Surviving the Holocaust only to experience your beloved grandson murdered by a Neo-Nazi 65 years later. Horrors one can not begin to imagine. Yet, when it came time to select a portrait from our recent session, the overwhelming choice was the image depicted here, Leah Bernstein, smiling and demonstrating how she chooses to live each day focused on her Blessings. Strength and character beyond my ability to comprehend, Leah's story is one we can all learn from. Her story...Leah Bernstein, an only child, was born in Barlad, Romania four years before the Nazi’s invaded her country. Her father was a watchmaker and her mother a caretaker of children. She had a wonderful childhood, until the world turned dark for her family and many millions of others as the German war machine moved across Europe. Following the invasion in 1940, times immediately became difficult and like many others, Leah had to wear a cloth Star of David on her outer clothes every time she would go outside. Her father Haim, was taken to a concentration camp in 1941 and was forced to break stones in the freezing cold. The family did not know whether they would ever see him again. Food was difficult to obtain, whereby a week’s worth of food had to last them a month. Leah lived in one room with family members, going from location to location in order to avoid capture. One horrible room in particular Leah recalls, was an attic having roaches and rats. Leah and her mother finally had to flee to the forests where they relied on the Partisans to keep them from being captured and sent by trains to the death camps. Despite sharing with me the many challenges she faced throughout the war, Leah would state clearly that she was able to keep a positive attitude throughout. She was most definitely “scared, but happy to be alive”. In many ways, Leah reminds me of my mother who grew up with Anne Frank and was in hiding in Amsterdam. An incredibly sweet woman with a great sense of humor, Leah chooses the path to remain focused on her many Blessings, as opposed to recalling the horrors of her past. I was fearful her mood would change as she related with me the recent murder of her grandson Blaze, who was stabbed by a neo-Nazi former classmate. The case is shortly going to trial while the alleged murderer is being held without bail. I can’t begin to imagine the terrible thought that this could happen to someone over 60 years after surviving the Holocaust. As Leah states, keeping her spirits up requires a lot of willpower and character. I most certainly agree. My challenge with the selection of Leah’s portrait lies in choosing how to portray her. One would think that the proper way to characterize her would be by showing a lifetime of heaviness, especially in light of the recent loss of her grandson. Yet, the session was filled with a display of contentment and gratitude for the life Leah has today. It is for this reason, I chose the photo you see attached. There is a powerful lesson here in the face of tragedy and Leah says it best…”people should go on with their lives, be happy and enjoy the present, not forget the past, never, but they should rebuild their live and seek happiness”. I believe Leah’s husband agrees, that while the things Leah shares have a very negative aspect, they did not destroy her spirit. G-d Bless her.