A Mother Who Died With Her Daughters at Auschwitz — Ernie Hollander’s Story

Ernie Hollander: Shoes and clothing worn by prisoners at Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Photo by Barbara Newhall — Shoes and clothing worn by prisoners like Ernie Hollander at Nazi concentration camps during World War II. These are on display at the Dohany Street Synagogue, Budapest. Photo by Barbara Newhall

By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Yes, Ernie Hollander’s mother died at Auschwitz, but, no, she was not defeated by her tormentors. When she arrived by train at the Nazi concentration camp from the family’s home in Iloshvo in the Carpathian Mountains, Ernie’s mother was ordered to the right, her three small daughters to the left. Ernie tells the story of what happened next in a post I put up back in 2009, “A Mother Who Prevailed at Auschwitz.”

From time to time I’ll be directing my readers to some of my favorite posts on this website. This eight-year-old blog has become — imo — a book-worthy repository of stories, funny and poignant, that deserve to heard, again and again. Have at it! Start with Ernie Hollander’s story.

Let me know what you think.