For Karol Mannheimer, "thank you" was a sacred word. This was expressed in the lives and deaths of Holocaust survivors.
On March 28th of this year, Holocaust survivor Karol Mannheimer passed away. We reported on her in the past two newspaper editions. Karol died surrounded by her family. Shira, her longtime friend, also had the honor of witnessing this precious moment. This moment perfectly reflected Karol's life. Until two weeks before her death, at 98 years old, she was still largely independent. Due to bilateral pneumonia, from which she never recovered, Karol was hospitalized in mid-March. She spent her last week at home in Tekoa with the help of a caregiver.
This allowed Karol to consciously say goodbye to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was able to express to each of them once more the deep love and appreciation she felt for them, and how proud she was of her family. She saw her family as diamonds. Her two daughters were true diamonds to her. Shira often spoke with her about life, the pain of the Holocaust, and how it all affected her. Karol always said she wouldn't have wanted any other life for anything in the world. She had found peace with her life and was so grateful for everything she had.
It was very difficult for her that she needed help in her final years. The caregiver said that whenever she did something for Karol, she thanked her. And she thanked her in a very loving way. Thank you was a sacred word for Karol – thank you was Karol's word for her life.
Karol died peacefully. She stopped speaking and then stopped breathing. All of this was interwoven with the Jewish prayer "Shema Yisrael," recited by her family, and with psalms. Now she is with the people she loved so dearly. Karol had so much love within her, and everyone who met her was blessed with it. I, too, was privileged to experience this. And I am grateful to still be connected to her daughter Lea, even after Karol's death. My hope is that one day my grandchildren will be able to play together with Karol's great-grandchildren in Tekoa. Shalom, Karol!
This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 133. You can order the newspaper free of charge here. We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.
We published previous articles about Karol Mannheimer and her eventful life in January and March of this year.
