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Hirsch, Riva Schuster

Riva's Coat
by Mitzi J. Levin

“Daddy’s little angel. That’s what he called me, and that’s how I felt. I was loved, safe, happy, a little girl full of dreams.”

Riva Hirsch lived a peaceful life with her father, mother, two brothers, and grandmother in Novaseletz, Romania.

“Father was a furrier and had a shop behind our house where he made garments from fur pelts. One of my fondest childhood memories was when he made a white rabbit coat, hat, and muff for me. It was so beautiful, and I loved to twirl around so that the coat’s pompoms and my dark braids would fly in the air.”

Dark Sanctuary
by Mitzi J. Levin
Out of the Dark
by Becky Seitel

When little girls are 10 years old they should be playing with dolls or hosting tea parties.

When Riva Hirsch was 10 years old, she was hidden by nuns in a bunker near a convent in Ukraine. Fearful of frequent visits by the SS soldiers, the nuns were only able to visit the bunker every two or three days to leave food and water.

“When the door was cracked, it was my lifeline. The door separated me from the outside world. Inside that bunker, my life was lonely and frightening,” she recalls.

So fearful were the nuns of being discovered, they often simply cracked the door and hurriedly threw in the food.

“I was living among rats. If I was fast enough to get to the food before the rats ran away with it, I ate. If I was too slow, I was forced to exist on lice. They were all over me. At times, I could hardly open my eyes or my mouth. Swallowing lice helped keep me alive. They were my breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

Riva existed in this dark isolation for two years.

“I don’t know how time passed. Day was night and night was day. I felt more dead than alive. But though I didn’t have even the simple basics of life like other girls, I was safe.”

Liberation
by Mitzi J. Levin

“In 1945, the door of the bunker opened wide. It had not been open more than a crack for two years.

“The nuns wrapped my frost-bitten feet in cloth and draped a blanket over my shoulders. I was suffering from malaria and typhus. My vision was impaired and my teeth had fallen out.

“A voice spoke in a language I didn’t understand. I later learned the Russian Army had liberated me.

“A hand pushed me forward. I moved toward the light and with small footsteps left the bunker in Tulchin, Ukraine.

“I was 12 years old.”

Building Better Kids
by Becky Seitel

Like many children of the Holocaust, Riva Hirsch was robbed of her childhood more than six decades ago by Adolf Hitler.

Today, she spends time working with the Elks Lodge of Mountain Brook to help promote the education and social development of Alabama’s youth.

Riva is well-known throughout the state for her dedication to raising money for the Elks Youth Camp. Located on Lake Martin in Tallassee, Alabama, the Elks Youth Camp offers activities and programs for young people between ages eight and thirteen. The youngsters receive an opportunity to experience different surroundings while learning valuable lessons about life. The programs are designed to help build character while showing how important it is to work with others.

In 2006, Riva single-handedly sold more Cadillac raffle tickets than any other Alabama member. This was just one of the reasons she was named Alabama Elk of the Year, becoming the first woman to receive that honor in the history of the Mountain Brook Lodge.

“Since we came to America in 1962, people have been wonderful to my husband and me,” Riva says. “Being a part of the Elks Association gives me an opportunity to give something back to this country by giving our youth such a great opportunity to build character … and have fun!”

Riva is pictured with Hayden Cater.

Beshert
by Becky Seitel
Friday Night
by Becky Seitel

When Aisic Hirsch talks about the terror he experienced in Poland during the Holocaust, his wife, Riva Hirsch, understands more than anyone. That’s because she experienced circumstances very similar to Aisic’s, almost 1,000 miles away in Ukraine.

Riva and Aisic Hirsch married in Haifa in 1950, five years after they were liberated by Russian troops.

“We both went to Palestine after the war, and it was there that I met my beshert, a Yiddish word that means perfect match, soul mate, destiny,” Riva explains.

“I was a police officer and often ate at a local café. Riva was a waitress there, just 16, and the most beautiful girl I had ever seen,” says Aisic.

Through the years, they’ve shared much more than the painful story of their past. They’ve shared many happy family times, always observing and celebrating their Jewish faith and heritage, a faith and heritage that made them a target of murder by the Nazis and then brought them together in Palestine.

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The Birmingham Holocaust Education Center (BHEC) seeks to educate the people of Alabama about the history of the Holocaust so that new generations will apply the lessons of the Holocaust to the construction of a more just, humane, and tolerant future. By preserving and sharing the stories of local Holocaust survivors and commemorating the events of the Holocaust and the lives of those who perished, the BHEC seeks to promote a moral and ethical response to prejudice, hatred, and indifference for the benefit of all humanity.

Birmingham Holocaust Education Center

Established in 2002, the BHEC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to Holocaust remembrance and education throughout the state of Alabama. The work of the BHEC is inspired by Alabama’s Holocaust survivors, whose presence in our community makes us mindful of the injustices in their past. The BHEC is committed to preserving their memories and continuing their legacy.

2222 Arlington Avenue
Birmingham, AL 35205
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info@bhec.com
205.795.4176

  • About
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  • Educators
    ▼
    • Classroom Resources
      ▼
      • Guidelines for Teaching the Holocaust
      • PowerPoint Presentations
      • Curriculum Links
      • Online Exhibit
      • Kristallnacht in Birmingham Newspapers
      • Violins of Hope
      • Classroom Materials for Loan
      • Videos
      • Request a Speaker
      • Borrow an Exhibit
      • Plan Your Visit
    • Teacher Cadre
    • Teacher Scholarships
      ▼
      • Eligible Programs
      • Application
    • Teacher Workshops
  • Outreach
    ▼
    • Request a Speaker
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Book an Original Stage Production
    • Legacy Newsletter
  • Darkness into Life
    ▼
    • Online Exhibit
      ▼
      • Exhibit Maps
      • Educational Resources
    • Traveling Exhibit
      ▼
      • Features
      • Cost / Requirements
      • Where We Are Going / Where We Have Been
      • Borrow an Exhibit
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    • Permanent Exhibit
    • Exhibit History
  • Events
    ▼
    • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • L’Chaim
  • Remembrance
    ▼
    • Yom HaShoah
    • Yom HaShoah Name Reading
    • International Holocaust Remembrance Day
    • State Holocaust Memorials
    • Alabama Holocaust Survivors
  • Library
    ▼
    • Library Catalog
  • Get Involved
    ▼
    • Internships / Fellowships


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