Rena Drexler

Drexler, Rena
May 8, 1926 - August 18, 2012
Rena Drexler, a woman of valor and triumphant spirit, passed away on August 18, 2012. Rena was a magnificently beautiful woman on the outside and on the inside and had a heart of gold. She will be missed as a loving and devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was one of fourteen children raised by David and Reisel Honigman in Sosnoweic, Poland, and was attending public school, at the age of thirteen, when WWII broke out. Rena acted heroically and selflessly as she risked her own safety by sneaking food in and out of the ghetto for her family and friends. Due to her strength, hope, faith, intelligence and undying spirit, Rena miraculously survived Auschwitz. Rena was liberated from concentration camp on May 8th, 1945, which was on her 18th birthday. She learned that her entire family was murdered and came back home to find that the apartment building her family owned had been overtaken. Rena met Harry Drexler in Munich, Germany and they got married on December 25, 1946. Their life started with the most simple of means as her wedding dress was made out of a G.I. parachute. Harry gave her a broom as a wedding present. Rena was a devoted wife of 63 years until Harry's passing on April 23rd, 2010. After immigrating to the United States in 1951, and settling in Los Angeles, Rena and Harry opened Drexler's Delicatessen, in North Hollywood, which was the first Kosher deli in the San Fernando Valley. Drexler's Deli became a famous landmark in the rapidly growing Jewish community, with Rena cooking delicious and authentic home-cooked Eastern European comfort foods and feeding countless people. Rena was ever-present, dispensing her advice, support, recipes and love, along with tons of knishes, kugels, chicken soup and other assorted Jewish delicacies. Drexler's Deli was the centerpiece of the neighborhood. With an open mind, open heart and endless energy, Rena dedicated herself to her family, friends and community. Rena was everyone's role model for goodness, strength, love, courage and hope. As a frequent Holocaust lecturer at churches, synagogues and schools, Rena committed herself to sharing her amazing story of survival. She especially loved speaking to the young high school students and would always end each talk with a positive message of tolerance and hope. She took such pride every time she received letters written by students whose lives she had touched. Rena's story of survival, against all odds, has left a profound legacy upon those blessed to have met her. The re-telling of Rena's story honors her memory and provides all of us with a source of strength and courage. Her heartfelt message of hope will endure in us forever and will never be forgotten. Rena is survived by her children; Nina Guttman and David Drexler and her daughter-in-law Laura Drexler; her grandchildren, Leora and Oren Lang, Elana and Scott Sussman, Jonathan and Adee Drexler and Justin Drexler; her great grandchildren, Shai and Gabriel Lang; her nephew Hanoch Kaftzan and family in Israel, her niece Sherry Brown and family, and Emma De Santiago, her constant and devoted caregiver for the last 35 years.
Funeral services will be held at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, on Monday, August 20, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. In honor of Rena's legacy, in lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated to Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles/Cafe Europa or the Simon Weisenthal Center. Thank you sincerely for your support and attendance.