyone knew that, once you got there, the chances of you being killed increased by an extensive amount. She, however, wasn’t. The second she stepped on the grounds of the death camp the first thing she noticed was the smell of the smoke in the air coming from the gas chambers. She was almost instantaneously separated from her mother and father as there were separate sections for everyone. A few weeks after she got to Auschwitz, Friedman and the rest of the children were sent to the gas chambers. The soldiers forced them to undress as they were about to enter the room. They ended up waiting for hours on end before being told to go put on their clothes and return to the barracks. This was just one of the ways that Friedman was miraculously able to survive. 

She went on to speak about another instance in which she not only survived but was able to be saved from the concentration camp, leading her to make the decision to move to the United States with her parents and making her able to share her story worldwide.

Tova Friedman’s goal is to share her story specifically to the younger generation so that they can continue to spread what they have learned.