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PRISM • AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL FOR HOLOCAUST EDUCATORS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL FOR HOLOCAUST EDUCATORS • A ROTHMAN FOUNDATION PUBLICATION AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL 2495 Amsterdam Avenue FOR HOLOCAUST EDUCATORS New York, NY 10033 www.yu.edu/azrieli EDITOR DR. KAREN SHAWN, Yeshiva University, New York, NY ASSOCIATE EDITOR DR. MOSHE SOKOLOW, Yeshiva University, New York, NY EDITORIAL BOARD DARRYLE CLOTT, Viterbo University, La Crosse, WI DR. KEREN GOLDFRAD, Bar-Ilan University, Israel YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • AZRIELI GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH EDUCATION AND ADMINISTRATION BRANA GUREWITSCH, Museum of Jewish Heritage– A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, New York, NY (Ret.) DR. DENNIS KLEIN, Kean University, Union, NJ DR. MARCIA SACHS LITTELL, School of Graduate Studies, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona DR. CARSON PHILLIPS, York University, Toronto, Canada DR. DAVID SCHNALL, Yeshiva University, New York, NY DR. WILLIAM SHULMAN, President, Association of Holocaust Organizations, New York, NY DR. SAMUEL TOTTEN, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville DR. WILLIAM YOUNGLOVE, California State University, Long Beach ART EDITOR DR. PNINA ROSENBERG, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa; The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Israel POETRY EDITOR DR. CHARLES ADÈS FISHMAN, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of English and Humanities, State University of New York ADVISORY BOARD STEPHEN FEINBERG, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Ret.) DR. LEO GOLDBERGER, Professor Emeritus, New York University, NY DR. YAACOV LOZOWICK, Israel State Archivist YITZCHAK MAIS, Historian, Museum Consultant, Jerusalem, Israel DR. MORDECAI PALDIEL, Yeshiva University, New York, NY DR. ROBERT ROZETT, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, Israel MARK SARNA, Second Generation, Real Estate Developer, Attorney, Englewood, NJ DR. DAVID SILBERKLANG, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, Israel DR. MARLENE W. YAHALOM, Director of Education, American Society for Yad Vashem DR. EFRAIM ZUROFF, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Jerusalem, Israel AZRIELI GRADUATE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT EDITORS DR. CHAIM FEUERMAN* DR. MOSHE KRAKOWSKI DR. RONA MILCH NOVICK DR. DAVID PELCOVITZ SPRING • VOLUME 2018 10 DR. LAYA SALOMON DR. ILANA TURETSKY ART DIRECTOR EMILY SCHERER STEINBERG, Yeshiva University, New York, NY PROJECT MANAGER LAURA L. WEST, Yeshiva University, New York, NY COPY EDITOR DAVID B. GREENBERG, Jerusalem, Israel SPRING 2018 *deceased VOLUME 10 ISSN 1949-2707 In memory of ז״ל Henry I. Rothman and ע״ה Bertha G. Rothman לחמו מלחמות ה׳ “who lived and fought for Torah-true Judaism” Published through the courtesy of the HENRY, BERTHA and EDWARD ROTHMAN FOUNDATION Rochester, N.Y. • Circleville, Ohio • Cleveland, Ohio and AZRIELI GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH EDUCATION AND ADMINISTRATION YESHIVA UNIVERSITY Call for Manuscripts AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL FOR HOLOCAUST EDUCATORS PRISM: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Holocaust Educators is a publication of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration at Yeshiva University. Copies are available upon request. Contact [email protected] to order. EDUCATORS, HISTORIANS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, THEOLOGIANS, ARTISTS, WRITERS, POETS, AND OTHER INTERESTED AUTHORS ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT MANUSCRIPTS OR ARTWORK ON THE THEME OF TURNING POINTS: EXPERIENCES OR EVENTS DURING THE HOLOCAUST THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY—OF THE WORLD, OF A FAMILY UNIT, OF AN INDIVIDUAL. Submissions due June 1, 2018. KEEP IN MIND: • Submissions must be emailed to [email protected] in Microsoft Word, using Times New Roman 12 font type, double-spaced, justified, and paginated. The American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual (6th Ed.) is Yeshiva University’s required reference guide for publications. • Poetry submissions must be sent to Dr. Charles Adès Fishman, our poetry editor, at [email protected]. Poetry should be single-spaced. Include your name and email address on each poem. • Photos and artwork must be attached as separate JPEG or TIF files and accompanied by permissions and captions. Essays accompanied by documentary photos and artwork are given special consideration. • Length of manuscript may vary; we seek essays from 4 to 14 double-spaced pages. • Each issue, including all photos, will be available as a PDF on our web site, yu.edu/azrieli/research/prism-journal/, so permissions must include rights for online as well as print publication. CONTACT DR. KAREN SHAWN AT [email protected] WITH QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS, AND/OR QUERIES ABOUT SPECIFIC THEMES FOR FUTURE ISSUES. PRISM: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Holocaust Educators is a peer-reviewed annual. Acceptance of manuscripts for publication depends on the following factors: sound scholarship; originality; clear, concise, and engaging writing; relevance to theme; value and interest to audience of educators; and adherence to style guidelines. We do not publish previously published essays unless prior approval from the PRISM editors has been granted. The content of PRISM reflects the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the Azrieli Graduate School and Yeshiva University. _________________ All content is proprietary to Yeshiva University and/or its contributors, and is protected by U.S. and international intellectual property and related laws. The materials are made available for limited non-commercial, educational, and personal use only. Users agree that they will limit their downloading, printing, copying, or use of such materials to non-commercial, educational, personal, or for fair use. Users must cite the author and source of the material and may not remove any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices. Downloading, printing, copying, or other commercial reproduction, including commercial publication or for personal gain, is prohibited. ii PRISM: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL FOR HOLOCAUST EDUCATORS Contents 1 Introduction 42 We, the Tefillin of Once-Was K AREN SHAWN Europe (poetry) YAKOV AZRIEL 3 Prologue (memoir) LARRY ORBACH 44 Shoes (poetry) SHEILA GOLBURGH JOHNSON 5 A Melancholic’s Smile: Profile of a Young Writer of Letters from 46 At the Holocaust Museum: the Tomaszów–Mazowiecki Ghetto Washington D. C. (poetry) (biography) TINO VILLANUEVA JUSTYNA BIERNAT 50 How to Read Holocaust Poems 12 A Note on Abraham Sutzkever, (poetry) a Portrait Poem, and a Few Works CHARLES ADÈS FISHMAN by the Poet (personal narrative) 51 SEYMOUR MAYNE Charlotte Sorkine (interview) MYRA SKLAREW For a Comrade (poetry) 55 ABRAHAM SUTZKEVER Words (poetry) MYRA SKLAREW I Feel Like Saying a Prayer (poetry) 56 Walls of Paper (historical research) ABRAHAM SUTZKEVER RAFAEL MEDOFF Burnt Pearls (poetry) 64 The Righteous (poetry) ABRAHAM SUTZKEVER STEPHEN J. CIPOT The Leaden Plates of Romm’s 65 Portraits of Righteous (art) Printing Works (poetry) FRANCINE MAYRAN ABRAHAM SUTZKEVER 68 It’s Never Too Late: 16 The Lens of Memory: My Holocaust Education The Private Archive (personal narrative) of Liuba-Haviva Minz A NDR EW K AVCHAK (biographical memoir) 71 When the Lights Go Down: PNINA ROSENBERG Critical Perspectives on Popular 22 The Altenberg Family Letters: Holocaust Classroom Films A Story of Love in Translation (pedagogy) (pedagogy) MARK GUDGEL CHRISTOPHER GWIN 77 Witnesses (poetry) 29 A Violin, a Crimson Scarf, CHARLES ADÈS FISHMAN a Pair of High-Heeled Shoes: 78 About the Contributors Unpacking Artifacts From Holocaust Narratives (pedagogy) 80 Acknowledgements, Credits, K AREN SHAWN Permissions 43 Nancy Patz and the Topography of Pain and Memory (art) PNINA ROSENBERG 37 Star (poetry) CHARLES ADÈS FISHMAN 38 Juliek’s Violin (poetry) MICHAEL BLUMENTHAL 40 Earrings (poetry) ANNETTE BIALIK HARCHIK 41 Es Geht Mir Gut (poetry) STEPHEN HERZ SPRING 2018 • VOLUME 10 iii Introduction elcome to our 10th-anniversary classrooms and conferences. To place an issue! We take this opportunity order, write to [email protected] and include Wto thank our thousands of readers your complete mailing address. in over 40 countries and in every American This anniversary marks our second state, especially those who graciously take open-themed issue, so the offerings within the time to write appreciative notes to us. are wide-ranging yet interrelated. “One can’t Your feedback is needed to inform us of say how life is, how chance or fate deals your interests, and we welcome your sug- with people,” wrote Hannah Arendt, “except gestions for themes and topics you would by telling a tale.” Because we agree with like to see addressed. Commendations of that sentiment, we opened each of our first our work and that of our contributors con- nine issues with a short story. For this one, firm that our service is appreciated and we chose a highly engaging tale, an excerpt our educational goals are being met. We are especially from the memoir Young Lothar: An Underground Fugitive in grateful to those of you who have included donations with Nazi Berlin (2017), co-written by the late Larry Orbach and your letters of praise. Funds are necessary if we are to his daughter, Vivien Orbach-Smith. Orbach recounts a continue to produce this journal and send it at no cost to moment from his childhood in Berlin in 1934, a vivid readers around the world. introduction to the harsh realities of Jewish life for a child We also thank Steve Schloss, our project manager from in the early years of Nazi rule. the beginning of this venture. His was a steady, patient, Another tale-like memoir comes from Pnina Rosenberg, and guiding hand always, and although we are delighted who recounts her family’s experiences, focusing on her that he has made aliyah and we wish