HR263INTRODUCED
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HR263
MS8EI1W-1
By Representatives Faulkner, Garrett, Carns, Ensler
RFD:
First Read: 17-Apr-25
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First Read: 17-Apr-25
HR____ RECOGNIZING RIVA HIRSCH AS A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR.
WHEREAS, Riva Hirsch, born Riva Schuster, was only
seven years old in 1941 when her childhood was violently
interrupted by the Nazi occupation of her hometown of
Novaseletz, Romania, now modern-day Ukraine, during the
Holocaust, a tragedy that would take the lives of over six
million Jews and millions of other innocent people; and
WHEREAS, after receiving a warning from a family
friend, young Riva and her family attempted to flee to
safety but were instead captured and transported in
overcrowded cattle cars to a Nazi labor camp in Moghilev;
and
WHEREAS, she endured unimaginable horrors, witnessing
death and brutality, suffering from starvation, disease, and
the loss of her health, her home, and nearly her life; and
WHEREAS, separated from her family and later
transported to the Luchinetz labor camp, Riva survived
typhus, malaria, lice infestation, and extreme
malnourishment; and
WHEREAS, during one of many near-death experiences,
she was rescued by partisans, hidden in a wagon of hay, and
taken to a Catholic convent in Tul'chin where she lived in
isolation for two years in a six-foot-square bunker, with
rats and mice as her only companions, surviving only on
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rats and mice as her only companions, surviving only on
bread and pork provided every few days; and
WHEREAS, Riva Schuster was liberated in 1945, carried
to the roadside by nuns, and rescued by survivors who
brought her to Chernovitz, where she was amazingly reunited
with her father and, in time, her mother and two brothers;
and
WHEREAS, in her journey to rebuild her life, she
boarded a boat to Palestine in 1946, was detained by British
forces and spent two years in a refugee camp in Cyprus
before reaching Israel in 1948, where she was finally
reunited with her family and began the next chapter of her
life; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Hirsch met and married her husband,
Aisic Hirsch, also a Holocaust survivor, in Israel in 1950;
they were blessed with two children, Harold and Sheryl, and
later moved to New York in 1962 to provide the education and
opportunities they had been denied; and
WHEREAS, in 1992, Mrs. Hirsch and her family
relocated to Birmingham, Alabama, where they built a home
and legacy rooted in resilience, remembrance, and hope; and
WHEREAS, throughout her life, Riva Hirsch has
remained a tireless advocate for Holocaust education and
remembrance, sharing her testimony with younger generations
to ensure that the horrors of the Holocaust are never
forgotten, and to urge the world to pursue peace, education,
and justice; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Hirsch, now 91 years old, stands as a
living testament to the strength of the human spirit, the
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living testament to the strength of the human spirit, the
enduring will to survive, and the sacred responsibility of
ensuring the past is never forgotten; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, That we do hereby honor and
recognize Riva Hirsch for her extraordinary courage, her
contributions to Holocaust remembrance, and her unwavering
commitment to ensuring that the lessons of history are never
lost to time.
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