Stories and Rhymes for Children and Grandchildren
Anne Lehmann
About Anne Lehmann
Sara Anne Lehmann, nee Moskovits, was born in Satu Mare, Transylvania, in 1925. Next to last of six lively children, and the younger of two girls, Anne lived a rough and tumble joyful youth. She was known to her friends and family as “Pupa,” (doll in Hungarian) and eventually to her grandchildren as “Boma” (who knows why?)
Unfortunately, while Anne was a teenager, the horrors of Hitler’s ferocious Nazi ideology were unleashed. Although most of her aunts, uncles and cousins were murdered by the Nazis, her immediate family escaped in 1941 — via train, plane, and boat all the way through Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, the Soviet Union, Japan and finally across the continental United States.
Anne’s happy spirits were never diminished; indeed her experiences of survival and non conformity enhanced her triumphant stories, poems, riddles and ditties for her nieces and nephews — and eventually her own children and grandchildren. Her indomitable spirit and enthusiastic curiosity shines through the stories and ditties…
When the Moskovits family first came to New York, in 1941, Anne baby sat for her baby nephew and niece while her elder sister and parents supported the family by creating a textile factory. Eventually after the war’s end, this factory was the provider of considerable income and solace to hundreds of refugees and survivors of Hitler’s murderous war machine. While baby sitting, Anne needed ways to entertain the children, and so her writing career was born! Ever since then, throughout her life, Anne has written stories and poems, both for adults and children.
Always the non conformist, Anne has believed that one must be true to one’s values, and not “go with the crowd.” Never wavering in her honesty and integrity, and filled with a sense of mischief and wonder, Anne has always used her playful, creative wit to educate and lead and inspire her readers – of whatever age!
After graduating Brooklyn College, as a psychology and English major, Anne in 1949 married Manfred Raphael Lehmann, z’l, an adventurous and intellectual Swedish Jew.
“Freddie” was a graduate of both Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore and the Johns Hopkins University. Although he was educated in ancient Semitic history and Egyptology, and held s’micha from Ner Israel, Freddie’s professional life was geared towards the international business world. Anne also loved business, and together they travelled the world in their joint successful business ventures, focusing primarily on post and telecommunications of the emerging new nations of Africa and the Caribbean.
Anne and Freddie had 3 children, who were the happy recipients of a fun loving, adventurous and religious Jewish life. True to their Torah values, Manfred and Anne inculcated in their children a love of Gd, Israel, and their fellow human beings. Anne told the children many stories over the course of time, only some of which are recorded here. Eventually, for the bar mitzvah celebrations of her grandsons, Anne took pen to paper and wrote and illustrated some wonderful restatements of our favorite biblical stories.
Anne Lehmann has been creative all through her life— both in the written word and with the paint brush, and is an example of someone who never stops growing and learning new ways to express emotions and ideas. Anne only began painting in 1979, while sitting with her ailing mother, Helen Elefant Moskovits. Since then she has painted many a portrait and vibrant landscape. We have included some of her paintings here…
We hope a new generation of readers – in a new electronic format – will enjoy the stories, ditties, riddles and poems as much as 3 generations of children have.. and on behalf of all the family, we say thank you to our Boma, Aunt Pupa, and to Mommy for all the years of joy and fun and love that you have given us!
Love always and HAPPY BIRTHDAY from your daughter Barbie, her husband Yitzchok and their children and grandchildren!
