Holocaust survivor in New Jersey shares her story to "keep the memory of all those that passed alive"
A South Jersey great grandmother remembers the frightening moments as she and her family fled their small village in Poland to escape the Nazis.
Nella Glick, 90, who lives in Marlton, was a young child when Germany invaded her country.
"It was very scary because there was constant shooting," Glick said. "I didn't know what was happening. I was crying constantly, and somebody would always put their hands over my mouth to make sure that I wouldn't be heard."
For five years, Glick said she and her family hid in barns, attics and forests because they were Jewish.
"My sister and I were staying with a Christian family that told their neighbors that we were their nieces," Glick said. "We didn't look Jewish. We had blonde hair."
Glick was finally able to come out of hiding when World War II ended in 1945. She immigrated to the U.S. at age 10.
"I was one of the lucky ones," Glick said. "I survived with both my parents and an older sister."
In all, the Germans murdered 6 million Jews from all over Europe, annihilating two-thirds of Europe's Jews and one-third of all Jews worldwide. In 2005, the United Nations designated Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Glick shares her survival story as a volunteer at the Esther Raab Holocaust Museum & Goodwin Education Center in Cherry Hill, which works to fight prejudice.
"Today's students especially need to understand what can happen if people allow hate to grow to its extremes," museum director Helen Kirschbaum said, "and also, to understand how individuals can make a difference."
Glick's late husband was a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. On the 80th anniversary of the camp's liberation, Glick warned antisemitism is still a threat.
"It's very frightening to me, because it seems like we haven't learned anything," Glick said. "You still have all this hatred and bigotry going on. And I think if we could only learn to be respectful of each other's differences, what a wonderful world this would be."
Glick said she's grateful to be here to teach younger generations.
"I've had hundreds of letters that I've received from students telling me how hearing my story has changed their lives," Glick said. "It's very emotional for me to be able to tell my story each time, but I feel it's so important that we keep the memory of all those that passed alive."
