Dysia Sonenreich: The voice of a survivor

ROSH HASHANAH EDITION 5781 L’CHAIM® MAGAZINE PAGE 23 Sonenreich, 89, recounts her years in the Holocaust with equanimity. Bitter loss never dissolves in tears. A few terse words unleash simmering anger. She is proud, wry, unbowed. At least that’s how I imagine Dysia. For the first time in 30 years, COVID-19 prevents me from interviewing a Holocaust survivor in person. I don’t sit next to Dysia, studying her face as the recorder tapes her story. I’m unable to observe intricate expressions — a happy memory, or pain darkening her eyes. The conversation flows back and forth on the phone in mutual isolation. Her voice is my compass. was born March 10, 1931, in Chelm, Poland, to Yisruel Leib Beker and Faiga Beker. She had two […]