Linda Sadacka
Tila Falic Levi brings her grandmother’s story of survival in Poland to the heart of remembrance in Washington, D.C.
When President Donald J. Trump announced the appointment of Tila Falic Levi to the board of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, it marked more than an honor. It represented a generational full circle. The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors is now entrusted with shaping how the world remembers the Shoah, confronting anti-Semitism, and strengthening Jewish identity in modern times.
When Tila speaks about her grandmother, her voice softens. “She remembers eating grass,” Tila says quietly, “and weaving strings from potato sacks to make a sweater. We still have that sweater. It is living proof of what happens when the Jewish people have no land.” That sweater, preserved by her family for decades, will soon be donated to the Holocaust Museum. It stands as a living testament to the price of survival and the sanctity of memory.
Tila’s grandmother, Pola Leder, fled her home in Tomaszów Lubelski, Poland, at just nine years old. The daughter of a community rabbi, she escaped into the forest with her parents and eight siblings as the Nazis advanced, surviving with the partisans.
After the war, the family rebuilt their lives in Chile, where Pola’s father, Rabbi Isaac Leder, became Chief Rabbi and founded the country’s first synagogue.
Three generations later, the granddaughter of that little girl hiding in the woods has been appointed by President Trump to the board of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. From the forests of Poland to the halls of Washington, the arc of Tila Falic Levi’s family story embodies the miracle of Jewish survival and renewal.
A New Chapter in Holocaust Education
Under Tila’s leadership, the Museum is entering a new era. While its mission will always remain the remembrance of the six million, she believes remembrance must evolve.
“The Holocaust is the Holocaust,” she says firmly. “It stands alone and should never be compared or diluted. But October 7th changed everything. It reminded us how quickly Jew-hatred can resurface. We need to show what happens when hate goes unchecked.”
The Museum is now preparing an October 7th memorial and exhibit, ensuring that the story of that day, with its brutality and its courage, becomes part of the Jewish historical continuum. “It is not about equating the two,” she explains. “It is about understanding that the same seed of hatred can lead to both.”
Faith, Food, and Moral Courage
Among the first tangible changes Tila helped champion was both simple and profound: introducing kosher food at the Museum Cafe.
“For decades, survivors, families, and Jewish visitors would walk the museum grounds, but they could not even buy a kosher sandwich,” she says. “Now they can. It may seem small, but it is deeply symbolic. It says that Jewish life belongs here, not only Jewish death.”
For Tila, these changes are not merely administrative adjustments. They are moral imperatives that reflect the living continuity of the Jewish people. “When we elevate the dignity of Jewish life,” she says, “we remind the world that our story did not end in darkness. It continues every day through faith, courage, and unity.”
Another initiative close to her heart is a new section honoring righteous non-Jews, beginning with Charlie Kirk.
“Charlie was one of the hasidei umot ha’olam of our time,” Tila says. “Like those who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews, he used his voice to defend Israel and the Jewish people. His courage should inspire others to speak truth even when it is unpopular.”
The Falic Legacy: Faith, Family, and Purpose
Tila Falic Levi comes from a family whose name is synonymous with generosity, enterprise, and love for Am Yisrael. The Falic family’s contributions to Jewish life, both in Israel and abroad, reflect the same spirit of purpose that defines Tila’s work today.
“In my family, being Jewish was never about labels such as Ashkenaz or Sephardic. It was about unity,” she says. “My husband is Sephardic. I am Ashkenaz. In our home we embrace every tradition. We are one people.”
That unity extends to faith in action. “If I did not believe in Gd, I would be afraid,” she says. “My faith is my moral compass. I am not praying all day or sitting with Tehillim, although I wish I could. Instead, I turn faith into action. Everything I do is for my people and my land.”
Israel: The Word That Holds It All
Tila speaks of Israel not as an idea but as an inheritance.
“Israel is the one word, not one line, that captures both remembrance and redemption. We are Eretz Yisrael, Am Yisrael, and Torat Yisrael. If one is missing, we are in danger, and history has shown that.”
Her commitment is lived, not theoretical. “You cannot just talk the talk; you have to walk the walk,” she says. “We take our children to Israel every year for holidays and summers. My daughter served in the IDF, and my son is there now for the year. They understand that Israel is the only reality for our people.”
Carrying the Torch Forward
Tila Falic Levi’s appointment by President Trump is more than a personal honor. It is the continuation of her family’s journey from persecution to purpose.
From a little girl weaving a sweater from potato sacks in the forests of Poland to a granddaughter shaping how the world remembers Jewish history, the story of this family is breathtaking.
Tila is a woman of profound conviction, embodying the courage and faith that define our people. She reflects the same spirit that once carried her grandmother through the forests of Poland, the strength to transform survival into purpose and pain into legacy.
“Our story is not about tragedy,” she says. “It is about survival, faith, and building a future where no Jewish child ever has to eat grass to stay alive.”