Sandy Goldwasser Berenbaum was born in 1946 in a Displaced Persons Camp in Pocking, Germany. Her parents were Holocaust survivors who endured unimaginable hardships during World War II. Her father, originally from Mlawa, Poland, was a prisoner in a Nazi slave labor camp in Komi SSR, Siberia, while her mother was from Kiev, Ukraine (formerly part of Russia).
Sandy’s parents survived antisemitism, pogroms, bombings, and starvation and met after Sandy’s father escaped the labor camp. Determined to build a new life, her father led the family to the American sector in Germany, facilitating their emigration to the United States, where his only surviving brother lived.
In 1949, at the age of 2 1⁄2 years, Sandy arrived in the U.S. with her family. They landed in Boston, later traveled to New York, and eventually settled in Brooklyn. The family arrived with very little and lived in a boarded-up storefront with windows painted black for privacy. Despite their hardships, her parents attended night school to learn English, laying the foundation for a better future.
Sandy later married her husband, Dave, and settled in Philadelphia, where she became a devoted member of the Jewish community. She is a member of Congregation Tifereth Israel of Lower Bucks County and an international board member and consultant for Women’s League for Conservative Judaism. In addition to her international work, she actively supports her local community, serving on the Shared Meals Committee to help feed the food-insecure population in Lower Bucks County.
Sandy’s community dedication to service and her tireless efforts to strengthen Jewish life and values reflect her family’s legacy of resilience and perseverance.
