Meet
BARBARA MITCHELL
RUTH THORNTON
H EADLINES
Holocaust Survivor Built
Family, Told Her Story
O B I T UARY
JARRAD SAFFREN | JE STAFF
Educators THEY’VE CALLED SIMPSON HOUSE HOME SINCE 2018
Barbara served as one of the very first Peace Corps Volunteers,
going on to publish a children’s novel titled Let’s Go to the Peace
Corps. Ruth retired as chair of the biochemistry department
at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. They
have been together for 40 years now. Their tips for aging well
include ensuring that you have a purpose and “staying
involved and informed.”
Call us today at 267-485-6052 or visit SimpsonHouse.org/JE-BMRT
to see for yourself why Barbara, Ruth, and other multi-
faceted women choose Simpson House for retirement living.

2101 Belmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131
SimpsonHouse.org/JE-BMRT • 267-485-6052
Exclusive Women’s Apparel Boutique
Made in USA
Custom designs, color options and
free alterations available
Evening Gowns
Suits/Separates Cocktail Dresses
61 Buck Road
Huntingdon Valley,
PA 19006
www.elanaboutique.com (215)953-8820
Make an appointment today!
Consult with the designer to
explore your style options.

6 AUGUST 19, 2021
NATALIE SCHARF OF
Northeast Philadelphia, who
survived the Holocaust, died
on Aug. 1. She was 95.

Th e Holocaust “decimated
her family,” as her parents,
Yitzhak and Rasel, and three
sisters, Chava, Rivka and
Sarah, did not survive.

But Scharf did.

Aft er the war, she married
Bernard Scharf and had two
children: son, Jeff rey, and
daughter, Andie. She also had
fi ve grandchildren and three
great-grandchildren. Scharf never stopped
thinking about the Holocaust,
guilting her children about how
ungrateful they were to be in
the U.S., and dreaming about
her parents — and sometimes
waking up screaming.

She also wrote notes on
pictures of happy memories,
though tinged with residue of
the horrors she endured. One
said, “Here’s the family enjoying
a seder. Who knows when the
next one will be?” Another:
“Here we are sitting on the
balcony in Miami. Who knows
when we’ll be here again?”
“There was doubt to
whatever she was enjoying,”
Jeff rey Scharf said.

In her later years, Scharf
got an iPad. According to her
son, she primarily used it to
research the Holocaust. One
time, she even cursed out a
Holocaust denier on Facebook.

“She was afraid everybody
would forget,” Jeff rey Scharf said.

Scharf’s fear drove her to
become a primary source for
an upcoming documentary,
“My Underground Mother,”
about the Gabersdorf labor
camp for teenage girls.

Th e journalist behind the
documentary, Marisa Fox,
placed an ad in Th e Canadian
JEWISH EXPONENT
Natalie Scharf, sitting in the middle of the front row, surrounded by family
on Mother’s Day 2021
Courtesy the Scharf family
Natalie Scharf and Bernard Scharf
Courtesy of the Scharf family
Jewish News in 2010 seeking
out survivors to share their
stories. Cara Scharf, Jeff rey
Scharf’s daughter, saw the ad
and told her grandmother.

Over the last decade of her
life, Scharf talked to Fox over
the phone, via email and in
person. Her memories will
help frame the movie, which is
expected to be released in the
next couple years.

“She remembered details
that others had not,” Fox
said. “She was touched that
somebody cared.”
Born Natalie Mehlman in
1925, she grew up in Jaworzno,
Poland, where her father
owned a grocery store.

“Th ey always had food on
the table,” Jeff rey Scharf said.

But in 1939, the Nazis
defeated the Polish Army and
started implementing ominous
laws. For instance, Jews weren’t
allowed to own stores, walk on
sidewalks or eat more than 900
See Survivor, Page 28
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



H EADLINES
Delta Variant Leaves
School Plans in Flux
E DUCATION
LEAH SNYDERMAN | JE CONTRIBUTING
WRITER successfully
prevented outbreaks. Also, Perelman will
practice physical distancing,
outdoor learning and eating,
as well as strict quarantining
aft er exposure.

“We continue to work
closely with our medical
advisory committee,” Head of
School Judy Groner said.

Th e Lower Merion School
District is asking for proof
of vaccination from students
to aid them in planning and
contact tracing.

Th e district will share its
fi nal plans with parents closer
to the start of the school
year. For now, masks are
being required at all summer
NOT TOO LONG AGO, hopes
were high for the new school year.

Vaccination rates were
rising and COVID cases were
dropping, and it looked like the
2021-2022 school year would
be back to “normal.”
However, with the new
delta variant more contagious
than previous mutations, and
cases on the rise again, school
districts are being forced to
think about what that means
for the start of the 2021-’22
academic year.

Because of how
quickly things change,
and since many schools
won’t be starting for
a few more weeks,
most districts are still
in the planning phase
and may be forced to
make changes on the
fl y. Many schools aren’t
even talking publicly
Perelman Jewish Day School students
about their plans at
learn under a tent.

this point.

Courtesy of Judy Groner
Last year, most
schools operated on a
hybrid model. Some students programs, regardless of vacci-
were virtual and others nation status.

attended in person. Masks
“We continue to ask parents/
were mandated, and quaran- guardians and staff to report
tine policies were strict.

any positive cases of COVID-19
For now, only those ages to the Student Health Services
12 and up are eligible for the Department,
using the
vaccine, so school districts are COVID-19 Healthline estab-
strategizing the best ways to lished last year,” said Amy
keep their younger students Buckman, director of school
safe. and community relations.

Perelman Jewish Day
Both Lower Merion and
School is requiring that faculty, Perelman are following guide-
students and staff be vacci- lines put out by the Centers for
nated when applicable. As there Disease Control and Prevention,
isn’t a federal or state policy Children’s
Hospital of
requiring staff or students be Philadelphia and their respective
vaccinated, the school has said counties. Because the guidelines
it is strongly encouraged.

are constantly changing, so, too,
But Perelman will require will district plans.

universal masking, which
See Schools, Page 28
was enforced last year and
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Make Plans for a
Brighter Future
Welcome a New Season of Possibilities
Embrace the growth and renewal of carefree retirement living for a brighter
tomorrow. With a challenging year behind us and hope on the horizon, now is
an ideal time to plan your future. Masonic Village residents experienced security
and protection throughout the pandemic, and you deserve the same
peace of mind. Put your concerns to rest, because at
Masonic Village, you have a team of people who care
about you. Inside the safety and comfort of our
beautiful campus, all necessary services are available -
and if needed, delivered to your doorstep - so you can live
worry-free today and in the future.

CALL TODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION
484-535-3810 801 Ridge Pike, Lafayette Hill, PA | masonicvillages.org
JEWISH EXPONENT
| Open for everyone.

AUGUST 19, 2021
7