My impoverished, Holocaust survivor parents lost almost all of their families in the Holocaust. Yet, they taught me and my brother the importance of gratitude, family, Torah, Judaism and fighting for fellow Jews and Israel.
I was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany. When we came to America, my parents had no money, no job and couldn’t speak English. My father finally found work as a rabbi in small synagogues in Black, poverty-stricken neighborhoods.
We lived in tiny roach and mice-infested apartments. My mother placed broken glass in front of baseboard holes to discourage mice from entering the rooms. We had no money for a car, vacations or a TV. Our clothing was charity hand-me-downs.
Yet my parents never complained. Instead, they were always grateful and taught us to be grateful for whatever we had – the love we had for each other, food, a roof over our heads, the opportunity to practice and study Judaism. My mother felt gratitude and honor being married to a Torah scholar. They taught us that material objects, money and status were unimportant. All that matters is family, Torah, and fighting for our people and Israel.
Their lessons inspired every aspect of my life.
Morton A. Klein is the National President, Zionist Organization of America. www.zoa.org
