One and one half million Jewish children were lost in the Holocaust (or “Shoah”) before they had a chance to grow into Jewish adults.  Through Remember Us: The Holocaust B’nai Mitzvah Project (www.remember-us.org) Avery will dedicate part of her Bat Mitzvah to the memory of one of these children, Lila Bornstein.  (Lila is Avery’s middle name and her Hebrew name). This Lila was born in Krakow, Poland on July 11, 1932. We know her father’s name was Bernhard and her mother’s name was Amalia. Lila died in the Shoah at Plaszow, Poland on August 14, 1944. She was only 12 years old, and therefore did not have the chance to reach the age of Bat Mitzvah herself.

By bearing witness to this one lost life – with echoes from the past of Avery’s own – and incorporating Lila into her moment of becoming a Bat Mitzvah, Avery will become a source of quiet triumph over the hateful fate that had been planned against the Jewish people.

It is said that the simple act of remembering someone honors that person’s value and meaning, and adds meaning and value to your own life.  Avery Lila is honored to raise the blessed memory of Lila Bornstein on her Bat Mitzvah day.