Assia Raberman, Holocaust Survivor and Beloved TOLI Mentor, Dies at 96
Assia Raberman – who lost almost her entire family in the Holocaust, survived as a “hidden child” in Poland and, in recent years, was a beloved speaker and mentor at TOLI seminars – died yesterday (March 17) in Haifa, Israel. She was 96 years old.
“Assia was an inspirational figure, not only for my family, but for the many teachers she touched in the TOLI network,” said Mark Berez, President of TOLI and Assia’s nephew. “She believed in the power of education, to never forget but not to lose hope.”
Assia was born in Eastern Poland (today Western Ukraine) where she grew up in the town of Mizoch. She enjoyed a happy home life until 1939, when the Nazis invaded and occupied Poland and forced Jews into a ghetto in Mizoch, persecuting, killing, and deporting them. Fearing the worst, Assia’s parents gave her to a Catholic family, who sheltered her under a new name and identity. Her parents and nearly 100 members of her extended family were killed during the Holocaust. Only Assia and her brother, Yitzchak (Isaac), who was studying in Russia at the time, managed to survive.
Assia with her nephew, TOLI President Mark Berez.
Assia and her brother left for Israel in 1947, a year before the establishment of the state and the War of Independence. Following military service, she built a new life and married Reuven Raberman, another Holocaust survivor who she met in Europe after the war. After receiving a Master’s Degree in Social Work from The Hebrew University, Assia became a professional social worker in Haifa, where she counselled youths who were emotionally traumatized and from disadvantaged families. For Assia, who lost her own childhood, her work was her way of helping children to find purpose and joy in their lives.
Shortly after the founding of the Memorial Library Foundation (later The Olga Lengyel Institute – TOLI), whose mission became to provide educators with the knowledge and skills to teach the Holocaust, Mark asked Assia to speak at the seminars. “I thought it would be important for teachers to hear directly from a Holocaust survivor,” said Mark. “I hadn’t realized she would become the star of the programs.”
Assia with high school students in Greece.
“Assia was the most wonderful and inspiring person that I have ever met,” said Oana Nestian-Sandu, International Director of TOLI Programs. “When she spoke at our seminars – including Poland, Lithuania, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, and Ukraine – telling her personal story, nothing compared to that experience for our teachers. They were often moved to tears, yet at the same time motivated by her message of understanding, love, and hope.”
Assia is survived by her nephew, Mark Berez; her niece, Bela Piperno; and their children and grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held today (March 18) in Haifa. Anyone wishing to pay tribute may do so by email at info@tolinstitute.org or on any TOLI social media platform:
Here is a video recording of Assia speaking at TOLI’s first Lithuania seminar in October 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
TOLI will produce and distribute a virtual tribute in memory of Assia in the coming weeks.
Assia speaking at a TOLI seminar.