JERUSALEM Contents by Dr. Bella Gutterman and Dr. Robert Rozett YadYadMAGAZINE, VOL. VashemVashem 45, Nissan 5767, April 2007 Bearing Witness 2-3 There is much talk about keeping a journal. Published by: The Central Theme for Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Everyone believes there is a great deal that Remembrance Day 2007 needs to be documented, things that don’t Bearing Witness 4-5 “ happen in normal life... I sometimes want Yad Vashem The Collection and Use of Testimonies at Yad Vashem to take a pencil and do something with it, record New Exhibition: 6-7 some of what lies in the depths of my heart, a The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Spots of Light relentless force deep within my soul which lays Remembrance Authority To Be a Woman in the Holocaust beneath my consciousness.” Chairman of the Council: JosephProfessor (Tommy) Szewach Lapid Weiss Excerpt from a diary by a young female prisoner in Education 8-9 a forced labor camp during WWII Vice Chairmen of the Council: Dr. Yitzhak Arad With Our Own Eyes Dr. Israel Singer Professor Elie Wiesel New Elementary School Program for Holocaust Long before liberation, the Jews who Remembrance Day experienced the Holocaust yearned to describe their Chairman of the experiences in writing. Throughout the war, many Directorate: Avner Shalev Torchlighters 2007 10-11 of those trapped in ghettos and camps, in hiding Director General: NathanIshai Amrami Eitan Highlights of Yad Vashem’s Activities in 2006 12-13 and in the forests, recorded their feelings on scraps Head of the International Institute New Publications 14 of paper often acquired at great personal risk. As for Holocaust Research: Professor Professor David David Bankier Bankier Finding Human Kindness their world crumbled around them and they were Chief Historian: Professor Dan Michman 27 January 2006: 15 hunted and murdered in their millions, their personal Academic Advisors: Professor Professor YehudaYehuda BauerBauer Global Events and New Developments writing and creative endeavors never ceased. Professor Israel Gutman The act of writing also served as a form of News 16-19 Members of the Yad Vashem Directorate: escape, a temporary release from the killings and ShmuelNimrod Aboav,Barkan, Edna Edna Ben-Horin, Ben-Horin, ChaimChaim Chesler, Friends Worldwide 20-23 the torture, from the walls surrounding them and Abraham Duvdevani, NoachStefan Grayek,Flug, Stefan Moshe Grayek, Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance 24 the crematoria whose smoke billowed relentlessly Ha-Elion,Moshe Ha-Elion, Yehiel Leket, Yehiel LindaLeket, Olmert, Linda Olmert, Adv. Dov Shilansky,Galila Ron-Feder-Amit, Baruch Shub, Adv.Dr. Israel Dov Shilansky,Singer, Amira Dr. Day 2007: Program of Events at Yad Vashem into the skies above. It brought comfort and Stern,Israel Singer,Professor Amira Jochanan Stern, Stessman, Professor Adv. Jochanan Shoshana reassurance that they remained human, and gave Weinshall,Stessman, RonitEli Zborowski, Tirosh, Adv. Dudi Shoshana Zilbershlag Weinshall, them the emotional strength to continue for yet Eli Zborowski THE MAGAZINE another day. On discovering a hiding place after Editor-in-Chief:THE IrisMAGAZINE Rosenberg being pursued for several long months, one survivor testified: “Once again I was able to write and write, Managing Editor-in-Chief: Editor: LeahIris Rosenberg Goldstein Editorial I just hoped I didn’t run out of paper… the paper Managing Editorial Editor:Board: LeahYifat Bachrach-RonGoldstein Deborah Berman xperience has taught us that focusing on the story and pencil allowed me to disassociate myself, to Editorial Board: BenziYifat Bachrach-Ron Kluwgant get away, and remember, even for a few hours, who CynthiaOrit Guttel Wroclawski of one particular person, or group of people, Benzi Kluwgant Estee Yaari engenders the greatest understanding and sympathy. I used to be….” Cynthia Wroclawski E The permanent exhibition in the Holocaust History Often, their statements also served as a last will Editorial Coordinator: EsteeLilach Yaari Tamir-Itach Museum is strongly based on this principle, presenting and testament, directed at those living outside the Language Editor: Emma Sass Editorial Coordinator: Lilach Tamir-Itach hundreds of individual stories within the historical narrative. danger. Together with his friends and colleagues in Language Translated Editor: by: EmmaSagir Translations Sass Inc. The temporary exhibition on Jewish women during the the Warsaw ghetto, the young historian Emanuel Translated Assisted by: AlexanderSagir Translations Avraham, Inc. Professor Shoah, opening this month at Yad Vashem, is an essential Ringelblum laid the foundation for organized David Bankier, Rachel Barkai, Shaya Ben Yehuda, Dalia Cohen, Assisted Limor by: Karo, Alexander Osnat Levy,Avraham, Ayala ProfessorMizrachi, addition to this enterprise (see “Spots of Light: To Be a DoritDavid Novak,Bankier, DanaRachel Porath, Barkai, Elli Shaya Sacks, Ben AmandaYehuda, Woman in the Holocaust,” pp. 6-7). Their varied responses Smulowitz,Dalia Cohen, Hillel Osnat Solomon, Levy, Ayala Malka Mizrachi, Tor, SusanDana WeisbergPorath, Dr. Motti Shalem, Amanda Smulowitz, Hillel to a range of extreme difficulties give us a more complete The Central Theme Solomon, Irena Steinfeldt appreciation of the unique plight of women at that time. Photography: Yossi Ben David, Israel Hadari, Isaac Harari Photography: Yossi Ben David, Isaac Harari This year, Holocaust Remembrance Day is focusing Production: Dfus Kal on the topic of witnesses and testimonies; how even during documentation during WWII by establishing the Production: Design: StephanieDfus Kal & Ruti Design the darkest days of the Holocaust, those experiencing “Oneg Shabbat” Archives. Through letters and diaries, as well as literary works and daily journals, This magazine Design: was published Stephanie with& Ruti the Design assistance such unimaginable hardships had the astonishing foresight of Canit Hashalom Investments LTD. to note down, with pen and brush, what was happening the authors understood the importance of recording This magazine was published with the assistance to them (see “Bearing Witness,” pp. 2-3). This was a in great detail the events they witnessed, thus enabling of CanitYad Vashem Hashalom Jerusalem Investments Magazine LTD. P.O. Box 3477, Jerusalem 91034, Israel crucial task: one that not only helped them maintain their the world—and future generations—to learn about Tel: Yad972-2-6443413, Vashem Jerusalem Fax: 972-2-6443409 Magazine own humanity, but also would serve to fight against future the horrors they experienced. P.O. [email protected] 3477, Jerusalem 91034, Israel With the war’s end, many survivors felt an Tel: 972-2-6443413,www.yadvashem.org Fax: 972-2-6443409 attempts to deny their experiences and their losses. This [email protected] 0793-7199 special issue looks back at more than half a century of Yad immediate need to give testimony, to tell about www.yadvashem.org ©Articles appearingISSN in 0793-7199 this issue may be reprinted Vashem’s efforts to gather, sort and document these the pain and suffering they went through, so it with proper acknowledgement. would never be forgotten or denied. They began ©Articles appearing in this issue may be reprinted testimonies, to integrate them in education and research Yad Vashem’swith proper activities acknowledgement. are supported by endeavors, and to make them accessible to the largest by giving detailed accounts to spontaneously the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport Yad Vashem’s activities are supported by audience possible—so that future generations may know. organized local committees, in refugee camps and the Ministrythe of ClaimsEducation, Conference Culture and Sport before commissions of inquiry working to and the JewishClaims Agency Conference for Israel investigate the war crimes of the Nazis and their Cover: Album of poems and paintings created by 17-year-old collaborators. In bulletins, newsletters and and the Jewish Agency for Israel Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger from Czernowitz, Bukovina, for her 18-year-old boyfriend Leiser Fichman.The album and its story is 2 displayed in the new exhibition “Spots of Light: To Be a Woman in the Holocaust” (see pp. 6-7). Members of the historical committee gathering testimony from survivors in the Leipheim DP camp, Germany, after the war for Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day 2007 newspapers published soon after liberation, they devoted to perpetuating the memory of the Personal testimonies have now become an told about life in the ghettos and the camps, about Holocaust, including Yad Vashem, which has influential and relevant genre in Holocaust, Jewish the invaders, about the aid bestowed upon them the largest collection of survivors’ testimonies; and Israeli literature, motivating generation after by their Jewish comrades and non-Jewish rescuers, the CDJC; and the Shoah Visual History generation to partake in the act of remembering and about the nightmare death marches and the Foundation. Each of these testimonies adds one Holocaust victims. Survivors who relate their dreamlike moments of freedom. Testimony after more fragment of information about the personal testimony to young people and educators testimony, the foundation was slowly laid for the Holocaust, one more piece in a picture of from around the world are partners in perpetuating archives that would document one of the greatest unimaginable cruelty and mass murder. The that memory, as well as that of the rich Jewish tragedies in recorded history. personal stories