Parting Once Again
Theodor & Jaroslawa Florczak
Shortly before the ghetto in Bendin (Bedzin) was liquidated in August 1943, Sara and Yehiel Gerlitz decided to part from their daughter Dita in order to save her. Not believing that they would ever see her again, they wrote a letter and handed their daughter to the Florczak family. Sara Gerlitz placed a photo of Dita in a small medallion, which she managed to keep even after she was deported to Auschwitz.
Sara and Yehiel survived the Holocaust and retrieved their child. They immigrated to Israel, but maintained contact with the Florczaks, regularly sending them money, medicine and packages. In 1962, they invited their daughter's rescuers of to visit them in Israel.
Letter by Sara Gerlitz to Dita
My beloved and most precious child,
When I gave birth to you, I did not imagine that six and a half years later I would have to write you a letter with this content… I am taking with me your beloved image, as you have been in our home, your childish, sweet talk, the smell of your pure body, the rhythm of your breathing, your smile and your crying… I am carrying with me the terrible, abysmal fear, that cannot be relieved even for one second…Remember your grandparents, your uncles and aunts, and the entire family. Remember all of us, and please, don't blame us. And with regard to me, forgive me, forgive me, my dear child, for having given birth to you. I had wanted to bring you to the world so that you would live your life in your community, and if things turned out differently, it is not our fault. I therefore beg you, my darling baby, my only child, please don't blame us…. Another thing I want you to know is that your mother was a proud person, despite all the humiliation we suffered from our enemies, and if it is her destiny to die, she will die without protest, without weeping, with a scornful smile for her hangmen. I hug you to my heart, kiss you fervently, and bless you with all the power of a mother's heart and love.
Your mother
On June 13, 2010, Yad Vashem recognized Theodor & Jaroslawa Florczak as Righteous Among the Nations.