Community Corner

EM Native Pays Tribute to Grandparents in New Book of Poems

Robert Fried hopes his writings educate people of all ages about the Holocaust.

W.T. Clarke High School alum Robert Fried pays tribute to his grandparents in a newly published book of poems he hopes educates people of all ages about the Holocaust and offers a "glimpse into the life-changing experiences of the survivors."

Fried, a member of Clarke's Class of 1996, wrote the poems as a child about his grandparents' experiences during the genocide of nearly six million Jews during World War II. Fried's grandparents survived the atrocities, later immigrated to Israel and then to New York, settling in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn.

"I wrote the book From Generation To... as a tribute to my grandparents and I hope that it helps educate people of all ages about the Holocaust, so that from generation to generation, the world will never forget," Fried said.

His maternal grandparents, Magdalena (Berkovits) Herskowitz and Moshe Herskowitz, were born in Romania while his paternal grandparents, Rifka (Weiss) Fried and Israel Fried, were born in Czechoslovakia.

Only his paternal grandmother, Rifka, is still living.

"My parents are Israeli and my brother, sister and I are first generation Americans. Throughout my childhood, each of my grandparents had always shared stories about their experiences during the Holocaust," Fried said.

"I have always had a knack for writing, having been published for the first time in a poetry textbook, while in elementary school. Beginning from the age of 12 through 16, I had written the poems about the Holocaust."

The book, which is now on sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, also includes documents Fried compiled about his grandparents with help from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

Fried collaborated with illustrator Sam Wall for six months to bring each poem to life and design the cover and interior illustrations.

"It was a great project, which I found to be very rewarding," Fried said. "I really feel that the book would be great for students of any age but my target audience is readers from ages 12-17."

Fried, who lived in East Meadow until age 17, now resides in Valley Stream. He is engaged to Rachael Pierro, of East Meadow. A September 2014 wedding is planned.

Visit www.fromgenerationto.com for more information about the book.


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