05/15/2026
Holocaust survivor Genia Choleva is from Warsaw, Poland. During the war, she was forced into the ghetto and witnessed the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during Passover 1943. Following the uprising, Genia was transported to Majdanek along with the other remaining residents. The moment she arrived at Majdanek was the last time she ever saw her siblings. Three months later, Genia and her mother were transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau where they remained together for two years. During the last “selection” before the death march, Dr. Mengele took her mother away. Standing half naked in the freezing cold, mother and daughter were separated for life. Genia was liberated in May 1945, the sole survivor of her family. Years later, Genia’s granddaughter Jody would watch in awe as her Bubby prepared delicious Ashkenazi dishes in the kitchen. One day, as Bubby rolled up her sleeve, Jody asked about the number on her arm. Genia said, “It’s my phone number, so I won’t forget.” It wasn’t until she was grown that Judy understood that the numbers 49560 were not a phone number - these were the numbers forcibly tattooed on her Bubby’s arm to mark her as subhuman, a mere number, an object lacking an identity. Today, Jody marvels at the resilience of her grandmother, and carries the legacy of strength and love in the face of hate every single day.