Please press play below to hear in his words…
Meir Usherovitz, Holocaust Survivor
Meir Usherovitz, Holocaust Survivor
My name is Ronnit Kessler, I am the daughter of Meir Usherovitz, Holocaust Survivor and 2023 participant in the Names, Not Numbers® project at the Suffolk Y JCC. I will now share with you his testimony.
I was born on September 15, 1926, in Pabiance, Poland. I was just a boy when the world I knew disappeared. In 1939, just before my Bar Mitzvah, the Germans invaded my hometown. By 1941, a ghetto was built around us. In 1943, my family and I were forced to the Łódź ghetto. A year later, the ghetto was liquidated. I was sent to Auschwitz. It was the last time I ever saw my family.
I survived Auschwitz. I survived Mauthausen. I survived Ebensee. When I was liberated in 1945, I was 18 years old and utterly alone in the world.
My story did not end there. I went to a displacement person camp in Italy, then made my way to Palestine. I fought for Israel’s independence, and was taken prisoner by the Jordanians, and later released in a prisoner swap. I helped rebuild Kibbutz Revadim. I met my wife, Doris, and together we moved to the United States in 1957. We have been married for 72 years, and we built a family — children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. A legacy that Hitler tried to destroy.
In 2023, I had the honor of participating in the Names, Not Numbers® project at the Suffolk Y JCC. I sat with young people, told them my story, looked into their eyes, and saw a promise: They will remember. They will carry my story — our story — as witnesses.
This year’s Suffolk Y JCC Golf and Pickleball Outing honors a man who holds a special place in my heart — my son-in-law, Michael Kessler. Michael is more than family; he is someone who deeply understands the importance of remembrance. His heartfelt support for Holocaust education, especially through programs like Names, Not Numbers®, ensures that our stories are not lost to time, but shared with voice, purpose, and dignity. His commitment reminds us that remembering is not passive, it is active, essential, and powerful. We tell these stories not to dwell in the past, but to shape a better future — one where truth, memory, and justice endures.
I am here today because others chose to remember. Now it is our turn to make sure the next generation remembers too.
Help us preserve these stories. Help us ensure that we Never Forget.
Please consider making a donation to support Holocaust education initiatives like Names, Not Numbers® at the Suffolk Y JCC. Your support means that stories like mine will live on and that the past continues to shape a better future.
To Hear the other stories, please click below…
