This is not going to be easy

Today, I sit here in anticipation of my second class in the series of 8 that I will take before heading to Poland in August.

Tonight's speaker is Bernard Gotfryd, a survivor who went on to become a renowned photo journalist for Newsweek. He's also an accomplished author, writing his memoirs in the book "Anton the Dove Fancier." For our class tonight, we were given 3 chapters of the book to read. I read in guilt (ironically, one of the chapters was entitled "On Guilt") about the last time Gotfryd ever saw his mother, as my roommate watched 'So You Think You Can Dance" in the background. It was too much to bear - the juxtaposition of his heart-wrenching stories of his family ripping apart and my care-free, safe, Sunday night in front of the television. I put the computer down, and read the rest of the assigned reading this morning, in the comfort of my bedroom. But even still, I knew that in a matter of minutes, I would be taking a hot shower, putting on fresh, newly cleaned clothes, and heading to the kitchen to have my choice of cereal, fruit, oatmeal, eggs, or even ice cream for breakfast. Meanwhile, Gotfryd's mother was forced to feed their dining room table to the fire in their home in the ghetto, in order to have enough heat to make a bland potato stew.

One of the hardest things I'm finding as I embark on this journey is the difficulty in relating to Bernard's situation (or any of the 6-million + Holocaust victims) in the context of my life. Sure, I take a risk living in New York City, but the real fact is that nothing about my life - or the way I have ever lived - can compare to the experiences of those who suffered in the Holocaust. Because we don't live in the same day and time, and our worlds were/are so different, it makes it hard to comprehend, and it also makes it difficult to live the words of "Never Forget" - how can we forget something we ourselves have never experienced? How can we preach to never repeat atrocities that realistically are not going to happen to us, or other Jews in the world today, in our lifetimes?

Am I just being naiive?

Anyways, here's a little more on Bernard Gotfryd:

http://www.hoover.org/hila/announcements/acquisitions/26866694.html

Bernard Gotfryd: Experiences through a Lens

Our speaker next week (June 7) is Bernard Gotfryd, who survived 6 concentration camps.

Excellent article with some background:
http://thefastertimes.com/hate/2010/04/20/remembering-the-holocaust-with-survivor-and-author-bernard-gotfryd/

A New Perspective

I've seen Schindler's List, read countless books on the topic (both fiction and non), visited the Holocaust museums in DC, Miami, Israel... and always leave with a feeling of such confusion. The acts of the Holocaust are so difficult to understand, because as a young American, I have been fortunate enough not to experience such hatred and acts. 9/11 was the first hint, for my generation, that there are people in this world who hate others SO much that they would (proudly) kill innocent people. Understanding this type of psyche was the main focus of our first class last night.

I've never read Mein Kampf (Hitler's autobiography), but perhaps I should. It would provide an indelible understanding into Hilter's view of the Jews in the early 20th century (1920's). Our speaker last night (Professor Natalia Aleksiun, Assistant Professor of Jewish History at Touro College) began her lecture by speaking about Mein Kampf, and the fact that it served as an inspirational text to the well-to-do Germans at the time. Back in the early 1930's when Hitler first came to power (mind you, he was eventually elected by the people), Jews were quite assimilated into the society. In fact, many of them were middle-class, well off lawyers, doctors, teachers, and such. However, in Hitler's view, they were 'parasites' (which Aleksiun mentioned was not a metaphor) - Hitler actually saw Jews as lesser people - not even human - due to the way they lived, 'sucking' off of the German society.

Now, this might not be news to some of you, but what I find fascinating is trying to understand how this thought-process came to be believed by a majority of the German society (and others). Afteral, as Aleksiun pointed out last night, thousands of Germans took part in the atrocities of war (many not as soldiers) - from driving trains out to concentration camps, to actual companies vying for the opportunity to build mechanisms for mass murder. But also, think about the opportunities that the disappearance to the Jews provided for the German citizens - that many fewer people to compete against for jobs, patients, clients, etc.

This is a type of though process that is usually not presented to us when we learn about Holocaust history - and I'm only touching on it here. We see Germans as bad people who did terrible things, but we usually don't try to understand (it's a difficult but important task), the though processes behind the Holocaust and how it's even possible for it to happen.

In the end, Aleksiun made the case that many other leaders felt the same way about the 'Jewish Problem,' however it was Hitler and the 3rd Reich that were presented with the means and the opportunities (namely, wartime) that allowed them to light a fire under their idealistic views, and ultimately carry out what they thought of as the 'final solution'

One more note -- Aleksiun also mentioned that in Hitler's last rites (before he committed suicide), he asked his secretary to write that the world should continue to carry out their duties (killing off the 'parasitic' Jews). In other words, he saw this problem as an issue of mankind (ie: killing a Jew was considered bettering society), and it was a fight that he looked for the Germans to lead.

All interesting stuff -- and definitely a view point I have never understood, and have a much better perspective on after my class last night.

Until next week!

The Plan

When I was 14, my sister took a trip with the March of the Living to Poland, visiting what remains there of the crimes against Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, disabled people, and political opponents. It was a genocide that took place nearly 70 years ago, and yet one in which I, as a young Jewish woman am still deeply connected with. At the time, I remember wanting so badly to join my sister, whose experiences I believe ultimately changed her as an individual. Her time spent in Poland (and then in Israel) opened her eyes to the materialism that overtakes our day-to-day lives, and the true importance of faith and family. After returning to the trip, my sister (as I remember it) became crotchety and seemingly distant, and it was probably for that reason that I never had my chance to go on the March of the Living in high school.

Now, older, more mature and hopefully better prepared to experience such a trip, my chance has arrived. This coming August, I will visit Poland and Prague as part of the Holocaust Mini Masters trip hosted by the Jewish Enrichment Center(JEC). Before the trip, I will participate in 8 classes taught by some of New York City's leading rabbis, professors and experts in the subjects of WWII, Holocaust and Film studies. It is an opportunity that I am extremely excited about... and it's one that I don't want to let go to waste.

I already know that my trip will be fun and exciting, yet at times difficult and probably unbearable. But I also know that I will see some things that some of my friends, relatives, and peers might never be able to see in their lives. My goal, before my journey even begins, is to make this trip more than just a trip; I'm looking to bring back to other young people my age the things I learned, and help young adults (of all faiths) find meaning and understanding of themselves, their communities and their futures through the pasts of those who were lost.

(PS - get it? Journey to Remember?)... ha, i knew you guys were smart.

So... alas, The Plan. Upon my return to the States in mid-August, I plan on holding a fundraiser, where I hope to have a panel of speakers, to benefit The Shoah Foundation Inc. (of Steven Spielberg fame). Most people know this organization (founded by Spielberg after the movie Schindler's List) for it's recording of over 52,000 interviews of Holocaust survivors. However, after doing some simple research, I've discovered that the Shoah Foundation is also dedicated to Holocaust education, providing access to a slew of online exhibits, documentaries, classroom tools and other educational services. Their mission seems to go hand in hand with my initiative - to take what I learn on my trip and share it with other young adults in the New York City area.

And there you have it -- that's the plan. Before I head out (and to my first class of 8 I go!), I want to preface this with the fact that I don't know what my classes or trip will be like - the people I will meet, the things I will learn. I'm writing this literally 45 minutes before the class begins, and I'll meet my new trip mates. I'm also writing this all excited and idealistic about my plan to educate my peers on my experiences, and somehow better this world through contributions to a worthy organization.

Upon reading this, you sign my virtual disclaimer! But... for now I'm enjoying the ignorance.

So with that... I officially embark on my Journey to Remember!

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
-Anne Frank