I can remember Pesach so vividly, as clear as if it was today.
Just after Purim had finished, my mother used to go out to buy new clothes so that we would look our best for Pesach.
Then we would travel by bus to be with mother’s family in the town of Kalisz. They had a very large room, like a big hall with long tables and we’d all come together. My mother would help my grandmother with the cooking, and they were known as the best cooks in the whole town.
My grandfather would sit in the middle of us and he would wear a white overcoat. He would recite the seder. The food was amazing, the smells were so lovely.
My mother would put us children to bed between 11-12pm, but the seder would go on until 2-3 in the morning.
The next day, the weather was usually really fine, and we would sit on the balcony and my grandmother would bring us nosh to eat. Cherry juice and cakes. We would watch everyone walking past in their fine clothes, going into the big park.
It was beautiful. The Nazis destroyed everything, but they cannot take away these precious memories.
You can read more about Renee and her testimony here.