Affirm Press is deeply saddened by the passing of Abram Goldberg, author of the heartbreaking and powerful memoir The Strength of Hope (written with Fiona Harris, published by Affirm Press in 2023).

The day Abram and his mother arrived at the Auschwitz death camp they both knew it would be her last. In their final moment together, Abram's mum urged her nineteen-year-old son to ‘do everything humanly possible to survive, and tell people what happened here’. Then she was taken to a gas chamber and murdered. Abram had already endured and survived so much until that moment, but with his strength of hope, sometimes reduced to a flicker, he survived.

After liberation, Abram eventually found his way to Belgium, where he met the love of his life, fellow Auschwitz survivor Cesia. The young couple came to Australia, where that flicker of hope grew as bright as the sun, illuminating everything they touched and everyone who came into their sphere. Without bitterness and always with perspective, Abram never forgot his mother's last words to him. And in their marriage, Abram and Cesia remained dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust and to living their lives to the fullest in tribute to its victims.

Previous CEO and publishing director of Affirm Press Martin Hughes said: ‘Abram was an amazing man, a beacon of hope and optimist who illuminated everyone around him.’

Our thoughts are with Abram’s family, friends and all those who knew him.