“He was very brave, very strong and a real support system for us,” Felsman said. “My father was instrumental in my mindset, even as a young boy, that I might someday get past the terrible times my family was experiencing.”
Serena Halberstam, 84, is originally from Romania. She now resides in Borough Park. Halberstam disclosed that as a young child, she endured many years in a ghetto with her family during the Holocaust.
Ruth Mermelstein, 97, is originally from Czechoslovakia and currently resides in Flatbush. She was a prisoner in Auschwitz and also a “death march” survivor.
Mira Khelemskaya escaped on the last train to Kazakhstan from Kyiv, Ukraine, during the Holocaust. Currently, she lives in Starrett City with her husband, Grigory.
Sofiya Grodski, 83, currently lives in Midwood and is originally from Russia. 100-year-old Sally Muschel, originally from Poland, now resides in Flatbush. Hanna Rychik, 85, originally from Poland, currently lives in Borough Park. Gregory Ozadvitsky, 91, currently lives in Starrett City.
During the war, Trudy Tajerstein’s family fled Vienna for Switzerland. Tajerstein, 92, now resides in Brooklyn.
Pre-game entertainment
Before the game, in which the Cyclones went toe-to-toe with the Frederick Keys, Israeli-American rapper Kosha Dillz performed.
Attendees also had the opportunity to meet Dave from Old Jewish Men, a popular social media comedy project that features short skits portraying stereotypical but affectionate and exaggerated characters from New York Jewish life. Dave is one of the recurring fictional characters in their sketches.
JCCGCI, founded in 1973, is a nonprofit organization with a mission to serve the evolving needs of the Coney Island community. It provides a wide spectrum of services to benefit all segments of the population, including supportive services for older adults, career services, educational support, crime reduction initiatives, community revitalization efforts and mental health services.
JCCGCI is one of the largest providers of Holocaust Survivor services in the world, serving thousands of survivors each year through home care, transportation, case management, friendly visiting, socialization, home-delivered meals and more.