Growing up, my mother told me stories of her childhood. As a young girl, I understood the narrative, but as I grew older, I realized that what I knew of my mother's past was incomplete, with only bits and pieces that made her life feel like it was a recipe, and I couldn't reconcile the final product. Even as a young adult, I did not understand or appreciate the true essence of my mother's life. As I got older, I began to try to put those pieces in order, like a jigsaw puzzle. But in the end, I was missing something. The picture was incomplete because I couldn't bring it to life. My mind could recall the facts, the events, and the journey that was so eloquently described to me over the years, but I was missing her passion and the courage that she needed to muster in order to make what must have been heart-wrenching decisions about how to survive an impending world war. There were sacrifices at every turn. My mother denied her heritage; she left her home, her things, her city, and her country. And as her family scattered throughout Europe, she lost a piece of her soul.

An Unforgotten Heart is my pledge to my mother that I have, after all these years, found her heart, and I carry a huge part of her heart with me always, and it is my plan with this book to continue to carry her heart to my daughter and to the generations that follow.