Today Sean, Shawn, and Zach visited the National Holocaust Museum. The museum's exhibits are arranged chronologically, taking the viewer from the 1920's as Hitler worked to consolidate power in Germany, through the 1940's and the aftermath of World War II. The museum is designed so as to really allow the viewer to appreciate the perspective of the victims of the Holocaust - for example: a part of the museum is tiled with cobblestones taken from a street in Poland where a ghetto once stood; the lighting throughout all of the exhibits is very low and there are few windows. All of us found the museum to be a very sobering, but touching experience. I think that you can really fully appreciate both the tragedy that the Holocaust was and the courage and fortitude of the survivors.
Lastly, our visit was capped off by an unexpected encounter. Emily (one our housemates who interns at the museum) was able to introduce us to William, one of the museum's volunteers. The man, in his mid 80's, turned out to be a survivor of Auschwitz. Growing up in Poland, William - then 17 - was sent to Auschwitz along with the rest of his family. His mother, father, brother, and sister were gassed upon arrival. He told us that he still cries everytime that he thinks of his mother. After the war, William married his wife (whom he met in the camps) and emigrated to America and started a family. The experience was really very special and definitely meant a lot having just gone through the museum. Overall, definitely a must see if you haven't been already.
-Shawn/Sean/Zach
This morning at work, I came across a news article pertinent to this topic. I was surprised and saddened to read the headline "In Israel, some Holocaust survivors face hard times," in today's issue of the Los Angeles Times.
ReplyDeleteThe lead read:"A number of aging survivors, poor, with no family, or none willing to help, are finding it hard to get by. A few lucky ones are cared for at a shelter in Haifa. 'We deserve more,' says one."
The shelter in Haifa receives its funding from the Helping Hands to Friends charity. But, it can only do so much.
An estimated 70,000 survivors, 1/3 of which live in Israel are struggling to make ends meet. Its hard to imagine that the same people who suffered so much, and who fought for the establishment of Israel cannot be helped now.
Some advocators for support for victims of the Holocaust say the "zeal to never forget those who died" is beginning to mean the needs of survivors are forgotten.
Its important, especially now, when survivors are dying at a rate of 35 individuals per day, that some sort of action is taken asap.
Certainly we should never forget the disgusting reality of the events of the Holocaust, but it is also important to remember its survivors now, while we still can.
LT