Some would call my grandfather a survivor or a victim, but not me. If I could call him anything, it would be strong. Eric Strauss was born in October 1932, in Vienna Austria; however, it wasn’t until the early 40’s that his life would be turned around. His whole family had been transported to a camp known as Terezin. There, he and his family would endure roughly three years of unimaginable torture. The days would feel like weeks, and the months would feel like years. Eric was one of the lucky ones, somehow his mother, stepfather, and half sister, who was only a toddler, survived. Through these tough times, many people chose to exercise their faith, but not Eric, in the wake of all this pain and suffering he endured, he had come to the conclusion that there was no greater force out there, because if there was, no one would have had to go through what he went through. When only 150 out of 15,000 children survive, being two of these 150 children was a challenge in and of itself. After the war, scarred forever, he packed his bags and headed towards what he hoped would be a better life. Unable to return to their once loved home, Eric and his family traveled to a displaced persons camp back in Vienna. Camps like these were notorious for having similar living conditions to those of the concentration camps, with people struggling to find floor space to sleep. Finding no life there, he and his family left Vienna once again in 1946. This time he would find a place to call home. His boat docked in New Orleans, and he began the journey that would ultimately be the rest of his life. The transition may have been difficult at times, but nothing compared to the horrors faced in Europe. Ultimately, he was overjoyed to be here. He found himself in New York, where he met the woman that would one day become his wife. In all the time I knew him, he never once uttered a single word regarding the Holocaust, or what he had been through. What had happened to him was a thing of the past, and that was that. He had a new life now, one in America. Sadly, my grandfather passed away three years ago, but his memory will live on in his bravery, happiness, and strength.
