Girls Give Survivors ‘Fun Day’

An ordinary day in the life of a resident at Century Village would consist of a quiet morning sipping coffee and reading the newspaper. But Tuesday was different, the girls at CGI Florida invited the women to join them for lunch, activities, and a tour of their camp for the day.

“It was wonderful to watch and observe the interaction between our campers and the women. There was an instant feeling of kinship,” said Rabbi Yosef Y. Biston, Executive Director of CGI Florida Girls Camp.

“It means so much to these women to have social interactions, being that many of their children and grandchildren are miles away,” said Liba Andrusier, Director of CGI Flordia Girls Camp. The visting seniors are members of Chabad of Century Village in Pembroke Pines, FL.

The campers welcomed them with a loud rendition of ‘Baruchos Habaos.’ The smiles on the ladies faces were so special to see.

“As the lone survivor of my family, who all perished in Auschwitz, this day with Jewish girls who have so much excitement and enthusiasm for Judaism, as well as respect for their elders was very meaningful for me. I will remember this day for the rest of my life,” said Rose Marmor, a Holocaust survivor.

Following the lunch, one of the ladies got up to share her thoughts, and mentioned how blessed she was after surviving the Holocaust to be with these Chabad Jewish girls. Another woman shared a story about her husband’s close connection with the Rebbetzin, as he would install carpet in the Rebbe and Rebbetzin’s house. She commented on how privileged many of the girls were to be her namesake. The ladies then enjoyed a game of Jewish Yom Tov bingo.

The visit concluded with a tour of the camp grounds. This was an emotional and uplifting experience for both the seniors and campers. The beautiful concept of “Midor L’dor”- a bridge of connection from generation to generation was established, and will certainly not be forgotten.