“The same day I saw my first horror camp, I visited every nook and cranny. I felt it my duty to be in a position from then on to testify about these things in case there ever grew up at home the belief or assumption that the stories of Nazi brutality were just propaganda.”
- General Dwight D. Eisenhower
International Holocaust
Remembrance Day.
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Through the years, I've read many accounts, about the systematic extermination of six million men, women, and children. One story that has always haunted me was the remembrance of a survivor who was hiding in the woods watching helplessly as Nazi soldiers exterminated people who were lined up alongside a deep pit. They were brought in by truck and unloaded, ordered to line up by their future grave and then shot so the bodies would fall into it. The man could do nothing to save them. He recounted the story of several people, obviously a family, man and wife, several children, along with an older man, obviously the Grandfather, who was holding a very young child.
As they where shoved into place, knowing full well their fate, the Grandfather kept speaking to the the little girl in a happy voice, and holding her so she looked directly into his smiling face, in an attempt to lull away any fear she was experiencing. This story has always haunted me and will always strike me as an uplifting example of the kindness and courage that is repeatedly demonstrated by ordinary people. I read this as a personal account in Readers Digest a very long time ago, so I can't reference it.
I realize that reviewing atrocity is never appealing, but time is passing and already denial that these terrible things ever happened is growing with each generation as it is distanced by time from well documented history. We don't like to think it could ever happen again, but going to The Holocaust Survivors and Remembrance Project , reading and scrolling through the pictures is a reminder that it did happen once...
13 comments:
Oh, my...Thank you for posting this, She. I was about 12 years old when I first found out about this. I was even able to purchase a magazine that told the truth and showed the pictures. A very, very sad chapter in history, to be sure.
Thank you very much for this enlightening post, She.
My Jewish-Latvian mother's ancestors were murdered in the Holocaust. So the International Holocaust Remembrance Day holds a special meaning for me.
I also posted about it on my new blog and transferred your comment there. I hope you do not mind.
http://givethemhell.wordpress.com
I cannot believe there are people who deny this happened. I knew a wonderful Doctor, who had her 'number' tattooed on her arm. She was incredibly kind & gentle.
I agree, it's incredible that there are people who deny that this happened. I visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem a few years ago, a very moving place.
OldSD, thanks. Yes, a sad part of history..
givethemhell, thanks for stopping by, your nice comment, and the link:)
Meggie, it is hard to imagine that anyone could be in denial of this history. Your Doctor sounds like a lovely person.
Ex, your visit to the memorial in Jerusalem must have been an incredible experience.
Thanks for the comment on my new blog, She.
This is just a short note to let you know that this morning I found some impressive paintings of the Holocaust on Hagalil.online and wrote another post to display Adolf Frankl's work, a Holocaust survivor.
Please come and have a look:
http://givethemhell.wordpress.com
A good reminder to us all to never forget to think others are less than ourselves and to treat others the way WE would want to be treated.
If only The Golden Rule could be the rule of law in every corner of the world. History repeats and repeats with the death count in Kenya today at 800. Not only will we forget, we aren't even paying attention to this ethnic cleansing.
Hi Givemhell..I'll be by to see your new post:)
Changes, well said!
Granny Annie, you are so right! Thank you for the reminder that there are equally horrible atrocities going on in the world, and if we stand by and do nothing, evil prevails. One feels so helpless, but..I wonder.. if bloggers united..could we do something?
I visited Yad Vashem Holocast memorial in Israel in 2000. I will never be the same after being there. Thank you for your tribute.
Hello Linda, It's so sad that so many people had to go through this horrid time. It's good to be reminded of how humanity can be so ugly and cruel. At times people get so caught up in their own lives, making it easy to forget about the atrocities that others have had to endure in the past.
Photo, visiting the yat Vashem Memorial must be a haunting experience..
Lydia, yes, it's just so easy to go on day to day..
I read a book a few years ago--I want to say it was by Weisel and called "Night." I have to look that up. It was a true account of his experience.
There are no words...just sadness and questions.
Thank you for posting this.
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