Ashley Ames talks to her grandmother Elizabeth Deutsch
(Video: WIWU Productions)
When Ashley Ames saw the number tattooed on her grandmother's, Elizabeth (Betty) Deutsch, arm for the first time as a child, she tried to wash it off with water - but the number refused to come off her hand.
Stories that may interest you:
As she grew older, she realized that her grandmother had survived the Holocaust and the number was tattooed on her arm in Auschwitz concentration camp.
1 View gallery
Ashley Ames talks to her grandmother Elizabeth Deutsch
(Photo: Courtesy of the Rodman family)
Nowadays, when Ashley asks her grandmother how the fact that she grew up Jewish manifested itself in those years, she tells her: "I prayed out loud all the time. I was so proud to be Jewish."
When she arrived in the United States in 1950, Elizabeth finally felt that it was possible to live safely as a Jew. She established a "kosher Jewish home" and lived a Jewish life without interference.
In a conversation between them, Ashley tells her grandmother that she and many Jews of her generation feel a spiritual connection to Judaism but are less strict about observing commandments and living a religious lifestyle.
"Sometimes I drive on Shabbat, and there are times when I have to work on Shabbat - but I think that even though I don't observe the laws, Shabbat is tied to spending time with family for me," she says.
First published: 18:43, 04.29.23