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AMERICAN & INTERNATIONAL SOCIETIES FOR YAD VASHEM Vol. 45-No. 1 ISSN 0892-1571 September/October 2018-Tishri/Cheshvan 5779 TO HONOR, TO REMEMBER, AND TO NEVER FORGET Kristallnacht and is still in use today. as the president of the Austrian grandparents. At Gusen, Jonah BY JILL GOLTZER While at the synagogue, Holocaust Parliament, Wolfgang Sobotka. The Deutsch, IDF soldier and grandson of survivor and Mission participant highlight of the evening was meeting survivor Naftali Deutsch, shared his his past July, Yad Vashem’s Felice Z. Stokes gave testimony and the chancellor of Austria, His belief that “even after everything that 2018 Generation to Generation T shared her story growing up as a Excellency Sebastian Kurz, who has happened here and the unspeak- Mission — From Austria to Israel at Hidden Child in France. In the after- recently visited Yad Vashem. The able losses that we have suffered in 70 brought together nearly 100 noon, we held a ceremony at Theodor chancellor personally welcomed the this place…we have won because we friends from five countries, ages 16 to Herzl’s original burial site in the old group, and especially the survivors, to as a people have survived.” 97, including four Holocaust survivors Jewish cemetery on what happened the city of Vienna and reiterated that That sense of victory was evermore and over 40 young leaders. More than to be his 114th yahrzeit. Mission par- “because of our [Austria’s] historical present during our night in Linz, 80 participants came from the USA. ticipants placed seven stones and responsibility, we [the people of where we sang and danced in the From Herzl’s home in Vienna to the seven flowers from the State of Israel Austria] have the duty to fight all very city Hitler intended to make the horrors of Mauthausen and then to on the burial site, representing the forms of anti-Semitism.” To top off a cultural capital of Nazi Germany. As Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, our multi- Mark Moskowitz said, “We rocked the generational journey commemorated Linz Parliament with our rejoicing in a the tragedies and celebrated the tri- way it had never seen before.” While umphs of the Jewish people. When in Linz, we heard from the speaker of asked about the theme of the Mission, the house of Parliament, the Austrian ASYV board member Mark friends of Yad Vashem, and Mission Moskowitz said, “We’re calling it participant Peter Till. Till aptly Generation to Generation because described the bond shared by the L’dor V’dor is one of the things that is group when he stated, “We are now so important at Yad Vashem — to locked arm in arm through the com- communicate, to teach, to dissemi- mon goal of heritage and humanity.” nate the knowledge about the Following a day of solemn reflection, Holocaust to younger generations.” we enjoyed a festive Fourth of July After arriving in Vienna, we got a dinner marking the liberation of the glimpse of the historic city, including Mauthausen camp and subcamps by the famous Belvedere Palace, and the American armed forces. enjoyed the opening dinner in the fter a long day filled with beautiful Wiener Rathaus (Vienna heavy emotion, the Mission Town Hall) with Austrian dignitaries A awoke extremely early to depart and Lt. Shai Abramson, chief cantor Vienna for Israel. Just before land- of the IDF, whom we were fortunate to ing, we were warmly welcomed by have with us throughout the entire Presenting Sebastian Kurz, the chancellor of Austria, with a gift on behalf of Yad Vashem at the Federal Chancellery in Vienna. Shai Abramson singing over the Mission. Welcoming everyone on the Left to right: Dorit Novak, Yad Vashem director general; Adina Burian, Mission chair; Leonard flight’s PA system. Upon arrival, we start of this journey, Mission chair Wilf, ASYV chairman; H.E. Sebastian Kurz, chancellor of Austria. headed straight to the Kotel for a Adina Burian emphasized how “we day of meaning and exploration, the shehecheyanu ceremony. From the need both on an individual level and a seven decades of Israel’s independ- group gathered for dinner at the depths of despair and tragedy, the communal level to learn about the ence. Additionally, an eighth flower Schönbrunn Palace. Jewish people returned home to Holocaust.” These words set the was placed to represent our belief in ednesday marked the day Eretz Israel, and on this day, we stage for the coming week. the future of both the State of Israel that many Mission partici- retraced those steps and celebrated On the first full day of the Mission, and the Jewish people. W pants looked upon with both anxious 70 years of a free and independent participants explored the history of In the evening, we headed to the and nervous anticipation. Visiting state. Rachel Shnay, YLA co-chair, Jews in Vienna and visited sites Austrian Parliament, where we heard Mauthausen reminded everyone of beautifully expressed her love for including the Judenplatz and the from Martin Engelberg, the first active the very reason we embarked on this Israel and her heritage in her speech Stadttempel, which is the only syna- member of the Jewish community to journey. We visited the Mauthausen that first night. In speaking about gogue in Vienna to survive be a member of Parliament, as well and Gusen concentration camps, anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, where we heard testimony from Shnay urged us to always stand up Mauthausen survivors Leon Green and proudly say, “I am a Jew, I am a IN THIS ISSUE and Edward Mosberg, and Gusen Zionist, and I am a grandchild of sur- To honor, to remember, and to never forget.....................................................1,8 survivor Naftali Deutsch. This was vivors, and I will never be silenced!” Shattered childhood........................................................................................3 Leon Green’s first time back to On that inspirational note, and Sons and soldiers............................................................................................4 Mauthausen since being a prisoner despite our exhaustion, we danced Austrian silent film is a Holocaust preview...................................................5 there. He returned with his daughter, the night away with Israeli singer Invisible Jews: surviving the Holocaust in Poland......................................9 Sally, who was visibly emotional when Einat Saruf and lifted our voices to America’s last known Nazi collaborator is deported to Germany..............10 she explained how her father was say Am Yisrael Chai! The hidden history of Shanghai’s Jewish quarter.......................................11 always the strongest man she’s ever On Friday, the group headed to Yad The only refugee camp in America for Jews fleeing the Nazis.................12 known. Other members of the second Vashem to view the two new tempo- The secret society that documented truth of the Warsaw ghetto.............14 and third generations read aloud the rary exhibits, “Flashes of Memory” Getting Anne Frank all wrong.......................................................................15 prisoner cards of their parents and (Continued on page 8) Page 2 MARTYRDOM & RESISTANCE September/October 2018 - Tishri/Cheshvan 5779 “TIME, PLACE AND RELEVANCE”: YAD VASHEM’S 10TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST EDUCATION ver 350 international leaders in out an operation to gather and deport and relevant for future generations. put life into his eyes,” she remembers. OHolocaust education, from five all the Jews located on the scattered Director of Yad Vashem’s Visual Kliger now has two children, four continents and 50 countries, gathered islands of Greece. “Despite the Center Liat Benhabib gave a fascinat- grandchildren and three great-grand- the last week of June at Yad advancements of the Allied forces ing lecture, entitled “From Newsreels children, some of whom were present Vashem’s International School for throughout Europe and the pending to YouTube: Film and the Holocaust.” at the conference. Holocaust Studies for its 10th collapse of Germany as World War II She stated: “Filmmakers try to recon- The culminating point of the 10th struct memory — and today, every- International Conference was a can- one is a filmmaker. Especially as sur- did conversation between Yad vivors pass away, I believe that film Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev and will become even more important in Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Holocaust remembrance and educa- State Museum Piotr M.A. Cywiński. tion.” These two institutions represent two n the last day of the confer- aspects of Holocaust remembrance Oence, participants had the and education: Auschwitz-Birkenau, opportunity to meet and interact with the authentic site of the murder of several Holocaust survivors from a over a million Jews during the variety of locations and backgrounds. Holocaust; and Yad Vashem, the Frieda Kliger, whose image was used World Holocaust Remembrance Teachers participating in a workshop at Yad Vashem 10th Annual International Conference. International Conference on was ending, it was a ‘seek-and- Holocaust Education, entitled “Time, destroy’ mission of the Nazis to mur- Place and Relevance.” der all the Jews of Europe and North The conference presented lectures, Africa.” panel discussions and interactive The former Israeli ambassador to workshops by some of the world’s the United States, MK Michael Oren, leading Holocaust historians, scholars addressed the plenary at the confer- and educators. Each day of the four- ence, pointing out how “all Jews, Participants at Yad Vashem’s 10th Annual International Conference on Holocaust Education. day conference tackled a range of especially of my generation, walk on manyl of the conference materials Center, complete with its world aspects connected to Holocaust edu- around with their own personal and posters, was in attendance. One renowned museum complex, cation in the 21st century. The morn- Holocaust.” Oren recalled that among of the only members of her family to archives and museums, and art and ings were dedicated to plenary ses- those growing up Jewish in the United survive the Holocaust, Kliger artifacts collection.