Marek

Cousin Marek is 86 today.  He still has a hard stomach (he is so proud of that!) and a sharp mind, and of course, the tattooed reminder on his arm that he is a Holocaust survivor.  I love and admire this man and I thank my cousin Jeannie for marrying him nine years ago and  bringing him into our family.

Marek is a testament to surviving and thriving in a hostile world.  He survived the concentration camps and walked across Europe after their liberation.  He lost his entire family but found Yonkel, also a survivor.  They married when they were teenagers and alone in the world and went on to build successful businesses in both Israel and Canada.  After Yonkel passed away, my cousin found her soulmate and true companion in Marek.  He is smart and exceedingly generous and he still works in the businesses he built from absolutely nothing. 

Happy Birthday Marek.  May God bless you with many more.

:-)