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When Hania
was found lying on the floor of the so-called hospital at Bergen-Belsen on 15 April 1945, her rescuers
thought her dead. Someone had another look and noticed her breathing. She was taken to the Red Cross
hospital where nurses noted that one hand was clenched shut. They presumed it was paralysis associated
with typhoid. Eventually Hania opened the hand herself and found she had been clutching a small penknife
with two blades, one of which was broken. It was her only possession.
The knife
became a talisman for Hania, who had more to contend with after horrific years in the Lodz Ghetto and
Auschwitz, a death march and finally Bergen-Belsen. Reunited with her husband, Janek Goldfeder, in
Sweden, he lovingly saw her through yet another trauma which was to remain private until 2005, and
blossom into joy in 2009.
Janek died young in Melbourne,
leaving Hania to raise their daughter alone. Hania worked hard to provide a secure, loving home and
eventually remarried. Hers is a tale of enormous courage and resilience she attributes directly to the
noble values of the family she was born into.
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