Our Story

Martha and Pinkas were married in Berlin, Germany on September 4, 1938, only two months before Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass." Their wedding was one of the last ceremonies performed in a synagogue in Berlin before WWII. The synagogue in which they were wed was destroyed during the horrific events of Kristallnacht, November 9, 1938.

Pinkas was arrested and nearly deported on October 28, 1938, during the Polenaktion, the decree intended to expel all Jewish residents holding Polish passports from the German Reich. The young couple had Polish passports, though they both had been born and raised in Germany.

Only days after Kristallnacht, Pinkas managed to escape when he ran, barely dressed and barefoot, out the side door of the family's living quarters behind their produce shop-leaving deep footprints in the snow that the Nazi Storm Troopers overlooked because they were busy "roughing up" the younger children and breaking the furniture.

On December 4, 1938, Martha and Pinkas fled Germany. And so their odyssey began, taking them from Berlin to Venice, London, Tel Aviv, and, finally, to America. Their story is one of history, humanity, courage, and conviction-emphasizing the importance of family, values and tradition.

Beth Gerson is a lifelong educator, with extensive experience in elementary through graduate school settings. She is currently a gallery educator at the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York. Her doctoral studies and research in the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University focused on sociolinguistics, culture, and second language acquisition. Her writing interests include history, memoir, and poetry.

M. David Isaak was born in Wales, only days after England declared war on Nazi Germany. He grew up in London, Tel Aviv and New York City. He is a dentist, translator and gallery educator at the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York. His interests include graphic design, memoir and history.