Letters to Jerta

Who is Jerta, thanks to whom Eva Haimovitz, five years old at the time, survived the Holocaust? The two had a strong bond, which kept Eva sane. Eva spent five years of a happy childhood at her parents’ home in Brasov, Transylvania. One day Hungarian soldiers arrived as lunch was slowly cooking and her world was shattered. Jerta the doll was the sole witness to what happened then, to Eva’s happiest days and her worst ones as well. Jerta saw the final hug for the father who was transported to his death; the fear, hunger and humiliation etched in Eva’s memory in vivid detail, color and smells. Eva shared her harsh experiences and innermost secrets with Jerta, even sixty years after the Holocaust. Today Jerta the doll resides in the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum. Eva still keeps in touch with her and writes her letters