“There’s only one thing: to work, so that their sacrifice may not be in vain.”
Lotta Hitschmanova grew up in a loving Jewish family in Prague. She was forced to flee in 1938, and after years wandering as a refugee in western Europe, she arrived penniless in Canada in 1942.
In the summer of 1945, she learned the devastating news that her beloved parents (Max and Else Hitschmann) had perished in the Holocaust.
She wrote to a friend:
If I tell you that nobody is waiting for me any longer, that I have lost the beings who are most dear to me, you will measure my despair, for you have the same sorrow. There’s only one thing: to work, so that their sacrifice may not be in vain.”
And thus from this terrible personal tragedy did Lotta’s 40 year journey of service to the poor, the displaced and the disadvantaged around the world begin.
David Rain
David, this is truly inspiring. Thank you for reminding me that this is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and for bringing Lotta’s very moving words forward, to inspire me and others to keep working, so the sacrifices of Lotta’s parents and so many people are not in vain.
Thanks Vicki, Lotta has already been an inspiration for generations of Canadians, and my hope is that this will continue throughout the 21st century.