SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) honored Judith Rabbie at the California State Assembly’s 13th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony. Assembly Concurrent Resolution 207, which passed unanimously today, proclaims April 16, 2018, as Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“At a time of rising intolerance and hatred across the world, it’s more important than ever that we remind ourselves of the atrocities of the past,” said Assemblymember Berman. “Judith’s survival during the Holocaust and her long and full life are a testament to her strength and spirit. It’s a privilege to honor her in the Capitol today.”
Judith Rabbie, a resident of Palo Alto for nearly 40 years, was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1941. At the age of three, Rabbie was hidden by a non-Jewish family for ten months until she was reunited with her mother. Her father was killed on his way to a concentration camp. Together, they remained in Hungary for another 12 years before moving to Switzerland. Rabbie completed her schooling there, earning a Master’s Degree in Chemistry. In 1967, Rabbie moved to Israel to pursue a PhD and met her husband there. They raised their two children in Israel until moving to Palo Alto in 1981.
Like her mother, Rabbie worked as a chemist. She was the manager at Syntax in Palo Alto for 17 years and worked for several small pharmaceutical companies before retiring in 2008. Today, Rabbie says she works for hugs and kisses from her grandkids.
Rabbie attended Congregation Beth Jacob in Redwood City for thirty years before moving to Congregation Beth Am in Palo Alto. At Beth Am, Rabbie is organizing an Israel program concentrating on Israel’s culture and people. She also belongs to the Bay Area Hidden Children Group and the Jewish Family and Children’s Services Speakers Bureau, where she speaks to students about the Holocaust.
When asked by a young student if she felt she had revenge, she replied, “My revenge is that I’m standing here, and I can tell you my story. Hitler didn’t do what he wanted to do. I have two children and beautiful grandchildren, and that’s my revenge. I’m here.”
Contact: Kaitlin Curry, (916) 319-2024