Remember

Fela Steinbok was born in Sosnowiec, Poland. She had a happy childhood and youth and was an active member of Betar and a passionate Zionist.

In 1939, her world fell apart with the onset of WWII. Arriving in Australia in 1950, having survived the war in Russia, she became a committee member of the Zaglembie Landsmanshaft—a society of Holocaust survivors from the Zaglembie district in Poland.

Many such societies emerged after the war worldwide, and through them, there was a revival of Jewish culture and Jewish life. The Zaglembie Landsmanshaft’s activities included many fundraising events for the JNF and literary events. But most important was, and still is, the commemorative service held in memory of the Zaglembie Holocaust victims. Fela has been an active participant to this day, always reading a poem or making a heartfelt and thought-provoking speech.

This is a collection of her speeches and poems from the past thirty-six years, which she has formed into a memorial book dedicated to the Zaglembie Jewry. Some are in English, and some in transliteration from Yiddish.