When 88-year-old Holocaust survivor **Barbara Steinmetz** stood before cameras after the horrific Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder, she didn’t just speak as a victim — she spoke as a survivor in every sense of the word.
A woman whose life was shaped by the unspeakable atrocities of the 20th century, now caught in the crossfire of 21st-century hatred on American soil.
Let’s rewind. On Sunday, what was meant to be a peaceful pro-Israel demonstration turned into a nightmare. “Mohamed Soliman”, the alleged attacker, is accused of hurling “Molotov cocktails” at the crowd while shouting “”Free Palestine”.” At least “12 people were injured”. And among them — Steinmetz. Minor burns, thankfully. But let’s be real: trauma like that doesn’t stay skin-deep.
And yet, here she was, “publicly forgiving”, urging unity, not revenge. “”We are better than this”,” she told NBC News — a haunting echo from someone who “knows” what “this” can become if left unchecked. She was clear: this wasn’t about the Holocaust. This was about “human decency”, or the complete collapse of it.
But it’s impossible to separate Steinmetz’s story from the shadows of history. Her family fled “Nazi terror” across Europe — Hungary, Italy, France, the Dominican Republic — before eventually landing in America.
She lived on an abandoned banana plantation in Sosua. She went to a Dominican Catholic school while hiding her Jewish identity. She “survived”.
Now in Boulder, after decades of building a life in Michigan, she finds herself again asking: “”What the hell is going on in our country?”” It’s a question that should rattle every American. Because if someone like Barbara, who crossed oceans to escape hatred, can’t find peace here — “where can she?”
Soliman, the suspect, is now facing “16 counts of attempted murder” and “federal hate crime charges” But this isn’t just about one man with firebombs.
It’s about a rising tide of hatred, antisemitism, and politically charged violence creeping into our cities, our communities, our lives.
Rabbi Marc Soloway summed it up: “”Can you imagine the trauma that that reactivates?”” For Barbara Steinmetz, it’s not imagination. It’s memory — reignited.
She didn’t ask for attention. She asked for kindness. And after everything she’s endured — everything she’s lost — maybe it’s time we listen.
