When Our Yearning for Food Became Unbearable, We Sang”: The Resilience of Guta Goldstein

Music can be a lifeline—a source of hope, connection, and emotional nourishment. This is the story of Guta Goldstein, a 94-year-old Polish-Australian Holocaust survivor, whose journey of resilience and song is featured in Singing Up the Past, a short film showcased at the Jewish International Film Festival in Sydney and Melbourne.

Goldstein’s childhood was marked by the unimaginable. Between the ages of nine and fourteen, she endured internment in ghettos and concentration camps during the Holocaust. Amid the deprivation and fear, music became her solace—a way to cling to her humanity when everything else was stripped away.

At 93 years old, Guta Goldstein embodies the indomitable spirit of survival, memory, and the sustaining power of music. Her story, beautifully captured in the short film Singing Up the Past, offers a profound narrative of resilience during one of history's darkest times.

Born in Łódź, Poland, Guta faced unimaginable hardships during her early years. Her family was torn apart by the Holocaust—her father and sister perished, and she endured internment in the Łódź ghetto, Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, and Mehltheuer. Yet, amid these trials, Guta found solace in music.

“When our yearning for food became unbearable, we sang,” she recalls in the film. These songs, in Yiddish and Polish, became a lifeline, a way to connect with her humanity and honor the memory of those she lost.

Guta’s remarkable memory has preserved dozens of songs from the ghetto and camps—some known only by her. These melodies, performed in the film by Guta and the Łódź Children’s Choir, are brought to life with special arrangements by Dr. Joseph Toltz.

“The act of singing enables Guta to access her loved ones in the absence of material traces,” explains Dr. Toltz. “These songs are precious moments of history, a living link to a time that must never be forgotten.”

Unlike traditional Holocaust survivor stories, Singing Up the Past uses music as its central theme, exploring how song not only helped Guta survive but continues to preserve her memories today.

“Music sustained her through the darkest of days,” says director Tim Slade. “This is a story about survival, memory, and the power of music to uplift even in the most harrowing circumstances.”

For Guta, these songs are more than melodies—they are a sacred duty. “I believe that the events of the Holocaust should never be forgotten and need to be told,” she shares. “The songs written by Jewish people in ghettos and camps are precious pieces of history. I’m so happy that they will now be preserved forever.”

Today, Guta lives in Melbourne, surrounded by her daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her story serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring importance of remembering the past.

Through Singing Up the Past, Guta’s voice—and the voices of countless others—resonate with a timeless message: that even in the face of unimaginable darkness, music can sustain, uplift, and connect us to the light of hope.

This film is not just a tribute to Guta but a call to all of us to honor the stories of Holocaust survivors and ensure they are never forgotten.

"Singing Up the Past" premiered at the Jewish International Film Festival in Sydney and Melbourne. It is a poignant reminder of the power of music, memory, and resilience in the face of adversity.