Chana Esther
An Epistle to My Daughter, Esti, on the Occassion of Her Eighth Grade Graduation: Chana Esther, you were named after my Oma, Chana, Johanna Frank Hirschfeldt. She was a strong and determined woman, not merely making it out of Hitler’s war-torn Germany, but rescuing my Opa from the horrors of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp on her way out. She spent most of her adult life owning and operating her own dry cleaning store at a time when it was unheard of for women to be entrepreneurs. Esti, you possess many of your great-grandmother’s uniquely wonderful qualities. Your strength in the face of adversity is an impressive quality that is so rare in young teens who are often susceptible to peer pressure. Regardless of the fact that “everyone” you know is doing the popular thing, you have proven time and again that your values are unwavering. You will stand up for what you feel is right, regardless of the friendships that it costs you. This is a trait that I adm...