I will survive – at Auschwitz
Last Updated on Tuesday, 13 July 2010 09:13 Written by bryfy Friday, 9 July 2010 03:30
Looks like the Herald Sun in Australia has less of the problem with passing judgement ….
And surprise, surprise – the community response frowns upon anyone else’s attempt to memorialize the Shoah (Holoaust) in a way that is personally meaningful.
It is with mixed feelings that I post this video, but I am interested to hear what some of you think about it (as long as you hear this survivors words at the end of the clip) Is it poignant? disrespectful? inspiring? I’ll let you be the judge…
Any thoughts?
And as we should always be reminded, Part One was only part of the story.
Part 2
Part 3
Five years ago my father, who survived Aushwitz- Birkenau, took my mother (Budapest ghetto survivor), my wife, my 2 daughters, and me on a trip there. Before we entered Birkenau (where my dad lost his parents and sister and spent most of his time) he said “This is my victory. I beat the Nazis. And I’m with my granddaughters”. I think this video expresses that feeling perfectly. It makes perfect sense. It is a celebration. Thanks for sharing it David.
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We posted this video on our Facebook page and got mixed reactions. Some felt the original meaning of the song made it inappropriate as an expression of victory over the Nazis. On YouTube there are two more parts of this video which are very much worth watching to get a better understanding of what the survivor and his family were attempting to convey.
In a previous entry you introduced us to “Susan” who 45 years later was able to recall and share in a moving way a Tisha B’Av camp memory she experienced as a camper 45 years later! You also introduced the idea of “Stickiness” in an attempt to explore the question What makes certain experiences stick and others fade? ie., how can we make the “Jewish experience” a meaningful and long lasting one for our students?
In discussions on Jewish experiential education, we constantly struggle with these questions.
These kids in the above clips, dancing with their survivor grandfather, celebrating their family’s personal triumph, will probably be able to easily recall this experience 45 and even 65 years from now!
If this isn’t “sticky” then I don’t know what is…
To those who opposed the “choice” of song: Clearly the song was chosen simply because it contained “survivor” in its lyrics. Nothing more. Focusing on the Gloria Gaynor song as an issue is irrelevant in my opinion.
Kudos david on sharing this!!