Mullica Hill family loses precious heirloom after tornado ravaged their home

MULLICA HILL, N.J. - Many people have lost so much due to last week’s storms. For one family in Mullica Hill, it was an artifact from the Holocaust.

"It was right here, pretty much right above this car," Dave Fokas stated.

Fokas pointed to where the bedroom he shared with his wife once was and now gone after a tornado ravaged their Mullica Hill neighborhood a week ago. His home is destroyed, with belongings strewn about.

"The person in the first house, five houses down, said they found a bunch of my stuff in their house," Dave commented.

But, one very important, sentimental item from his bedroom he has not been able to locate – his grandmother’s Star of David patch from the Holocaust.

"She lived in France and when Nazis occupied France, they made everyone wear a star. When she passed away, she passed the star she wore down to me and I had it framed," Dave explained.

Fokas posted about the personal piece on Facebook. It now has more than 1,700 shares and dozens of comments.

"I had no idea that it would have gotten this big," Dave added.

It’s not only a piece of history that’s incredibly important to his family, but it’s something that he and his wife, Kim, want to pass down to their newborn daughter, Arielle.

"It’s a reminder of her. A reminder of how strong she was and all the horrible things that happened," Dave went on.

Dave, Kim, Arielle and their dog, Buddy, hunkered down in the basement just in time to escape serious injuries when the tornado barreled through. While they say they’ve received plentiful donations and plan to rebuild, family heirlooms cannot be replaced.

"Just keep an eye out. It’s a yellow star. It has the letters ‘JUIF’ on it. That’s French for Jew. Hopefully, it didn’t just get mixed in the debris. This is the most important out of everything in our house," Dave described.

If anyone locates the patch, please reach out to FOX 29 reporter Jennifer Joyce, and she will get in touch with the Fokas family. Jennifer can be reached by email: Jennifer.joyce@fox.com.

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