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| They Survived the Holocaust. Now They’re Confronting the Virus. | They Survived the Holocaust. Now They’re Confronting the Virus. |
| (about 16 hours later) | |
| One got out of Nazi Germany on a Kindertransport train to Sweden, never again seeing his parents, who were exterminated in the death camps. One survived two notorious concentration camps, Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, and was discovered by British troops on a pile of bodies, half-dead with typhus. One endured freezing temperatures and near starvation in a slave-labor camp in Siberia. | One got out of Nazi Germany on a Kindertransport train to Sweden, never again seeing his parents, who were exterminated in the death camps. One survived two notorious concentration camps, Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, and was discovered by British troops on a pile of bodies, half-dead with typhus. One endured freezing temperatures and near starvation in a slave-labor camp in Siberia. |
| David Toren, Faye Becher and Joseph Feingold survived the Holocaust, bearing witness to the seismic events of the last century. Last month, all three died by the same tiny microorganism, isolated once more from their family members. Mr. Toren, who spent his late years fighting to recover paintings looted by the Nazis, was 94; Ms. Becher, matriarch of a close Brooklyn family, was 95; Mr. Feingold, who was the subject of the 2017 Oscar-nominated documentary short “Joe’s Violin,” about his gift to a young Bronx girl, was 97. | David Toren, Faye Becher and Joseph Feingold survived the Holocaust, bearing witness to the seismic events of the last century. Last month, all three died by the same tiny microorganism, isolated once more from their family members. Mr. Toren, who spent his late years fighting to recover paintings looted by the Nazis, was 94; Ms. Becher, matriarch of a close Brooklyn family, was 95; Mr. Feingold, who was the subject of the 2017 Oscar-nominated documentary short “Joe’s Violin,” about his gift to a young Bronx girl, was 97. |
| The New York area is home to just under 40,000 Holocaust survivors, down from nearly twice that many in 2011, according to Selfhelp Community Services, which serves Nazi victims. Now those survivors, mostly in their 80s and 90s, face a new menace that targets people like them: In New York State, the coronavirus has killed more than twice as many people age 80 and up as it has people under 60. | The New York area is home to just under 40,000 Holocaust survivors, down from nearly twice that many in 2011, according to Selfhelp Community Services, which serves Nazi victims. Now those survivors, mostly in their 80s and 90s, face a new menace that targets people like them: In New York State, the coronavirus has killed more than twice as many people age 80 and up as it has people under 60. |
| “This pandemic is the greatest threat to this generation since the Second World War,” said Stephen D. Smith, executive director of the USC Shoah Foundation, which interviews survivors of genocide. Many are only now telling their stories in full, he said. | “This pandemic is the greatest threat to this generation since the Second World War,” said Stephen D. Smith, executive director of the USC Shoah Foundation, which interviews survivors of genocide. Many are only now telling their stories in full, he said. |
| For Diana Kurz, 83, the virus brought back memories. Ms. Kurz, who has not been infected, escaped Vienna with her mother when she was 4 years old, and grew up steeped in her mother’s stories of constant danger. When the coronavirus hit New York, she likened it to those years in Vienna, when any random encounter might be deadly. | For Diana Kurz, 83, the virus brought back memories. Ms. Kurz, who has not been infected, escaped Vienna with her mother when she was 4 years old, and grew up steeped in her mother’s stories of constant danger. When the coronavirus hit New York, she likened it to those years in Vienna, when any random encounter might be deadly. |
| “I guess I picked that up as a child,” she said, “that feeling of dread all the time. That’s what it is like now. You never know if other people on the street are going to give you the virus, or were going to turn you in to the Gestapo because you were a Jew.” | “I guess I picked that up as a child,” she said, “that feeling of dread all the time. That’s what it is like now. You never know if other people on the street are going to give you the virus, or were going to turn you in to the Gestapo because you were a Jew.” |
| Yet Ms. Kurz said that her proximity to the Holocaust gave her emotional leverage on the pandemic that others might not have. “I knew that the world could change all of a sudden,” she said. “So it was shocking and terrible, but I never thought the world was so safe.” | Yet Ms. Kurz said that her proximity to the Holocaust gave her emotional leverage on the pandemic that others might not have. “I knew that the world could change all of a sudden,” she said. “So it was shocking and terrible, but I never thought the world was so safe.” |
| The lockdown has been just one more adjustment. “We get used to living under all kinds of conditions,” she said. | The lockdown has been just one more adjustment. “We get used to living under all kinds of conditions,” she said. |
| This resilience is common among Holocaust survivors, said Gary J. Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center, who studies the mental health of this population. “It’s the norm, not the exception,” he said. “Those that survived are a select group.” | This resilience is common among Holocaust survivors, said Gary J. Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center, who studies the mental health of this population. “It’s the norm, not the exception,” he said. “Those that survived are a select group.” |
| But he said that life during the pandemic might have an unsettling resonance, especially the isolation from family members. “People were confined in camps, and now to some extent we’re all confined,” he said. “And if you escaped your life was at risk. So the memories can be triggered.” | But he said that life during the pandemic might have an unsettling resonance, especially the isolation from family members. “People were confined in camps, and now to some extent we’re all confined,” he said. “And if you escaped your life was at risk. So the memories can be triggered.” |
| Joseph Feingold never quite got over the wounds of his Holocaust experiences. As a young boy in Poland, he played violin while his mother sang, but he left both his instrument and his mother behind when he fled, never to see either again. When he got out of the Siberian slave labor camp, he bought a violin for a pack of American cigarettes, his one connection to his life before the trauma. Only recently did he tell relatives that he had nightmares about being in a gas chamber with his mother and a younger brother, who were both killed. | Joseph Feingold never quite got over the wounds of his Holocaust experiences. As a young boy in Poland, he played violin while his mother sang, but he left both his instrument and his mother behind when he fled, never to see either again. When he got out of the Siberian slave labor camp, he bought a violin for a pack of American cigarettes, his one connection to his life before the trauma. Only recently did he tell relatives that he had nightmares about being in a gas chamber with his mother and a younger brother, who were both killed. |
| “He didn’t talk about it much at all,” his niece Raima Evan said. “It was really painful for him.” But when the filmmakers of “Joe’s Violin” asked him about his past, he was more comfortable opening up to strangers, Ms. Evan said — even giving an extensive oral history to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. | “He didn’t talk about it much at all,” his niece Raima Evan said. “It was really painful for him.” But when the filmmakers of “Joe’s Violin” asked him about his past, he was more comfortable opening up to strangers, Ms. Evan said — even giving an extensive oral history to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. |
| The risk now is that old age and the coronavirus will make these stories into artifacts rather than living accounts of the world we inhabit, a prospect that is especially troubling as Holocaust denial has risen around the world, said Diane Saltzman, the museum’s director of survivor affairs. | The risk now is that old age and the coronavirus will make these stories into artifacts rather than living accounts of the world we inhabit, a prospect that is especially troubling as Holocaust denial has risen around the world, said Diane Saltzman, the museum’s director of survivor affairs. |
| “We consider this population our best teachers on the consequences of unchecked anti-Semitism, unchecked hatred,” she said. “There’s no substitute for meeting a Holocaust survivor up close and in person.” | “We consider this population our best teachers on the consequences of unchecked anti-Semitism, unchecked hatred,” she said. “There’s no substitute for meeting a Holocaust survivor up close and in person.” |
| Michael Becher, whose mother survived Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, said she talked more about her family than about her time in the camps, but sometimes, after services at the synagogue, she described the horrors before returning to more pleasant memories. | Michael Becher, whose mother survived Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, said she talked more about her family than about her time in the camps, but sometimes, after services at the synagogue, she described the horrors before returning to more pleasant memories. |
| “I asked her, ‘Bubbe, is there something you want to tell me based on your experiences?’” her grandson Ben Becher said. “She would well up, close her eyes and she’d say, ‘Let’s focus on the happy things,’ or, ‘Be a good person.’ That’s how she lived her life.” | “I asked her, ‘Bubbe, is there something you want to tell me based on your experiences?’” her grandson Ben Becher said. “She would well up, close her eyes and she’d say, ‘Let’s focus on the happy things,’ or, ‘Be a good person.’ That’s how she lived her life.” |
| Her decline, at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in the Bronx, was swift. The home called her son on April 8 to say that her kidneys were suddenly failing, after no history of kidney disease. She died a day later, with no family around her. Family was the thing she cared most about, her son and grandson said. | Her decline, at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in the Bronx, was swift. The home called her son on April 8 to say that her kidneys were suddenly failing, after no history of kidney disease. She died a day later, with no family around her. Family was the thing she cared most about, her son and grandson said. |
| The cause of death was reported as cardio-respiratory failure, with no reference to Covid-19. Because of social distancing, the family forewent the normal rituals of grieving, including the Jewish tradition of sitting shiva. Instead, her son took condolences by telephone or video chat, and only four family members attended her funeral, the rest participating via FaceTime. | The cause of death was reported as cardio-respiratory failure, with no reference to Covid-19. Because of social distancing, the family forewent the normal rituals of grieving, including the Jewish tradition of sitting shiva. Instead, her son took condolences by telephone or video chat, and only four family members attended her funeral, the rest participating via FaceTime. |
| To her son’s surprise, the improvised rituals were quite satisfying, he said, and were more than most of her relatives had. Those killed in the Holocaust did not have graves at all. | To her son’s surprise, the improvised rituals were quite satisfying, he said, and were more than most of her relatives had. Those killed in the Holocaust did not have graves at all. |
| David Toren lost most of his family to Nazis, then lost many of his mementos on Sept. 11, 2001 — he had an office in the World Trade Center, from which he was luckily absent that morning. | David Toren lost most of his family to Nazis, then lost many of his mementos on Sept. 11, 2001 — he had an office in the World Trade Center, from which he was luckily absent that morning. |
| “My father, for all his faults, he was a survivor,” his son, Peter, said. “He was an eternal optimist, and that’s what kept him alive, to never let that get him down.” | “My father, for all his faults, he was a survivor,” his son, Peter, said. “He was an eternal optimist, and that’s what kept him alive, to never let that get him down.” |
| The elder Mr. Toren was a great raconteur, but he was also closelipped about the Holocaust until he scored a psychic victory against the Nazis in 2016, successfully suing to recover a collection of artwork looted during the war. A dark irony: By then, he was blind and could not see the fruits of his victory. But in interviews about the case, he told journalists things he had never told his children. | The elder Mr. Toren was a great raconteur, but he was also closelipped about the Holocaust until he scored a psychic victory against the Nazis in 2016, successfully suing to recover a collection of artwork looted during the war. A dark irony: By then, he was blind and could not see the fruits of his victory. But in interviews about the case, he told journalists things he had never told his children. |
| Updated June 16, 2020 | |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| Around the start of April, one of his caregivers fell ill with the coronavirus. “I knew it was a death sentence,” his son said. The elder Mr. Toren started to get hoarse and have trouble breathing, then one day told his son that he was feeling a bit better. It was the last time they talked. | Around the start of April, one of his caregivers fell ill with the coronavirus. “I knew it was a death sentence,” his son said. The elder Mr. Toren started to get hoarse and have trouble breathing, then one day told his son that he was feeling a bit better. It was the last time they talked. |
| “For him to have survived World War II and 9/11, and to die under these circumstances, is unbelievably sad to me,” his son said. | “For him to have survived World War II and 9/11, and to die under these circumstances, is unbelievably sad to me,” his son said. |
| For survivors who have eluded the virus, memories of that dark time, never far out of mind, find new salience in the present plague. | For survivors who have eluded the virus, memories of that dark time, never far out of mind, find new salience in the present plague. |
| Fred Terna, 96, survived four concentration camps and now lives with his second wife, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, in a three-story brownstone in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. He spent two years in hospitals after the war, and even now, he said, the sight of a uniform makes him anxious. | Fred Terna, 96, survived four concentration camps and now lives with his second wife, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, in a three-story brownstone in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. He spent two years in hospitals after the war, and even now, he said, the sight of a uniform makes him anxious. |
| His experience led him not to fear death, he said, but there was a time in the concentration camps when he worried very much about how he would die. “And there was some consolation, and it was that I will die mostly of only one thing: beaten, shot, starved. But it will not be all of them. Here I am, years later — whatever it will be that causes my death, it will be only one thing. It will not be a dozen of them. I’ve beaten that fear long, long ago.” | His experience led him not to fear death, he said, but there was a time in the concentration camps when he worried very much about how he would die. “And there was some consolation, and it was that I will die mostly of only one thing: beaten, shot, starved. But it will not be all of them. Here I am, years later — whatever it will be that causes my death, it will be only one thing. It will not be a dozen of them. I’ve beaten that fear long, long ago.” |
| The other day, Mr. Terna ran an errand with his son, Daniel, and insisted on buying bread, even though he had enough at home to last for weeks. Daniel later asked his mother about it. “She told me that bread for Holocaust survivors is survival itself,” her son said. “It’s a lifeline.” | The other day, Mr. Terna ran an errand with his son, Daniel, and insisted on buying bread, even though he had enough at home to last for weeks. Daniel later asked his mother about it. “She told me that bread for Holocaust survivors is survival itself,” her son said. “It’s a lifeline.” |
| And when that thread is broken, by age or by pestilence, many stories will end with it, some never told. | And when that thread is broken, by age or by pestilence, many stories will end with it, some never told. |