Yad VaJerusalemhem QUARTERLY MAGAZINE, VOL. 72, January 2014 Yad VaJerusalemhem QUARTERLY MAGAZINE, VOL. 72, Shvat 5774, January 2014 Holocaust Survivor, Ghetto Fighter, Published by: Yad Vashem Contents The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority Holocaust Survivor, Ghetto Fighter, Historian of the Jewish People ■ Historian of the Jewish People ■ 2-3 Chairman of the Council: Rabbi Israel Meir Lau Israel Gutman (1923-2013) Vice Chairmen of the Council: Revolt or Rescue? ■ 4 Dr. Yitzhak Arad Jewish Dilemmas from the Holocaust Dr. Moshe Kantor ■ On 1 October 2013, Prof. Israel Gutman, Prof. Elie Wiesel Egyptian Doctor Honored one of the giants of Holocaust research in Chairman of the Directorate: Avner Shalev for Berlin Rescue ■ 5 Israel and the world over, passed away in Director General: Dorit Novak Recognized as Righteous Among the Nations Jerusalem at the age of ninety. Head of the International Institute for Holocaust Mourning his passing, Yad Vashem Chairman Research: Prof. Dan Michman Education ■ 6-9 Avner Shalev said: “My mentor and friend Chief Historian: Prof. Dina Porat First-ever Seminar in Turkey ■ 6 Israel Gutman made a significant and unique Academic Advisor: Prof. Yehuda Bauer German Education Ministers Commit to contribution to the propagation of historical Members of the Yad Vashem Directorate: Fostering Holocaust Teaching ■ 6 awareness regarding the Holocaust and its Yossi Ahimeir, Edna Ben-Horin, Michal Cohen, meaning among the Seminar for Educators from China ■ 7 Matityahu Drobles, Abraham Duvdevani, wider public forum in Prof. Boleslaw (Bolek) Goldman, Recent International Seminars ■ 7 Israel, especially the Vera H. Golovensky, Moshe Ha-Elion, Adv. Shlomit Kasirer, Yehiel Leket, “Then and Now”: youth. Prof. Gutman’s Effi Shtensler, Baruch Shub, Dr. Zehava Tanne, Canadian Alumni Educators’ Conference ■ 7 personal resume – Adv. Shoshana Weinshall, Dudi Zilbershlag as someone who Graduate Spotlight: ■ 8 experienced in the THE MAGAZINE Nathalie Leverrier, France flesh the horrors of Editor-in-Chief: Iris Rosenberg IHRA Defines Holocaust Denial the Holocaust, fought Managing Editor: Leah Goldstein and Distortion ■ 9 in the Warsaw ghetto, Editorial Board: endured Auschwitz New at the Virtual School ■ 9 Yifat Bachrach-Ron and was a member ■ Prof. Israel Gutman, z”l Deborah Berman ■ 10 New in the Art Collection of the camp’s Jewish Richard Mann “In Memory of Our Destroyed Synagogues Susan Weisberg underground, survived the death marches and Cynthia Wroclawski in Germany” was a witness to all that occurred – added Estee Yaari Inspired by Her Discovery ■ 11 enormous weight to his rare and exceptional Editorial Coordinator: Lilach Tamir-Itach Family Reunion Prompts Volunteer Work strength as a researcher, teacher and leader. We Language Editor: Leah Goldstein in Names Collection will miss his insight and his friendship.” Proofreader: Ezra Olman Israel Gutman was born in Warsaw in News ■ 12-21 Translated by: KPoint 1923. His parents and older sister died early Assisted by: Alexander Avram, Rachel Barkai, Friends Worldwide ■ 22-27 during the war; his younger sister was taken Shaya Ben Yehuda, Ayala Peretz, Dana Porath, Rebecca Schwartz, Amanda Smulowitz New on the Shelf ■ 28 into Janusz Korczak’s orphanage and later deported to Treblinka. As a member of the Photography: Rachel Barkai, Yossi Ben-David, Isaac Harari Jewish Underground in the Warsaw ghetto, Production: Ahva Printing Press Company Ltd. Gutman was wounded in the uprising. From Design: Stephanie & Ruti Design Warsaw he was taken to Majdanek, and from This magazine was published with the there to Auschwitz and then on a death march assistance of The Azrieli Group. to Mauthausen. In May 1945, he was liberated in Gunskirchen. After the war, he helped with ISSN 0793-7199 the rehabilitation of survivors, was active in the ©Articles appearing in this issue may be reprinted Bericha movement and then immigrated to Eretz with proper acknowledgement. Israel. He joined Kibbutz Lehavot Habashan, Yad Vashem’s activities are supported by where he raised a family and was a member the Ministry of Education for 25 years. In 1961 he gave testimony during the Eichmann trial. and the Claims Conference In 1973, Prof. Gutman moved to Jerusalem. ■ On the cover: ■ Janusz Korczak Square Beginning his academic career at the Hebrew after the snow storm University of Jerusalem, he later headed the This edition of Yad Vashem Jerusalem Quarterly Magazine was generously that engulfed the Mount University’s Institute for Contemporary Jewry. supported by Evie and Harry Plotnik in of Remembrance in At the same time, Prof. Gutman was a leader December 2013. memory of their family and loved ones and an integral part of the research activities murdered during the Shoah. (see p. 13) at Yad Vashem. From 1993-1996 he headed 2 Holocaust Survivor, Ghetto Fighter, Historian of the Jewish People Israel Gutman (1923–2013) ■ Prof. Yehudah Bauer addresses the audience at a memorial symposium for Prof. Gutman Yad Vashem’s International Institute for seminars and participated in the School’s Polish Jewry had been established, Prof. Gutman Holocaust Research, and from 1996-2000 he educational publications.” Finally, although turned towards a new horizon of activity: served as Yad Vashem’s Chief Historian, and Gutman had only a superficial acquaintance creating active academic contacts between Israeli then as an Academic Advisor to Yad Vashem. with Emmanuel Ringelblum, the Warsaw ghetto Holocaust research and that taking place abroad. He was also a founder of Moreshet: Mordecai archivist became a “veritable mentor,” notes He achieved this through, among other things, Anielewicz Memorial, and Deputy Chairman Dreifuss. “Like Emmanuel Ringelblum, Gutman pioneering international research conferences, of the International Auschwitz Council. One considered himself first of all a Jewish historian, which, together with the publications that came of Prof. Gutman’s main projects was Yad a historian of the Jewish people.” in their wake, became cornerstones of Holocaust Vashem’s comprehensive and groundbreaking Indeed, Prof. Gutman’s academic success was research. Prof. Gutman invested a great deal Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, among many imbued with the legitimacy and historiographical of effort into nurturing contacts with Poland. other seminal works. centrality of the Jewish point of view regarding Even during the Communist era, the Poles Israel Gutman was profoundly influenced the Shoah. He succeeded in making “room” in the accepted many of his critiques, and after the by three main inspirations from his youth. The world of research for the experiences, positions fall of Communism he became a greatly valued first was the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement, and points of view of the Jewish victims of the guest (the University of Warsaw awarded him particularly during the time he spent in the Holocaust, so that their voices would achieve the an honorary doctorate). Warsaw ghetto – “I did not remain alone… consideration and attention they deserved. “To me, Israel was more than just a It was being connected; it was a shared idea, In his groundbreaking research on the Warsaw colleague, he was a soulmate,” said his close a shared organization, and also a family” – ghetto, he established his position at the forefront friend of more than 50 years, Yad Vashem and his admiration for its leader, Mordechai of Holocaust research and attained international Academic Advisor Prof. Yehudah Bauer. “We Anielewicz. Second was the unique educational acclaim. His research on the ghetto was the point often disagreed, but almost always presented and humanitarian philosophy of Dr. Korczack: from which his academic writings broadened a united front to others. Our basic position as Dr. Havi Dreifuss recalls in her recent article into a range of fundamental Holocaust-related was identical, despite the differences in our on him in Yad Vashem Studies, Prof. Gutman issues: resistance, the Zionist youth movements, backgrounds: we looked at the Shoah from a took special pride in Yad Vashem's International the Judenrat, Jewish forced labor, Jewish-Polish Jewish perspective. We wanted to tell the story School for Holocaust Studies and cherished its relations, the uniqueness of the Holocaust, the of the Jews – which did not at all mean that educational activities. “As long as his strength social aspects of the camps, and more. we did not deal with the perpetrators and the endured, he took part in the training of From the end of the 1970s, when his position so-called ‘bystanders.’ But the emphasis was instructors and teachers, attended international as a leading researcher of the Holocaust and always on the Jews.” www.yadvashem.org for excerpts of video testimony by Prof. Gutman about his early life and a photo gallery 3 Revolt or Rescue? Jewish Dilemmas from the Holocaust Dr. David Silberklang ■ “From Warsaw, desperate letters arrived And if a rescue radically different perspectives of people in from those still alive. They advised us not to attempt was to the midst of the murder vs. people outside, follow their lead; to save ourselves so that at be considered, as well as on the development of Holocaust least a small remnant of the movement would whom should remembrance in Israel. survive. Zivia and Antek said that it was a they try to rescue? In order to unravel some of the mystery pity for all the blood that had been shed. A Communal of Sobibór’s story and the memory of its telegram arrived from Tabenkin: ‘Pursue all rescue, or even victims, Yoram Haimi and Wojciech Mazurek paths to rescue.’ However, we did not agree. We family rescue, have undertaken a new approach to Holocaust did not wish to live at the price of the death of was impossible research – archaeological excavations. They our comrades in Warsaw; we did not wish to in almost all have successfully determined the actual layout cower in the shadow of their glory.” cases, and of most of the camp – the camouflaged path From Chajka Klinger’s, individual rescue along which the victims were driven to the gas “The [Movement] Branch in Bedzin,” seemed equally chambers, the mass burial pits, and more – as in Avihu Ronen, “The Cable That Vanished,” impossible.