I first met Henry Golde a long time ago when he approached me at the old Thirsty Whale in Appleton, where his son’s band was playing. I don’t know how he knew that I played but he said, “You know, my son Marc can play the accordion, too.” As I recall, our conversation also included enthusiastic agreement when I told him he should be proud of Marc.
Years later I spent an afternoon talking with him for a radio documentary. He had me spellbound as he spoke about the heavy toll his family paid during the Holocaust and about his horrifying yet ultimately triumphant personal journey of survival, a story he so eloquently put to paper in “Ragdolls.”
I was set back a bit by the brutal honesty and passion with with which he spoke, just us in his apartment living room. But, at the end of it, when Henry got to reflecting on how it had shaped him to be the man he became, there wasn’t resentment or hatred for his tormentors. No, he said it led him to pursue peace and love and that to lead a life of it was the singular lesson.
Henry freely shared with thousands his authentic recounting of what was an intensely personal tragedy which he has turned into an elementally essential message for everyone. It’s left to us now to share his impassioned plea to live by love. He was a damned fine example of it.
Henry was 90 years old. Rest easy, friend.
From Marc Golde:
[Last night, the world lost a great man. As one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors on Earth, my father inspired many people to not just remember the Holocaust, but to never let it happen again. Through his book Ragdolls and his many speaking engagements he spread a message of hope. He ended each speech with “Hate is nothing, Love is everything”.
Thank you for everything, Dad.]
