Slice of Life

When I entered Kever Rachel this week, I sensed right away that this visit would be different. Though it wasn’t yet Aseres Y’mei T’shuvah, the Elul crowds were growing as Rosh HaShanah drew closer. We managed to squeeze into the under-construction parking lot and headed inside.

Chavie’s grandmother survived the Holocaust with only a quarter of one kidney, which caused her great suffering. As a result, kidneys were a frequent topic of conversation in Chavie’s upbringing.

The beginning of the school year was always an exciting time. There was always a slight letdown when vacation ended, but the air was filled with anticipation. School supplies. Markers. Bic pens. Colorful notebooks. New shoes. The thrill of moving up a grade. I was no longer a lowly (fill-in-the-blank)th grader. I was someone big, someone who deserved respect.

Labor is supposed to move forward, but for us, it felt like going in circles. Contractions. Hospital drive. Intake nurse. Examination. Verdict: “You’re not in labor. Come back when you are.” Repeat. Over and over again, this was the exhausting loop my daughter, son-in-law, and I were caught in for days.

The crowd stood up, clapped, and cheered. It was a dream come true. But now the dream had more meaning than ever before.

Part II

In Part I, we followed Hannah’s early life in Nazi Germany: her suffering at the hands of an abusive Nazi father and the traumatic events of wartime Europe.