The Town of Oyster Bay honored one of their own for Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Pearl Friend, a Woodbury resident and member of the Woodbury Jewish Center, was born in 1928 in Poland. She and her family were taken to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Friend was honored at the town’s board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Rabbi Jason Fruithandler presented Friend’s story to the board, stating that her grandmother lighted Shabbat candles in their Nazi-occupied town, leading to their capture.
“The Nazis said to her grandmother, we want you to know we’re not gonna kill you, we’re going to kill your grandchildren first,” the rabbi said.
Friend, along with her family would be taken to the camp, in which they survived under the harshest of conditions. Fruithandler said Friend’s mother would lick her portions of bread before passing them along to Pearl so that she could be better fed.
Friend and her family had been separated upon arrival at Auschwitz, but they were later reunited with the help of a man named Philip. He would later ask Pearl’s father if he could marry his daughter. Pearl now has a large family – stretching for generations.
“Your story needs to be told to everyone,” Town of Oyster Bay Receiver of Taxes Jeff Pravato said. “They should make a movie about that and show it to everybody because we can never forget.”
The honor comes one day after the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. More than 6 million Jews were killed during World War II at concentration camps across Europe – 1 million at Auschwitz alone.
“We’re here to make sure we are always protecting everyone, embracing equality, freedom and ensuring that people never forget the loss and the lessons,” Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said.
