Sahbra Markus Surviving The Holocaust Part 10 Finally A Princess

Summary:

In this final episode of Sahbra Markus’s amazing story, she shares a little bit of her life after the holocaust. From living in DP camps in Germany to living in Israel, coming to America, and working as a famous dancer in Canada. Her life certainly did not stop being eventful. She shares one story in particular of when she finally was able to wear the blue dress that she dreamed of and be a princess. Her story truly shows us how strong the human spirit is. You won’t want to miss this final chapter.

Episode Transcription

Intro Plays

Ari: Welcome to whispers and bricks. My name is Avi Shonbrun. I’m your host. Today’s episode we’re continuing on with the amazing story from Sahbra Marcus. I don’t want to take any time away from her. So Sabra, take it away, please.

Sahbra: And so, you know, I’ve always waited for that blue dress. I always waited for that princess. I want to be a princess. I was always torn clothes turncoat. Sooner or later person’s got to be a princess. You know, Oh, girls, princesses. From Austria, with the trucks, they took us into Germany, into the DP camps.

We camps, displaced person camps, camps.

We were in several. And for three and a half years. Wow. It was not as horrifically starving. But it was awesome. It was it was there was a little bit more freedom. But it was awesome. And for a long, long time, I kept dreaming about the princess Papa said I was going to be someday. Be a princess. I mean, I deserve to be a princess. I will says Papa service. Okay, this is so smart. To get to tell you about the princess. I will jump ahead a few years. We arrived in Haifa. And we lived there for some time. And that’s the time to go to a very important event. My father’s nephew was having his Bar Mitzvah and what remained of our family and my mama and papa side. We’re going to gather to come to this very important event. I looked at Papa and I said yes, of course. I would like to go on the sky. Are you coming? I said Yes, Papa. But I have no clothes. We were so poor. We were so poor. There was barely food and there was no work Israel when we arrived Israel or was only less than one year old. So it’s 1949

of the countries less than a year old.

Yes. Israel. Yes, force. And I said, Look at me. He said it’s okay. Mama and I will take care of it. You’ll be fine. You will be a princess. I say we always say that. But he looked at me. He came home from work and he said to ask my mother. Laura, did you get it? And she said yes. Exactly what I said. Yes. Top and bottom. Yes. Only she can go in our bedroom and look on the bed. I went in there and I’m that dead? Oh my god. That was the beautiful princess dress. Pale Blue. Shiny satin. Shiny. With a matching bow. Big, big beautiful bow for my hair and a big bow to go round of the waist with the strap and the bow in the back. Oh, my ex. I looked at it and I cried. And I cried and Papa said Don’t cry. You need to have beautiful eyes for the party. Number dress me combed my hair put my ribbon on. None of us understood that no one else in this room will look like this today. Exactly. No one will ribbons and unless they had a lump ponytails are a bunch of braids, but I never had enough hair for either one of those. So putting a bone in my head was the only thing you could do in this case, it would be the laughingstock of the country. But I got lucky. My beautiful dresses beautiful, my beautiful belt with that big blue bowl on my center of my back. And my my shoes, lovely shoes, without holes like these rallies. Shoes. What I didn’t know was that Mama was scouring every flea market in Haifa. To find this wardrobe. Wow. All the other money went to food and survival. The rent for the place was minimal. We could barely make the rent. And many times we went to bed without suit. So I was a princess. And when they came to the bar mitzvah, everyone, while they were shocked with that gigantic bow on my head. Everyone was silent and informed me that I looked so beautiful Papa said like a princess. Right? And everybody agreed and looked like a beautiful princess. I was not a child anymore. And I knew I could tell from the faces that some of them were a little bewildered with the wardrobe and that big ribbon on my head that big bow. I was out was I was just past world. Wow. To help, yes, I was about 12. And I pretended I didn’t notice the looks. I pretended I didn’t care. Because popper kept his word. He got me the pain rule set. And my balls as he used to problem never lied. Never did never lie. Wow.

That’s absolutely amazing. Such an amazing story. It’s just It’s unfathomable. Yet the human spirit that you portray is just it’s such a inspiration, you know, to have lived through hell. And back. And then to see you today with that smile. With you know, you just you’re you’re you’re a very, very strong woman, obviously you needed to be. And to this day, I’m sure that you know you you are a very, very strong woman and I pity the person that’s going to cross you. I don’t know what you would do to them.

I don’t think you should be in the same city with me for a month at least.

There you go. Now, when did you come? So you left Israel ultimately, and you came to America

in 1960? In 1960,

so that’s what

actually, in 1952. My mother decided that the heat in Israel. And my take is called unseen. Yeah, is a horrific heat that comes from the desert, right dries everything. And it’s where sometimes the expression was It’s a miracle that hasn’t dried to the Mediterranean. Yeah. It was awful. She was suffering. She really hated it. When, of course, we had many, many skirmishes and my father had to go to the military in 1953. There was a campaign and my mother said, I will not sacrifice anyone in my family anymore. And you know what she did? When I first heard it, I was shocked. I said, she says they will never change. I told you again and again. They will never change my my whole name. Oh, does brown skin Nazis? We were surrounded by nations of Arabs. Right? She named them brown skin. No. Excuse me. ugly brown. Nazis. No, she she. She specified what kind? Right? Right. So what was beyond beyond reproach her anger was

Were you. Were you still in Israel in 1956?

Cuz that’s 1960. You left in 1960.

So in 56, that was when again, there was another war. Yeah, that was the that was the Sinai was the Santa campaign and 56. Right. And then you left in 1916. You came to you didn’t come to America, you went to Canada. Is that correct? Oh, no, you when you came to America, City, New York City.

Oh, sure. I lived there for 12 years, and then two years in Los Angeles. And then given a very, very lucrative contract to perform in Calgary, in Canada. So I traveled up here.

You’re a dancer, correct? Oh, yes. Oh, okay.

I was a big success in Canada. I hear every day.

I hear a

television show. I had my own school. I taught 4700 students. Wow. Yeah. Ladies of all ages. And actually, I made a film with Richard Gere. And we filmed it here in Canada. Really? Oh, yes. It’s called Days of Heaven.

Days of Heaven. Now, gotta look it up.

Don’t get excited. We didn’t win any awards.

I don’t care. But I could watch and say I know that.

You do know that lady. I have a I had a very nice part in it. But you know, a lot of stuff lends on the editing floor, right? Yeah. So my dancing scene, isn’t it? Oh, cool. A few other small stuff. With Richard Gere in one of those, the plane with double wings, you know, because the film is taking takes place in in the First World War. Okay. Bye, bye. Bye, winged plane. Right. We my husband and I were supposed to fly out of where this is taking place supposedly in Texas. Yeah, it’s shot in Lethbridge, which is the same topography. And at night, we froze to death and we burned in the daytime sooty. So. So we’re on the plane, and I’m sitting in his lap. And all he kept murmuring is, of course, we didn’t have any voiceover. That was just the wind and the sign sound of the engine motor. Yeah. He kept this thing. So tell yourself told you like that. He said he was short. Shorts. And I was too tall. I was five, eight with three and four inch heels. Wow, he was funny. He was funny. A very nice person, a very nice person. Alright.

Have to thank you so much.

For sobre

Anushka. Okay. I have to thank you so much for sharing your story. It takes a lot of courage to do it. I know that. I know that it brings back a lot of unpleasant memories, to put it mildly

that every This is why people could say What do you mean, it took you six years to write your book? Because you’re solving after some of the chapters Correct? hysteric pain. How can you wait another week or two or a month later? To get your heart broken? Right? It took six years. But it sounds it’s done.

It is and you can get it on Amazon. Right? And it’s called

only a bad dream with a question mark.

Only a bad dream with a question mark. Get it on Amazon if you want to get the rest of the details of Sabra on Marcus’s life story through the Holocaust. It’s going to be so worth the read. It’s going to be incredible. I urge you to go out and I urge you to get it. Now, I don’t know what to call you. But Anishka. Again, thank you so much. I appreciate it. I am humbled that you allowed me to record you and to get this word out and Keep doing what you’re doing, keep telling your story. Keep talking to kids. And I think that’s the most important most important part is talking to the children because, you know, they, they need to know, they need to know and they so that they can carry on the story so that the world will never ever forget. Because at this stage of the game, I mean, let’s be real. You’re probably one of the last survivors. You’re one of the youngest to get through it. You’re probably part of the last survivors. After the, you know, after your generation, there is nobody else so we need to make sure that we keep going, keep telling your story, even keep inspiring people. And what can I tell

you? Yes, I’ll tell you what Ellie reserves are to me. He said it more than once. He said, Sabra, you are the voice of one and a half million children. You must never stop speaking. They didn’t get to live to tell. You must keep speaking for the rest of your life. You are the voice of your two brothers that will mitigate too little boys. You’re never met two little boys. You don’t know their needs. They’re gone. Every child in the world will demand that you speak for them. Every child that was murdered by those horrific nonferrous Yeah.

Ari: Thanks again, Sahbra. You been listening to whispers and bricks? My name is Gary Schoenbrunn. Till the next episode, listen to the whispers avoid the bricks. Never ever give up on your dreams, no matter how old you are as sobre Anushka. Marcus has just proven to us over these past 10 episodes. Thank you very much, and we’ll see you next time. Bye for now. You’ve been listening to whispers and bricks and I’m your host Gary Schoenbrunn. Until next time, listen to the whispers avoid the bricks and never ever give up on your dreams.