Today we escorted our dear friend, Rena Finder, on her final journey at her funeral at Temple Beth Shalom in Framingham.
Rena was a dear friend who was someone we admired and respected, and we will miss her and her genuine smile and friendliness, and the special person that she was.
Rena was one of the youngest survivors of Schindler's List and for the last few decades she would lecture extensively about her experiences in the Holocaust to school children, college kids and so many others, through the Facing History Project with which she had such a significant role.
Rena was prompted to take on this role, when she started hearing about Holocaust Denial, and made it part of her life mission, in addition to raising and loving her beautiful family.
Rena had spoken for Chabad of Sudbury on several occasions and also honored us with a message at the Grand Opening of the new Center in 2017.In addition to the public work that Rena did until her 90's and the book that she wrote after she turned 90, Rena also impacted and had a connection with so many of the people that she met.
We knew Rena and her late husband Marc after we met them some 16 years ago, and have been so grateful for the warm friendship and personal connection and many private moments of conversation, Shabbat dinner, and visits that we were able to have with her over the years.
Rena was a truly bright and positive light who came out of the ashes of the Holocaust, and literally touched tens of thousands of lives.
Just a few short weeks ago, Shayna led a group of young teens from our Hebrew School to visit and chat with Rena. Rena loved talking and conversing with the youth and would always enjoy the opportunity to chat and inspire another group of children. Little did we know that this group would be the last group of children she would converse with and inspire, after doing this same thing thousands of times over the last few decades.The world is a little dimmer today, but the bright smiles and inspiration, and message of hope, love, and tolerance that she brought to so many, will certainly live on and continue to brighten the world.
May her memory be a blessing and may her dear family, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, be comforted among the mourners of Zion & Jerusalem.
יהי זכרה ברוך