Autobiographical Sketch from Age 13 to Present 

At the age of thirteen, having just arrived in Peoria, Illinois, I was placed in the fourth grade with boys and girls four years younger than I, and was introduced to the English language for the first time. The German, Dutch and Hebrew I had learned during my tumultuous "childhood" in Nazi Europe were not of much value at that time. It was not uncommon for me to sit through several showings of great screen classics, including The Best Years of Our Lives. These movies, along with radio, helped me to master my new language. How I found time to attend any movie is still a mystery to me, for I had worked after school ever since our family had reached Peoria, Illinois in 1948. 

By age sixteen both my English and my looks improved considerably, and this combination somehow inspired a young college sophomore to ask to walk me home at the conclusion of Yom Kippur services on October 10, 1951. At that time I was a sophomore at Peoria Central High School.  

That summer, Nathaniel -- "that young college sophomore"-- returned home to New York for vacation and work. We wrote to each other everyday, but Nathaniel didn't make it easy for me. To improve my English, he included in each letter ten words for me to look up in the dictionary and then use in a sentence. Not only did I comply with this request (how foolish I felt years later), but I wrote each of my letters to him on scrap paper, and only when I was satisfied with the contents would I pen it in my best possible handwriting. 

I was graduated from Peoria Central High School in 1953, having managed to complete my high school studies in only two years (with summer courses), and ranked eighth in a graduating class of 267 students. Shortly after graduation, Nathaniel and I were married, somewhat to the chagrin of my mother and his parents. I was eighteen years old. 

Upon graduation from college, Nathaniel entered the U.S. Air Force, and after an intense training program, received his silver wings as a pilot. The Air Force experience gave me the opportunity to see more of our beautiful country.  Our son, David, was born in Winter Haven, Florida; daughter, Susan, in Waco, Texas; and son, Michael, in New York City. Now all three are married and have given Nathaniel and me eight beautiful grandchildren. 

I have been very interested in the medical profession for much of my life, and have been a Gray Lady and Candy Striper volunteer in various hospitals. I went back to school to become a medical assistant and worked for a most wonderful caring and professional doctor until his retirement at the age of 92! 

I have worked in other volunteer organizations, most notably PTA and Hadassah, of which I am a life member and recent past president of its 1,300 member Hewlett chapter. I have also served as a sisterhood president of Congregation Etz Chaim. I am a life member of both the National Council of Jewish Women and Emunah, and a member of B'nai Zion.   

I have been speaking out publicly about the Holocaust since 1979, but after my memoir, Four Perfect Pebbles, was published, the number of speaking engagements has greatly increased. The Diary of Anne Frank has always fascinated me. I read it in the original Dutch on our voyage to America in 1948 aboard the Holland-American liner Veendam. 

 Actually, my story is one that Anne Frank might have told had she lived. She was in Westerbork where I was. Eventually, she came to Bergen-Belsen, where I was, and where tragically she died from typhus in March of 1945. With God's help, I was able to write about "camp" life, liberation, and finally, starting live anew; first in Holland, and later, in our blessed United States of America. 

I am thrilled that Four Perfect Pebbles has garnered wonderful reviews and awards, and that many schools are using my memoir in the study of the Holocaust. Of course, most of the credit should be directed toward Lila Perl, my talented co-author. But the sweetest recognition was the Sydney Taylor "Best of the Bunch" citation, presented by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Thirty years ago, when I was an elementary school PTA program vice-president, a Book-and-Author luncheon was held in our home, and the distinguished guest was none other than Sydney Taylor, the author of the outstanding series of books, All of a Kind Family.  

Much of my time these days is spent speaking in public, private and parochial schools of all denominations throughout the United States, Germany and in Israel. I also speak to adult groups in churches, synagogues and civic organizations. I stress the need for love, respect and tolerance for one another, regardless of religious belief, color of the skin, race or national origin. Life for me today is rich, full and rewarding, especially when speaking to and with young adults. 

How Four Perfect Pebbles Came into Book Form

 When I arrived in the United States, at age 13, I was so busy learning English and trying to catch up to a proper grade for my age, and working after school to help my Mom pay bills, that I had no time to talk about my terrible past. I had to put those years behind me and get on with life.  

And, because of the enormity of the suffering we endured, I never thought anyone would believe me if I did tell them about my wartime experiences, about my 6 1/2 years of incarceration in transit and concentration camps. Few classmates of mine at Peoria Central High School knew of my past until some 40 years later, when Four Perfect Pebbles was published. 

It wasn't until 1979 that I spoke publicly about the Holocaust, first in a synagogue, and then in schools and organizations. I had jotted down on a legal pad my recollections, about 8 pages of notes. I recall I was a very unhappy person for several days while dredging up these old memories. 

When I first began speaking, I remember being quite nervous about getting in front of an audience. Speaking became easier, probably in large part because of the wonderful response of my audiences. However, after a talk, at night, I had to cope with what I said that day. And, although I am at ease in speaking to an audience with as many as 1,000 or more  persons these days, I still feel the strain of those long ago memories long after the talk. I am thankful that I have Nathaniel, my husband, at my side at all times. 

Lila Perl called me in 1993 wanting to know where and when I was next going to speak. A mutual friend, Joan Newman, referred Lila to me after hearing me speak at a Baldwin Hadassah chapter meeting. I didn't know it at the time, but Lila was a well-established author of biographies and social history books for children and young adults, with now over 50 published fiction and nonfiction titles to her credit.  

After witnessing my presentation to a group of 5^th graders at the Hewlett Elementary School, and seeing the students' reactions, Lila said, "You must put your story into written form. Would you be willing to work with me on a book?" 

I had never thought of writing a book although Susan, our daughter, had asked that I write about my experiences for future generations of our own family. 

Under our agreement, Lila was to be responsible for checking on the factual background of the story and for the preparation, organization, and writing of the manuscript. She was also to see the finished work through the press and to handle all matters pertaining to the literary form and style. Further, she researched and supplied the documentary photos in the book that were to supplement my personal photos. 

As a result of working closely together, we gave the story immediacy and drama. I retold my own experiences and my mother, who had borne the most complete effect of our ordeal, contributed her amazing detailed recollections. My brother Albert, two years older than I, was also involved, and Lila traveled to California to interview him for his first-hand accounts and vivid memories of certain portions of the book. 

Some family members felt we should write the book as a first-person story.  But Lila pointed out that I, having been born in 1934, was unable to personally report on our family's situation in Germany during my earlier years, and could know only what was later told to me. 

The manuscript was submitted to several publishing houses, and it wasn't long before Greenwillow, a division of William Morrow accepted it for publication. Elizabeth Shub, our editor at Greenwillow, told me that when she read the manuscript for the first time, it affected her so deeply that she cried.  

Four Perfect Pebbles is in its 16^TH printing at Greenwillow and is available in paperback from Avon Camelot Books. It will also be available in Dutch, German, and a Japanese edition (published by Asunaro Shobo of Tokyo). It is available in schools through Scholastic Books.

I am proud that the book has earned wonderful reviews and honors. I am grateful to Lila Perl for all her hard work and enthusiasm for this project and to Greenwillow for seeing the worth of this subject. It gives me great satisfaction to know that thousands of school students are reading Four Perfect Pebbles, either for class assignment or on their own. The horror of the Holocaust must be taught and studied, and kept alive,  in order to guard against its ever happening again. 

Over the past few years, I have spoken to, and with, upwards of  500,000 students and adults in public and private schools, organizations, synagogues and churches.  I have made many beautiful friendships around the country through these talks, and always have lots of mail and e-mail with interesting comments and questions to answer.  

After you read Four Perfect Pebbles, please give me your comments via e-mail. Should your school or organization desire me to make a presentation, please contact me at Marion@FourPerfectPebbles.com or by phone at 516-374-5958.  

My wish to each of you is for a peaceful world, one in which there is love, respect, and tolerance for one another, regardless of religious belief, race, color of the skin, or national origin; a world in which we will look for similarities in people, and respect the differences.

Honors

Marion has been awarded several Hadassah honors, including the National Leadership Award and the Myrtle Leaf Award. She has been honored on 2 occasions by the Five Town Jewish Council,  and by the Conference of Jewish Organizations of Nassau County. Marion has been honored by the Jewish Theological Seminary, and received the Eishet Chayil (Woman of Valor) Award  from the Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Center. Marion was awarded the Community Service Award by Young Israel of Hewlett, and honored, along with her husband, at the first Testimonial Dinner of Congregation Ahavat Yisrael.

Marion was named New York State Senate 2008 Woman of Distinction, made an Honorary Citizen of Peoria by proclamation of the mayor, received a special Citation by the City of Bayonne, and a special Congressional Citation for her work in Holocaust Awareness and Education.

Marion was inducted into the Bradley University Centurion Society in 2004, and named a Distinguished Alumnus  of Peoria Central High School in 2006.

Please click on  the new special LINKS page for additional sites about the Holocaust, and Marion