05/10/2026
From all of us at the Holocaust Center for Humanity, we’d like to wish moms, grandmothers, and mother figures a Happy Mother’s Day! Today and every day, we are reminded of the incredible women who sacrificed to protect their children and give them a better life.
Today we are highlighting the story of George Elbaum and his mother, Pauline, who risked everything for her family. George’s father was called to serve in the army within weeks of the outbreak of World War II. Sadly, he never returned. Pauline, acutely aware of the danger she and her son were in, dyed her hair blonde and purchased the identification documents of a Catholic woman who had died. In 1942, Pauline smuggled George out of the Warsaw ghetto before paying various Polish Catholic families to hide and raise him. Three years later, George was reunited with Pauline, the only other surviving member of his family. They immigrated to America together in 1949.
Today, we honor George’s mother and all mothers whose courage, sacrifice, and love helped carry families through unimaginable times.
