An Inspiration

Alfred Huberman was a member of the AJR Brighton and Hove Sarid Group for many years. When he retired, he suggested I attend meetings with him. Gradually I became more involved with the group. At a recent meeting, we talked of inspirational people and I thought readers would be interested to know about this remarkable man, who was an inspiration to so many people. Not tall – but then, if you’ve been starved, frozen and tortured in your teenage years, your long bones don’t grow. So how could a boy who had suffered so much; who knew his grandparents, parents and most of his relatives had been murdered; whose feet had been frostbitten; who had survived typhus and tuberculosis; and who had arrived in this country knowing no English, wearing a ladies’ jacket and a pair of shorts and with no possessions, be an inspiration? I met Alfred (Abram) – Alfie to his many friends – in 1953. A smiling, friendly boy, with no hint of an accent, who didn’t speak of his past. Gradually I got to know his hidden depths. He liked everyone and they liked him. When he was allowed into this country it was on the understanding that he would not be a burden on the state. He studied tailoring and became an expert in every aspect of that work. At one time, he did his tailoring by day and was a GPO/BT telephonist in the evenings. He saved to buy a house and raised three children. His work ethic had a profound influence on their lives too: the eldest is now a senior nurse/manager, specialising in patient safety, who is completing a doctorate; the middle one is a qualified electrical engineer who runs his own business, specialising in alarm systems; and the youngest served as a Royal Marines Bandsman before becoming a police officer. So Alfred never did become a burden on the state. Alfred felt passionately that future generations should know about what had happened in Europe during the Second With greatgrandniece Elisa World War and, although he found it a hard thing to do, gave many talks in schools, universities and Ford Open Prison and to various groups and societies so that the Holocaust should not be forgotten. Under his influence, I intend to help that work continue. Living with him was inspiring: his understanding of and relationships with people, friends and customers alike have influenced my reactions to people. I know he suffered many health problems but, no matter what happened, he never complained: nothing was bad. He enjoyed life – as he said, what’s the alternative? His attitude to life was certainly an inspiration to me. He was my husband, Alfred. Alfred’s influence continues, even with his death in such tragic and unnecessary circumstances. Because of him, as a family, we were able to cope with this disaster. And the hospital has changed everything involved with the investigation he underwent and, under his influence, this story is being used to teach doctors and nurses what could – but need not – happen to their patients. All Alfred said and did continues to be inspirational to me and to many other people. Shirley Huberman