On the recordJanuary 23, 2019
I recently met with an extraordinary American by the name of Gertrude Sloan. Today, I rise to share her story and that of her late husband, Sol, both Holocaust survivors. Sol and Gertrude were born in Romania into Jewish families, and both were taken by the Nazi regime and held in a camp in Auschwitz. In an oral history, Sol tells the horrors of the concentration camps: starvation, beatings, and family separations with fatal endings. Of the 1.3 million people taken to Auschwitz, an estimated 1.1 million were killed. Sol and Gertrude made it out alive. They met at a displaced person's camp and were later sponsored by relatives to come to America. In 1955, they opened Sloan's Antiques on Buffalo's east side, which continues to be operated by their son Max today. I share the Sloans' story as we prepare to recognize International Holocaust Remembrance Day. May it be a reminder of the unspeakable grief for the Holocaust and for the inspirational stories of those who survived. ____________________
