Dora and Motel Shkolnick, now in their 90s, have lived with memories of the Holocaust their whole lives.

When the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, they were forced into the Mogilev-Podolsky ghetto. Motel came down with typhus. The Nazis beat Motel’s father to death and Dora’s brother was murdered.

There was one ray of light in the ghetto. Dora and Motel met and fell in love. They married in 1946 and lived in Ukraine. There they faced anti-Semitism from local residents who believed the couple had been Nazi spies, rather than tragic victims.

“There was no future for our children,” Dora explains, recalling the dire economic conditions.

The couple immigrated to Brooklyn where Motel opened a tailoring shop and Dora worked at a sewing factory.

As they aged, their health declined and finances became tight. A friend suggested Dora and Motel contact Selfhelp Community Services, a UJA-Federation beneficiary agency. Selfhelp assisted in securing Article II reparations from Germany and funds from the German Social Security Ghetto Pension. Selfhelp also arranged for free transportation to doctors’ appointments.

“I don’t know what we would do without Selfhelp,” Dora says.

The Shkolnick’s family now includes grandchildren. Dora says it’s difficult to speak about the Holocaust. But she understands the importance of doing so.

“If young people know the story, it can help prevent anti-Semitism and help stop another Holocaust from happening for Jews or any other people.”