DOCSLIB.ORG

The Future of Holocaust Memorialisation. Peto Andrea, Helga Thorson

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Future of Holocaust Memorialisation. Peto Andrea, Helga Thorson The Future of Holocaust Memorialisation. Peto Andrea, Helga Thorson To cite this version: Peto Andrea, Helga Thorson. The Future of Holocaust Memorialisation.: Confronting Racism, Anti- Semitism, and Homophobia Through Memory Work. Tom Lantos Institute, 2015, 978-615-80159-0-5. hal-03197600 HAL Id: hal-03197600 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03197600 Submitted on 6 May 2021 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. THE FUTURE OF HOLOCAUST MEMORIALIZATION First published 2015 by Tom Lantos Institute 1016 Budapest, Bérc utca 13-15. © 2015 Tom Lantos Institute All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, me- chanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. ISBN: 978-615-80159-0-5 Printed by Bonex Press KFT Copy edited by Helga Thorson and Andrea van Noord. THE FUTURE OF HOLOCAUST MEMORIALIZATION: Confronting Racism, Antisemitism, and Homophobia through Memory Work EDITED BY AndreA Pető And HelgA tHorson TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTIONS Anna-Mária Bíró Introduction 6 John Shattuck Introduction 7 Andrea Pető and Helga Thorson Introduction: The Future of Holocaust Memorialization 8 PART 1 Institutional Perspectives and Challenges 11 Paul Shapiro Facing the Facts of the Holocaust: The Challenges and the Cost of Failure 12 Karen Jungblut The Future of Holocaust Memorialization: Institutional Perspectives and Challenges 16 Holocaust Discourses Now 21 Cecilie Felicia Stokholm Banke Teaching the Holocaust as Part of Local History: The Case of Denmark 22 Klas-Göran Karlsson Holocaust History and Historical Learning 29 John C. Swanson Returning to History: Memory and Holocaust Education 35 PART 2 Benefits and Challenges of digital resources 41 Helga Dorner, Edit Jeges, and Andrea Pető New Ways of Seeing: Digital Testimonies, Reflective Inquiry, and Video Pedagogy in a Graduate Seminar 42 Elizabeth Anthony The Digital Transformation of the International Tracing Service Digital Collection 46 Working against Prejudice and Hate 53 Ildikó Barna Introducing a New Subject in a Challenging Environment among Students of Military Sciences, Public Administration, and Law Enforcement in Hungary: A Case Study 54 Heike Radvan Facing Current Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Neo-Nazism: Talking about the Holocaust in Local Initiatives in East Germany 60 Charlotte Schallié The Case of Feincost Adam©: Confronting Antisemitism through Creative Memory Work 65 Rethinking Pedagogical Practices Annamaria Orla-Bukowska Remembering Righteousness: Transnational Touchstones in the International Classroom 72 Helga Thorson and Andrea van Noord Stories from the Past, Creative Representations of the Future: Inter-Cultural Exchange, the Possibility of Inter-Generational Communication, and the Future of Holocaust Studies 80 Local Initiatives in Commemorating the Holocaust Barbara Kintaert Shedding Light on the Past: Digging for Information and 88 Grassroots Memorialization Borbála Klacsmann Memory Walk: History through Monuments 100 Gabor Kalman Filming the Past for the Present 105 About the Authors 108 INTRODUCTION ANNA-MÁRIA BÍRÓ Director, Tom Lantos Institute Budapest, Hungary n June 2014 the Central European The Tom Lantos Institute hopes University and the Tom Lantos Institute or- that this publication contributes to under- ganized an international conference on “The standing and accepting our responsibility in Future of Holocaust Memorialization: Con- these past tragic events as the first steps in a fronting Racism, Antisemitism, and Homo- process of reconciliation and social justice. phobia through Memory Work” in Budapest, Hungary. Prominent educators, researchers, and practitioners gathered to consider the potential of Holocaust memorialization and memory work in countering antisemitism and other forms of discrimination as well as the strengthening of democratic values and processes. Participants explored various teaching methodologies and methods in higher education and assessed a number of innovative civic initiatives. This book gathers the contributions of conference speakers to instigate further discussion on this important issue when antisemitism has been on the rise in Europe and beyond. For a Budapest-based human and minority rights institution focusing, among other things, on Jewish life and antisemi- tism, this initiative is of crucial importance at a time when the Hungarian state and society struggle to come to terms with their roles in the Hungarian Holocaust and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews and Roma. On the occasion of the seventi- eth anniversary of the Holocaust in Hungary it has become clear that there are divergent, if not antagonistic, memories and narratives which are often highly politicized. It is exactly these events that focus on existing practices of effective Holocaust education and memo- ry work that model and inspire possible ways forward in a society confronting its past. INTRODUCTION JOHN SHATTUCK President and Rector; Professor of Legal Studies and International Relations Central European University Budapest, Hungary his volume consists of papers from other and focused on how Holocaust educa- the conference on “The Future of Holocaust tion can be used to confront issues of racism, Memorialization: Confronting Racism, Anti- antisemitism, homophobia, and other forms semitism, and Homophobia through Memo- of exclusion. I am pleased that this volume ry Work”, hosted by Central European Uni- can be used as a starting point for future dis- versity (CEU) in June 2014. The logo of the cussions of Holocaust education. conference featured the photograph of Au- gust Landmesser, an ordinary worker in Nazi Germany, who alone refused to give the Nazi salute while standing in a large public crowd. Landmesser’s striking photographic image is a dramatic illustration of how individuals can resist oppression. 2014 marks the seventieth anniversary of the Holocaust in Hungary. CEU has organ- ized several commemorative events, includ- ing the conference on which this volume is based. An example of how CEU is a pioneer in the teaching of Holocaust studies in a glob- al context is its hosting of the Shoah Foun- dation’s Visual History Archive of Holocaust survivors. Another example is CEU’s training of Hungarian and Polish secondary school teachers and faculty from other universities in teaching about the Holocaust. The CEU Center for Teaching and Learning focuses on digital initiatives as a new way of teaching traumatic histories, and it has pioneered a course with Smith College in Massachusetts, US, on the topic of gendering the Holocaust. The aim of the Holocaust education conference was to show how critical peda- gogy can teach students how to follow Au- gust Landmesser’s example and honor his legacy of resistance. During the conference participants shared their teaching, research, and memorialization practices with one an- 8 | The Future of Holocaust Memorialization INTRODUCTON: THE FUTURE OF HOLOCAUST MEMORIALIZATION AndreA Pető and education, and to do so in an interdisci- Department of Gender Studies, plinary way. Central European University Andrea Pető agreed to host the first Budapest, Hungary working group meeting in the form of a con- ference at Central European University. The HelgA tHorson Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies, working group members asked Andrea Pető University of Victoria to help organize the conference for several Victoria, BC, Canada reasons. First, they knew that she is not daunt- ed by large tasks such as conference plan- ning and that she knows how to get things n June 10, 2014, a group of em- done, and get things done well. Secondly, inent international scholars, archivists and they wanted to meet in a centrally located museum directors, and professors com- city in Europe, and Central European Univer- mitted to educating about the Holocaust sity seemed to be just the place. Thirdly, and through innovative teaching projects, as well most importantly, they thought it would be as individuals who have undertaken bold significant to hold the conference in Hunga- and creative commemorative projects, met ry – not only as a way to commemorate the to discuss the future of Holocaust education. seventy-year anniversary of the Holocaust in The conference took place at Central Euro- Hungary, but also because Budapest is cur- pean University in Budapest, Hungary. rently in the midst of intense debates about The conference title, “The Future of how best to commemorate and memorialize Holocaust Memorialization: Confronting the Holocaust through monuments, muse- Racism, Antisemitism,1 and Homophobia ums, and educational endeavors. through Memory Work”, is the name of a Our respective institutions, Central working group and research collective that European University and the University of came into existence a year and a half before Victoria, organized the conference in col- the conference
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Plan for Allocating Successor Organization Resources
    A Plan for Allocating Successor Organization Resources Report of the Planning Committee, Conference On Jewish Material Claims Against Germany June 28, 2000 25 Sivan 5760 1 Rabbi Israel Miller, President, Conference On Jewish Material Claims Against Germany 15 East 26 Street New York, New York Dear Israel, I am pleased to enclose A Plan for Allocating Successor Organization Resources, the report of the distinguished Planning Committee which I have had the honor of chairing. The Committee has completed a thoughtful ten-month process, carefully reviewing the issues and exploring a variety of options before coming to the conclusions contained in this document. We trust that you will bring these recommendations to the Board of Directors of the Claims Conference for review and action. Through this experience, I have become convinced that the work of the Claims Conference is not adequately understood or appreciated. I hope that this report and the results of this planning process will help dispel the confusion about the past and future achievements of the Claims Conference. No amount of money can compensate for the destruction of innocent human beings and thriving communities or the decimation of the Jewish people as a whole by the Nazis. We can try to use available resources - specifically the proceeds of the sale of communal and unclaimed property in the former East Germany - to respond to the most critical needs related to the consequences of the Shoah. This is what the enclosed Plan tries to accomplish. I want to thank the members of the Committee who came from near and far for their attendance and commitment, and for the high quality of their participation.
    [Show full text]
  • The Man Who Created the Garden of the Righteous. Conference Given at the “Festa Della Storia” in Bologna on 18.10.06
    Moshe Bejski and Hannah Arendt By Gabriele Nissim Gabriele Nissim is the author of the book “Il Tribunale del Bene, la storia di Moshe Bejski”. Ed Mondadori 2003 The man who created the Garden of the Righteous. Conference given at the “Festa della Storia” in Bologna on 18.10.06 There are three aspects which need to be highlighted in this presentation about the book “The Garden of the Righteous”, namely the convergence of the work done by Moshe Bejski within the Commission of the Righteous and Hannah Arendt’s own reflections on the dark period of WW2, secondly the idea that memory is driven by reflection and thirdly a message of hope to the younger generations. It is indeed a late recognition, as Hannah Arendt’s thoughts and reflections were not properly understood in the sixties during the Eichmann trial. Her analysis on the banality of evil i.e.-act in an evil way without thinking about it and without a real intention to act badly- was not understood and provoked intense debates, since it was felt that her approach could lead to reduce the Nazis’ criminal responsibilities. It seemed superficially that Hannah Arendt considered Eichmann less guilty than he was. But this was not the opinion of Arendt who investigated thoroughly the behaviors of those who were involved in the process of extermination and who were neither ideologically motivated or who did not want to really think about it. For Hanna Arendt, behaving in an evil way without thinking about it, did not decrease whatsoever the Nazi criminals’ responsibility.
    [Show full text]
  • Moshe Bejski and Us
    Moshe Bejski and us - Marc Fermont’s testimony in memory of Moshe Bejski at the request of Mr. Gabriele Nissim for Gariwo- 5 January 2011 My name is Marc-Henri Fermont, born on 10.10.1945 in Lyon, younger son of Olga Luwisch and José Fridman (name changed in 1962 into Fermont). My mother Olga Luwisch is a first degree cousin of Erica Eifermann, who became in 1948 the wife of Moshe Bejski with whom she shared his life until she deceased in August 2006, six months before him. Both Erica and Olga were originally from Czernowitz in Bukowina. My mother’s native language was German, as Czernowitz was part of the Austrian- Hungarian Empire until 1918. The relationship which we entertained with Moshe Bejski was dominated by the close relationship which existed between Erica and her cousins. Moshe not only was in love with Erica, but he was also close to her relatives. These links gave me the opportunity to know him well and meet him regularly from 1950 to 2006. I remember well that I first met Moshe and Erica in Paris when I was four and five, as Moshe studied in Paris and was the chief of “Aliyat Hanoar” or Youth Aliayh in France. My parents’ social circle included many “Czernowitzers” who had emigrated and studied in France in the thirties. Moshe did not know French when he came to France in 1949. He told me that his French teacher was the famous German poet from Czernowitz: Paul Celan, who survived the Transistrian concentration camps. Paul Celan had lived in Paris before the war where he had started medical studies.
    [Show full text]
  • The Holocaust to the General Public in a Comprehensible, Yet Historically Accurate Manner
    A Study Guide By Plater Robinson Published by The Southern Institute for Education and Research at Tulane University RIGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATIONS "The universe exists on the merit of the righteous among the nations of the world, and they are privileged to see the Divine Presence." -- The Talmud THE GOOD SAMARITAN And who is my neighbor? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinking thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
    [Show full text]
  • Schindler's Ark
    Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally, 1935– Published: 1982 Serpentine Publishing Co. Ltd. J J J J J I I I I I Table of Contents Dedication Author‘s Note Prologue & Chapter 1 … thru … Chapter 38 Epilogue Appendix J J J J J I I I I I TO THE MEMORY OF OSKAR SCHINDLER, AND TO LEOPOLD PFEFFERBERG, WHO BY ZEAL AND PERSISTENCE CAUSED THIS BOOK TO BE WRITTEN Author‘s Note In 1980 I visited a luggage store in Beverly Hills, California, and inquired the prices of briefcases. The store belonged to Leopold Pfefferberg, a Schindler survivor. It was beneath Pfefferberg’s shelves of imported Italian leather goods that I first heard of Oskar Schindler, the German bon vivant, speculator, charmer, and sign of contradiction, and of his salvage of a cross section of a condemned race during those years now known by the generic name Holocaust. This account of Oskar’s astonishing history is based in the first place on interviews with 50 Schindler survivors from seven nations—Australia, Israel, West Germany, Austria, the United States, Argentina, and Brazil. It is enriched by a visit, in the company of Leopold Pfefferberg, to locations that prominently figure in the book: Cracow, Oskar’s adopted city; Płaszów, the scene of Amon Goeth’s foul labor camp; Lipowa Street, Zablocie, where Oskar’s factory still stands; Auschwitz- Birkenau, from which Oskar extracted his women prisoners. But the narration depends also on documentary and other information supplied by those few wartime associates of Oskar’s who can still be reached, as well as by the large body of his postwar friends.
    [Show full text]
  • THE MORAL GREATNESS of DIMITAR PESHEV1 by Gabriele Nissim
    THE MORAL GREATNESS OF DIMITAR PESHEV1 by Gabriele Nissim Over the recent years the figure of Dimitar Peshev, which I have tried to popularize around the world, has been somehow set aside in the attempt to present King Boris as the great saviour of Jews. The prejudiced bias in favour of the Bulgarian king has thus prevented a critical and objective discussion about the fate of the Jews from Thrace and Macedonia, almost as if the responsibility of their deportation layed exclusively on the German soldiers. We have even witnessed the attempt to dedicate a forest in Israel to the figure of Boris III, to present him as the champion of the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews, but this manouevre was stopped on 16 July 20002 by a committee formed by Moshe Bejski, the late President of the Righteous Department of Yad Vashem. Reflecting today about the moral and political meaning of the deeds of the Vicepresident of the Bulgarian Parliament, D. Peshev, can help create the conditions for a critical analysis of the history of Bulgaria during Second World War. His example holds a universal value because he was a person who, initially charmed by Hitler like the whole Bulgarian leadership, found the courage to question his choices, and took action to stop the deportation of the Jews living in the inner regions of the country, thus compelling Minister of the Interiors Gabronski to suspend the departure of all trains destined for that purpose. Peshev behaved responsibly and found the courage to admit the mistakes which had led him to support the racial laws within the Parliament.
    [Show full text]
  • LA LISTA DE SCHINDLER Fragmento
    LA LISTA DE SCHINDLER Thomas Keneally 0 Fragmento NOTA DEL AUTOR En 1980 entré en una tienda de artículos de piel, en Beverly Hills, y pregunté precios de carteras. La tienda era de Leopold Pfefferberg, un superviviente de Schindler. Entre las estanterías de maletas italianas importadas de Pfefferberg oí hablar por vez primera de Oskar Schindler, alemán bon vivant, especulador, seductor y ejemplo de contradicciones, y de cómo había salvado a una sección transversal de una raza condenada durante los años que ahora se conocen con la denominación genérica de Holocausto. Esta narración de la sorprendente historia de Oskar se funda, en primer lugar, en entrevistas con cincuenta supervivientes de Schindler, de siete naciones: Australia, Israel, Alemania Federal, Austria, Estados Unidos, Argentina y Brasil. Se ha enriquecido con la visita, en compañía de Leopold Pfefferberg, a sitios de notoria importancia en este libro: Cracovia, la ciudad adoptiva de Oskar; Plaszow, escenario del campo de trabajo de Amon Goeth; la calle Lipowa, de Zablocie, donde está todavía la fábrica de Oskar; Auschwitz-Birkenau, de donde sacaba Oskar a sus prisioneras. El relato se vale además de los documentos y otros datos aportados por los pocos hombres, relacionados con Oskar durante la guerra, a quienes aún es posible encontrar, así como por la gran cantidad de sus amigos de posguerra. Muchos de los cientos de testimonios sobre Oskar depositados por los Judíos de Schindler en Yad Vashem, la institución que recuerda a los héroes y mártires, acrecientan el relato, y también testimonios escritos, de fuentes privadas, y gran volumen de papeles y cartas de Schindler, algunos cedidos por Yad Vashem y otros por amigos de Oskar.
    [Show full text]
  • Copyright and Use of This Thesis This Thesis Must Be Used in Accordance with the Provisions of the Copyright Act 1968
    COPYRIGHT AND USE OF THIS THESIS This thesis must be used in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Reproduction of material protected by copyright may be an infringement of copyright and copyright owners may be entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. Section 51 (2) of the Copyright Act permits an authorized officer of a university library or archives to provide a copy (by communication or otherwise) of an unpublished thesis kept in the library or archives, to a person who satisfies the authorized officer that he or she requires the reproduction for the purposes of research or study. The Copyright Act grants the creator of a work a number of moral rights, specifically the right of attribution, the right against false attribution and the right of integrity. You may infringe the author’s moral rights if you: - fail to acknowledge the author of this thesis if you quote sections from the work - attribute this thesis to another author - subject this thesis to derogatory treatment which may prejudice the author’s reputation For further information contact the University’s Director of Copyright Services sydney.edu.au/copyright MAPPING NONFICTION NARRATIVE: Towards a new theoretical approach to analysing literary journalism William Roberts Supervisor Dr Fiona Giles Associate Supervisor Dr Megan Le Masurier A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Media and Communications The University of Sydney 11 April 2014 Statement of Originality I declare that the thesis presented here is my own original work and has not been submitted to any other institution for the award of a degree.
    [Show full text]
  • DOCUMENT RESUME ED 391 750 SO 025 935 AUTHOR Grobman
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 391 750 SO 025 935 AUTHOR Grobman, Alex . TITLE Those Who Dared: Rescuers and Rescued. A Teaching Guide for Secondary Schools. INSTITUTION Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust of the Jewish Federation, Los Angeles, CA. PUB DATE 95 NOTE 67p.; For a viewer's guide to Schindler's list, see SO 025 756 and a teaching guide to Anne Frank, see SO 025 758. This publication was made possible through the Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Foundation. AVAILABLE FROMMartyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust of the Jewish Federation, 6505 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048-4906 ($4.50). PUB TYPE . Guides Classroom Use Teaching Guides (For Teacher) (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Adolescent Literature; *Anti Semitism; Attitudes; Bias; *Ethnic Bias; Ethnic Discrimination; History Instruction; Interdisciplinary Approach; *Jews; *Judaism; *Nazism; Reading Materials; Secondary Education; Social Bias; Social Studies; Values; World History; World War II IDENTIFIERS *Holocaust ABSTRACT This guide helps secondary students to understand the role of the rescuers of the Jews during the Holocaust. The rescuers included atheists, government bureaucrats, 4erman soldiers, antisemites, devout Christians, and even German collaborators. The focus is on how people, both good and bad, react in times of stress and of thr moral choices all people may have to face in their lives. The essays include: (1) "Using This Guide: A Word to Teachers about Classroom Approaches to Teaching about the Rescuers" (Allan H. Scholl);
    [Show full text]
  • Oskar Schindler
    Oskar Schindler * 28. April 1908 † 9. Oktober 1974 Oskar Schindler (* 28. April 1908 in Zwittau, Mähren, Österreich-Ungarn; † 9. Oktober 1974 in Hildesheim, Deutschland) war ein sudetendeutscher Unternehmer, der während des Zweiten Weltkrieges etwa 1200 bei ihm angestellte jüdische Zwangsarbeiter vor der Ermordung in den Vernichtungslagern der Nationalsozialisten bewahrte. Kindheit und Jugend Oskar Schindler wurde als Sohn des Landmaschinenfabrikanten Johann „Hans“ Schindler und dessen Frau Franziska „Fanny“ (geb. Luser) geboren. Er hatte eine acht Jahre jüngere Schwester namens Elfriede. Die Kinder der jüdischen Nachbarsfamilien gehörten zu ihren Spielgefährten. Schindler besuchte die Volks- und Realschule. Mit 16 Jahren wurde er der Schule verwiesen, nachdem er sein Zeugnis gefälscht hatte. Im väterlichen Betrieb absolvierte er eine Lehrausbildung. Schindler wurde römisch-katholisch erzogen, wandte sich aber als Erwachsener für längere Zeit von der Glaubenspraxis ab. Die fromme Mutter habe sich gegrämt, weil Oskar als Erwachsener – wie sein Vater – dem Gottesdienst immer öfter fernblieb. In den Jahren 1926–29 war Schindler ein begeisterter Motorradfahrer. Im jugendlichen Alter von 19 Jahren (1928) heiratete er Emilie Pelzl, die Tochter eines wohlhabenden Landwirts aus Alt Moletein. Auch Emilie war sehr fromm erzogen, da sie nach dem Tod ihrer Mutter in einem Kloster aufwuchs. Ihr Vater, ein Gutsbesitzer, missbilligte die frühe Heirat seiner Tochter mit einem „unfertigen Mann“. Kurz nach der Heirat wurde Oskar zum Militärdienst des tschechoslowakischen Heeres eingezogen. Deutschpatriotische Spionage Nach der Schließung der väterlichen Landmaschinenfabrik durch die Auswirkungen der Weltwirtschaftskrise arbeitete Schindler von 1935 bis 1939 als Agent für das Amt Ausland/Abwehr in Mährisch-Ostrau und Breslau. Sein Vorgesetzter zu dieser Zeit war Admiral Wilhelm Canaris.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Paper (PDF)
    UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM CENTER FOR ADVANCED HOLOCAUST STUDIES Holocaust Writing and Research Since 1945 Sir Martin Gilbert W A S H I N G T O N , D. C. Holocaust Writing and Research Since 1945 Sir Martin Gilbert JOSEPH AND REBECCA MEYERHOFF ANNUAL LECTURE 26 SEPTEMBER 2000 The assertions, opinions, and conclusions in this occasional paper are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council or of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. First printing, July 2001 Copyright © 2001 by Sir Martin Gilbert THE JOSEPH AND REBECCA MEYERHOFF ANNUAL LECTURE on the Holocaust has been endowed by a 1994 grant from the Meyerhoff family to promote excellence in and to disseminate Holocaust research. Lifelong residents of Baltimore, Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff were involved in philanthropic activities in the United States and overseas in music and the arts, Jewish learning and scholarship, and human services, among other concerns. Jewish history and education were a primary focus in their philanthropic efforts. This tradition has been upheld and enhanced by their children and their children’s children. Their son, Harvey M. Meyerhoff, is Chairman Emeritus of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. The annual lecture is held in the Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Theater of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Mr. Meyerhoff, Rabbi Greenberg, Ambassador Kampelman, Sara Bloomfield, Paul Shapiro, ladies and gentlemen. I am greatly honoured to be asked to give the Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Annual Lecture, and to speak to you this evening on Holocaust writing and research since 1945.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Biografia Di Moshe Bejski L'infanzia in Polonia, La Shoah E L'incontro Con
    Biografia di Moshe Bejski L’infanzia in Polonia, la Shoah e l’incontro con Schindler Moshe Bejski nasce nel villaggio di Dzialoszyce, in Polonia, nei pressi di Cracovia, il 29 dicembre del 1920. Cresciuto nell’ambiente ebraico, sente fortemente il peso dell’antisemitismo polacco e, ancora adolescente, aderisce a un movimento sionista che organizza il trasferimento in Palestina dei giovani ebrei polacchi per la costruzione di una nuova patria nella terra promessa. Poco prima dell’invasione tedesca del 1939 deve rinunciare al suo sogno sionista a causa di una grave malattia al cuore, che gli impedisce di partire insieme ai suoi compagni. Nel 1942 tutti gli ebrei vengono internati. La famiglia Bejski è smembrata: Moshe, insieme ai fratelli Uri e Dov, finisce nel campo di lavoro di Plaszow, reso tristemente famoso nel film di Spielberg Schindler’s List per il suo comandante sadico, Amon Goeth, che si divertiva a usare i prigionieri come bersagli di un allucinante tiro a segno dalla finestra della sua camera da letto. I genitori e la sorella, invece, vengono fucilati sul posto. Moshe riesce ad eludere la sorveglianza delle guardie durante un turno di lavoro fuori dal campo e cerca invano rifugio presso i vicini di casa polacchi, i cui figli sono stati, fino al giorno prima, suoi compagni di scuola e di giochi. Solo un fattorino, suo collega di lavoro in una ditta di Cracovia, gli offre ospitalità, pur in condizioni molto disagiate e rischiose, ma anche in questo caso la curiosità malevola dei vicini vanifica l’unico gesto di generosità di un polacco verso un ebreo che Moshe abbia conosciuto.
    [Show full text]