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Finally, they are opening the records
Some days I wonder about what happened to our family who didn't leave Germany after World War I. And then I read things like this, and I stop wondering because I can't stand to let my imagination go there. Growing up, I knew men with these tattoos, ran my fingers over them and kissed their tears with all the gravitas a young girl possessed.
Every year, we lose more of our survivors. It was feared that the Shoah Project was all that we would have left of them until the Red Cross opened the archive.
American soldiers liberated Jack in 1945. On a personal effects card that he had signed at Buchenwald, there was reference to a number: A11832. Asked if he's seen that number before, Jack tells Pelley "I see it every time. You wanna see it?"
A11832 is the inmate number the Nazis tattooed on Jack's arm. "It’s there. And when I die, they shouldn’t cover up my arm. They should keep it like this, because when the good Lord will see this, I hope he’s gonna put me front row, center. Because I deserve it," he says.
More, if you can stand to read it,here
Humanity has learned so very, very little.
Every year, we lose more of our survivors. It was feared that the Shoah Project was all that we would have left of them until the Red Cross opened the archive.
American soldiers liberated Jack in 1945. On a personal effects card that he had signed at Buchenwald, there was reference to a number: A11832. Asked if he's seen that number before, Jack tells Pelley "I see it every time. You wanna see it?"
A11832 is the inmate number the Nazis tattooed on Jack's arm. "It’s there. And when I die, they shouldn’t cover up my arm. They should keep it like this, because when the good Lord will see this, I hope he’s gonna put me front row, center. Because I deserve it," he says.
More, if you can stand to read it,here
Humanity has learned so very, very little.
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I do what I can to remember - but I'm very scared of it happening again, this time with Islam as the target maybe.
All we can do is what we can. And we MUST remember - and share that memory.
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"Because they wanted to show they were getting the job done. So, in terms of people whose destiny was to be murdered, recording how well that was being done was very important," Shapiro explains.
No. That's wrong. The records had nothing whatsoever to do with those being murdered. The Germans kept records because that's what Germans do. They were methodical because that's how they are. Order is everything. Conformity is everything.
This hasn't changed one bit.
I will be doing my own family research somewhere down the road. I'm 25% Austrian Jew. Only some of my family came to the US during the late 1800's. The other 75% is Russian Jew. There will be no records there.
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What a considerably more joyous time I had going through Ellis Island records for the Irish side of my family. And oddly enough, I get OCD from the Irish side of the family, not the German. :) :) :)
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One of my father's relatives (his great uncle, I think) was killed for hiding Jewish people in Prague. I should really find out more about him. I was thinking of checking church records as he was a Catholic priest.
I took a class about the holocaust in high school. It always amazed me the evil things people are capable of inflicting on others.
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P.S. - I love your Star of David LJ icon. May I swipe it from you to also use? I'll of course give you original credit for it.
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No, I don't think we've learned very much at all.
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There's an interesting series on "This American Life" on NPR about folks getting in touch with Polish relatives they lost contact with in the Holocaust. Intersting stuff, but very painful.
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I understand the jews who say "Never shall we forgive; never shall we forget."
We are sick monkeys, read at your peril
When I was eighteen I went to Germany to visit one of the camps, and before leaving I told my Jewish grandmother what I was doing so we could talk about it if she wanted to. Her response? "Bring me back something from the giftshop" - she was pretty senile at that point. I've always found that hysterically funny in that way horrible things do. There is no gift shop - but think about it. What the hell would they sell?? Your very own vial of desicated Jew? Holocaust Build-A-Bear? Holocaust survivor action figures?
I have a very, very dear friend who absolutely lost it laughing at that story. Tears were running down her eyes as she came up with hysterical, disturbing ideas. Its hard to relate in print, you sort of had to be there. We now refer to such moments as "Holocaust Gift Shop" moments. Trench humor is pretty much the norm around here - Good catharsis, though.
Re: We are sick monkeys, read at your peril
Re: We are sick monkeys, read at your peril
Still think Simon Green should use that bit in his Nightside series.
Btw, I bit the bullet and joined the Military Pagan Network. Any advice or thoughts?