Holocaust survivor, 88, awarded diploma she always dreamed about

Because of World War II, Miriam Schreiber couldn't go to school, but that doesn't mean she wasn't able to educate herself.

Schreiber taught herself how to speak six languages and "read books day and night," she told The Washington Post. "I still do." The 88-year-old West Hartford, Connecticut, resident was born in Poland and survived the Holocaust. The war broke out right before she was to begin the first grade, and her "entire life was interrupted within minutes," she said. Schreiber survived six years in a Siberian slave labor camp, and soon after the war, she met her husband, Saul Schreiber. In 1960, they emigrated to the United States.

They wanted their children to have the educational opportunities they missed out on, and worked hard to earn the money to send them to school. Son Bernie Schreiber, who became a teacher, told the Post "we became successful because of my parents. My brother Bob was able to buy and build his own business successfully. I credit my parents, but especially my mother, for her dogged determination."

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When the seniors at New England Jewish Academy heard Miriam's story, and learned that she regretted never receiving a formal education, they all agreed that she should receive an honorary diploma at their graduation. Because of the pandemic, the event was canceled, but a small, socially distanced ceremony was held on Aug. 16, just for Schreiber. "When I finally got the diploma, I kissed it," she told the Post. "I just couldn't believe it was mine." Catherine Garcia