I recently had the pleasure and privilege of driving Mrs. Rena Finder from her summer home in Delray Beach Florida, to St. Petersburg Florida, so she could give a speech to a crowd of about 600 people. This is a 4-5 hour drive. I drove her anywhere she needed or wanted to go while there, and drove her home the next day.
From the moment I met her, her upbeat demeanor, and bubbly personality were infectious. She is always in a good mood, and seeks to find the best in people. I heard he say many times “The solution to hate is kindness.” This seems to be her mantra. For all she has suffered, she feels that only by showing kindness to others, and the world be improved.
Let me give you some background on her past. She was born in Poland in Krakow in 1929. After the Nazis invaded Poland, she was sent to live in a ghetto. From there, she was ordered to the Plaszow work camp. There is where she was selected to work for Oskar Schindler. She speaks of him so fondly, and directly attributes her survival to him. While the factory was being moved near the end of the way, she spend several weeks in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Schindler was able to get his workers back, and got them out of the camp to live in barracks near the factory.
At the museum in Tampa, the Florida Holocaust Museum, there was a real cattle car, which the Nazis used to transport over 100 people per car. Her details of this were horrifying. No water or food for days. No room to move. Shut in the dark, and even the air was foul. When she saw the car for the first time here, she went blank for a few seconds, and then composed herself. I am sure she was not ready it.
Her main points are:
The truth of the holocaust must be spoken, especially in these days where people are denying it, and Poland is even passing laws rewriting their history of compliance with the Nazis.
Fight hate with kindness
Educate our children of these two.
For all that she suffered, she continued to live her life, started a family, and laughed as a slap in the face to those who tried to destroy her and her people. If you ever get the chance to see her speak, please do. There are plenty of videos on youtube about her.
While we were at the Museum, there happened to be a school there on a field trip. She gladly spoke to them .
