Gal Gadot Image by Getty Images

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, actress Gal Gadot honored a survivor in her own family: Her grandfather, Abraham Weiss.

“My grandpa is always with me,” she wrote in the caption of a video of the actress throwing her arms around Weiss at the premiere of her movie, “The Fast And The Furious 5” in 2011.

Weiss, who died in 2013 at the age of 85, “went through [sic] hell,” Gadot wrote. Weiss, who was born in former Czechoslovakia, lost his whole family in Auschwitz, Gadot said. Still, “He chose to believe in good.” Gadot, whose video of her grandfather has now been viewed over three million times, wrote, “I miss you saba. I love you.” She added, “And as I think of you today, at this very moment of remembrance, which is also a call for all of us to act against discrimination of any kind. Anywhere in the world.”

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I was looking for a photo of you all night on my phone but I couldn’t find one, so I wanted to ask mom to send me one but she didn’t answer..that’s the annoying thing about traveling.. There’s always something you need that you left back home. And then I got into the car, going to work out with stunts and meetings with PJ for WW, and Katy, my assistant goes “Hi, I found this real sweet video of you and I think your grandpa”.. She had no idea today is the holocaust remembrance day, and didn’t know I was looking for a photo of him/us all night… I wasn’t surprised.. My grandpa is always with me.. That’s not the first time he pops out of nowhere.. That’s how he used to be.. With his special sense of humor and always there for us. Even though he went thru hell. Lost his ENTIRE family in Auschwitz.. He chose to believe in good. I miss you saba. I love you. And thanks for helping out with finding a photo of us. I’ve never seen this video before and it made me cry. And as I think of you today, at this very moment of remembrance, which is also a call for all of us to act against discrimination of any kind. Anywhere in the world.

A post shared by Gal Gadot (@gal_gadot) on Apr 12, 2018 at 1:58am PDT

May his memory, and the memory of his family, be for a blessing.

Jenny Singer is a writer for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

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