Holocaust Survivor: Vera Gara

Authors Avatar

Holocaust Survivor: Vera Gara

For my women centered event, I chose to listen to the story of Vera Gara, an Austrian Jew from Vienna. Her father was highly decorated with medals from the First World War, which gained him a prestigious position in his country, and he owned a very successful meat processing company. In spite of his success, her father was unlawfully arrested and charged with fraud in 1938 by the Nazis who wanted his business. A year later he was released on bail and he joined his family in Hungary. In March 1944 the Germans took full control over Hungary and soon afterwards they began deporting people to concentration camps. Vera and her family were sent to Bergen Belsen concentration camp in Austria where her father died of injuries suffered during a beating. Finally, in June 1945 Vera and her mother were liberated and returned to Hungary. Soon afterwards Gara moved to London where she studied to become a nurse, and then in 1959 moved to Ottawa where she met her husband George.  Once in Ottawa, Gara volunteered in many organizations which all serve the same purpose: helping others. As the torah says, “you must shine a light unto other nations,” and Vera Gara accomplished this task.

During the lecture, Vera Gara portrayed herself as a strong, fearless and powerful woman. In a society where women are still fighting for equality, Vera commemorated the 50th anniversary of Kristalnacht (the first night of war otherwise known in German as “the night of broken glass”), on Parliament Hill with more than 1800 people in attendance. Her strength as a woman enabled her to give the speech. Vera is a perfect example of how a woman can stay string despite circumstances. Her life story has encouraged women everywhere to fight for change and to be bold.  

Vera’s well-spoken address was captivating; not once did she stumble or tremble in her words. Her account of Kristalnacht was particularly interesting. On November 9, 1938, the Nazi government sanctioned reprisal against the Jews in Germany. Synagogues were ravaged and burned, Jewish shops were trashed, and Jews were beaten, raped, arrested, and murdered. Police and firefighters, supposed citizen protectors, stood by as synagogues were destroyed by the flames and innocent Jews were beaten, only taking action to prevent the spread of fire to non-Jewish owned property. It was a terrible night in this century’s history and Gara witnessed it. As she retold the disturbing events of that night, a distinguishable wave of sadness fell upon the audience. It was inspiring to hear a survivor speak without weakness.

Join now!

Vera’s story struck a chord with me; my great grandmother, Ada Glatter, is also a holocaust survivor. However, difference between Vera and my great grandmother is that my great grandmother has never discussed that episode in her life, and she never will. The holocaust has twisted my great grandmother into a bitter human being. It was an experience that she truly cannot forget and she is hurting others because she still lives in fear.

Vera’s controlled and seemingly painless account was inspiring, but at the same time perplexing because of the experience with my great grandmother who can not ...

This is a preview of the whole essay