But then came 1944. And evil came between the five sisters and their future

They were five. Five sisters close in age, all resembling each other. Sura Rivka was the oldest, followed by Raizele, Henchy, Devora, and Chayala, the youngest of the girls. They were a warm, loving clan, happily ensconced in the bosom of family. Sura Rivka and Henchy were more serious, while Devora, Raizele, and Chayala were livelier and spunkier, very much like their father.

When I close my eyes, I can vividly picture their lives; I am one of five sisters too. I also know the joy of sisterhood, the gift of close relationships that are inherited simply by birthright.

Sisters — you’ve got to love them. I can always count on them to remember my birthday (and my kiddos’ too) and to babysit in a pinch. They’re there to hear me venting and to offer advice (okay, not always solicited), and they’ll take precious time off from work to attend my daughters’ graduations and siddur plays. They’re there on those long, lazy Shabbos afternoons, as we lounge around and reminisce about our shared childhood memories.

Sisters — nobody beats them! If you’ve got one, you’re lucky. Four of them? Why, it doesn’t get any better than that.

My great-great aunts were lucky like that too. The Levi sisters, as they were known in their hometown of Chust, thought they’d be best friends for life, were sure they’d always have each other’s backs, just as I do with the four sisters I cherish dearly. They would raise their broods together and grow old and gray together.

But then came 1944. And evil came between the five sisters and their future. The Holocaust swept away those dreams of sisterhood, brutally taking the lives of three and sparing two, left bereft and orphaned to start their lives anew.

It happened so quickly. In March of 1944, Hitler yemach shemo launched Operation Margarethe, and Hungary was occupied by the Germans. By Pesach, the air smelled of fear, and a feeling of foreboding filled the heart of every Hungarian Jew. Still, Yom Tov was coming, and the family planned to spend it together in Chust.