KAILUA-KONA — Goldie Lefkowitz likes to keep herself busy. And at 96, she has a lot of free time on her hands.
Luckily for the Kailua-Kona senior, she has been able to fill her days by giving back to the island community. She spends her time split between two very different passion projects — knitting hats for newborns at Kona Community Hospital and giving speeches about her life as a Holocaust survivor.
“Right now, I’ve finished 200 hats, but I’ll keep on going,” Lefkowitz said. “So this is what I have in my life now, the little hats and the talks I give.”
Knitting has been a steady hobby in Lefkowitz’s life, and it turned into a charitable gift in 2016 when Lefkowitz’s friend at the Kailua-Kona VA Clinic, Kathy Simmons, saw the sweaters Lefkowitz was knitting. With the climate in Hawaii being unsuitable for sweaters, Simmons suggested a more useful product — blankets for veterans.
Lefkowitz made 66 blankets for Kona veterans before turning to her hat project.
“I was stuck with all this yarn, and I love to knit when I watch TV because if you don’t use your hands they become arthritic,” Lefkowitz said. “So I started making hats, and I took them down to the Kona hospital and asked them if they could use them. And they were overjoyed.”
Lefkowitz said she wanted to knit things that other people could enjoy, and that didn’t take a lot of time. Each hat takes Lefkowitz an average of two to three hours, which she said she mostly does while watching classic movies on her television. Once they’re ready, Kona Community Hospital nurse Mandy Ceci picks them up. Ceci said the hats serve more than just a decorative purpose.
“It means every baby gets a cute little hat, and the parents really appreciate it,” Ceci said. “As for the hospital, it helps to keep the babies warm and helps keep their temperatures regulated.
“And it’s something cute that they can take home and remember their time here.”
Ceci said she loves being able to go to Lefkowitz’s house to spend time together and hear about her life.
“I could listen to her for hours,” Ceci said. “She really is an amazing lady, and the hospital really appreciates her efforts.”
Others in Kailua-Kona appreciate hearing from Lefkowitz, too, but for a different reason. In 1938, a 16-year-old Lefkowitz and her family fled to the U.S. to escape from Nazi Germany and the persecution of Jewish people under the rule of Adolf Hitler. Now, she has told her story to different groups throughout Kona, who gather to hear a one-of-a-kind perspective on what life was like during Hitler’s regime, and how it can be prevented from happening again.
“The first time I gave a talk, (Hawaii County Prosecutor) Mitch Roth offered me his office as my first venue. And I was nervous. I’m not a speaker,” Lefkowitz said. “And I thought 10 or 15 people might show up. But 50-plus came. And they were all very interested in my story and so many of them said they had no clue what it was like.”
Lefkowitz believes what she has to say about her life is important for everyone to hear.
“What I’m trying to do is let people know what it was like, and let people know that it can happen here if we’re not vigilant and aware of what’s going on,” Lefkowitz said. “This is my mission.”
Lefkowitz has made four of these speeches so far, and her next one is planned for Wednesday, Oct. 3 at Hale Halawai at a Kona Seniors meeting. She said living in Nazi Germany and having to leave the country at 16 cost her a chance at an education and a normal childhood, and that she eventually hopes to spread her message to high schools in the Kona area. Lefkowitz said reaching a younger audience is what will help keep another Holocaust from happening.
“I’m 96 and a half. I’m a realist and I know I can’t live forever,” Lefkowitz said. “And I need to get this out to people, what can happen if they’re careless with how they talk, how they listen or how they pay attention to what’s going on. All it takes is one madman to get something started, and that’s what I’m afraid of.”
One way Lefkowitz’s message will continue on is from her book, “Reflections by Goldina,” a series of essays about her life growing up in Cologne, Germany, and her journey to the U.S. for a chance at a normal life. The stories in the book were taken from a journal she has kept during her life, and her daughter had the book published without Lefkowitz’s knowledge. The book was a surprise for Lefkowitz this year on her 96th birthday.
“I was afraid I was going to forget what happened to me,” Lefkowitz said of keeping a journal. “And nobody should forget what happened.”
When it comes to her knitting project for the newborns at Kona Community Hospital, Lefkowitz hopes someone else can continue her work once she is no longer able to do it. As for her speeches, Lefkowitz knows she’s the only one who can do that.
“I don’t have someday,” Lefkowitz said. “I’m at the end of my line, so it’s got to be me, now.”
Kathy Simmons is the best veteran advocate in the state. Thank you for discovering and helping this national treasure (Goldie Lefkowitz) to spread her manao and beautiful handwork.