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Vol. 35-No.2 ISSN 0892-1571 November/December 2008-Cheshvan/Kislev 5769 “THERE IS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE” “THE VERY WORLD RESTS ELI ZBOROWSKI, Founder and Chairman of the American Society for Yad Vashem ON THE BREATH OF A CHILD IN SCHOOL” MARGARET SPELLINGS, U.S. Secretary of Education onored guests, ladies and gentlemen of dais, dear Hcolleagues and friends: s the U.S. Secretary of Education, it’s a pleasure for I wish first to offer my heartfelt congratulations to this Ame to honor three champions of education: survivor evening’s three distinguished honorees, who are each Selma Gruder Horowitz; Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Yad in their own way the embodiment of this year’s dinner Vashem Directorate, and Fred Zeidman, Chairman of the theme – Hope. It is because they believed and hoped United States Holocaust Memorial Council. that they were able to make this world a better place for The Talmud says that “the very world rests on the all of mankind. breath of a child in school.” No one lives by this saying Selma Gruder Horowitz was born in Poland, survived more than tonight’s honorees. the concentration camp, fled to the forests and was ulti- I’ve known Fred for a long time, so I’d like to talk about mately hidden by a Polish woman who has been desig- him first. Fred has never been one for ceremonial nated a Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem. assignments. Instead, he seeks out the most challeng- Her story of courage and optimism, against all odds, is ing and interesting work, where he can make a real dif- truly heroic. We are grateful for her support of the ference. That’s why, in leading the U.S. Holocaust American Society, and proud to have her as a member of our Executive Board. Memorial Museum, Fred not only commemorates the Fred Zeidman, Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, is a mem- past, he also serves as a voice of conscience for today. ber of a growing generation of Jews who feel a strong connection to the Holocaust as a What that means is that, when you visit the museum, you learn about the tragedies of the pivotal event in Jewish history, even though they do not have family members who were Holocaust as well as the genocide that’s taking place now in Darfur. directly affected by this systematic annihilation of the Jewish people. Mr. Zeidman’s com- I know that Fred and all associated with the museum are proud that 28 million people mitment to tikkun olam is evidenced by the dozens of organizations to which he gives his have visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum since it opened. I know he’s time, talents and resources. I am personally grateful to Fred for his expression of warmth equally proud that a majority of these visitors are not of Jewish descent. Because intol- and interest in the American Society for Yad Vashem. erance, hatred, and fear are everybody’s problems. Fred, thank you. General Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, has been a close col- Today, we mark the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht and the beginning of the league, friend and partner for the past 15 years. It is Avner’s vision, tenacity and creativity that Holocaust. We know that these events may seem long past, but the tensions that creat- has enabled Yad Vashem to become the Global Guardian of Holocaust Remembrance. It is ed them are ever-present. not surprising that his contribution to Holocaust awareness has been acknowledged by a Few understand this as well as survivors like Selma Gruder Horowitz. After surviving Legion of Honor presented by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and that he accepted Spain’s Korowice, Selma came to the U.S. and founded a highly successful company. Today, she Prince of Asturias Award for Concord on behalf of Yad Vashem. It has been a privilege for the serves as President of East Coast Industrial Uniform, a board member of the American American Society to participate with Avner in bringing his foresight to fruition. Society for Yad Vashem, a trustee of Yad Vashem Jerusalem, and a strong supporter of The concept of Hope comes to us from the prophet Jeremiah, who said, “There is hope the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. for the future.” When we hear the story of survivors, we are powerfully aware of our moral responsibil- Today to the date we observe the 70th Anniversary of the Kristallnacht and we cele- ity to challenge prejudice and intolerance. brate the 60th Anniversary of the State of Israel. We recall that, since November 9th, That’s why the work of Avner Shalev is so critical. Thanks to Avner, the individual sto- 1938, the infamous Krisallnacht, we experienced increased discrimination, systematic ries of more than three million Holocaust victims are now available online, so that any- dehumanization, ghettos, starvation and deportations to concentration and death camps. one anywhere can hear them. A very few of us survived, to be witness to the tragedy, coined as the Holocaust. Under his leadership, Yad Vashem has embraced new technologies to make sure the When the liberation came, we could not return to our hometowns, to our communities. world’s most comprehensive collection of Holocaust material is also the world’s most They simply did not exist! We became Displaced Persons, many of us still housed in the accessible. He has established an International School for Holocaust Studies, a new camps that once were our prisons, or in temporary makeshift communities. Yet, we made museum complex, and a new library to house more than 68 million pages of documen- the effort to refocus our lives and move on. Now, seven decades later, not only have we tation, plus hundreds of thousands of books and photographs. established ourselves and become productive members of our communities and their The more I learn about Avner Shalev, the more I see why he and Fred have been such institutions, but we are in the forefront in the support of the State of Israel. close partners. Between their two organizations, Fred and Avner have helped provide Today’s Tribute Dinner is honoring a survivor, a witness of the tragedy and the two training for nearly 200,000 teachers. Think of the multiplier effect that will have. Over the Chairmen, heads of the two great institutions working successfully for Remembrance. course of their careers, those teachers will impact millions of students. I could not imag- The teachings of these two great institutions and their activities for Remembrance give ine a more hopeful way to illustrate tonight’s theme of “Tikvah” (hope). us HOPE for NEVER AGAIN. I want to thank all of tonight’s honorees for all that they do to create a more hopeful The presence of a large number of young people in this Tribute Dinner and their active future. I thank them for teaching young generations the values of decency and tolerance. role in our activities is HOPE for a better future, HOPE for continuing teaching the lesson Their wisdom gives us hope for what we can achieve. And I know they and your chil- from our tragedy. dren, and all of us, will continue this work long into the future. IN THIS ISSUE American Society for Yad Vashem Annual Tribute Dinner...........................1,7,8-9,16 A map of a Lithuanian town donated to American Society for Yad Vashem............3 Rosh Hashanah 1944: A Holocaust controversy.........................................................5 Romance in the Holocaust............................................................................................6 Yad Vashem honored unheralded Holocaust hero...................................................10 A friend in deed.............................................................................................................11 Holocaust survivors seek congress’s help in court..................................................12 Austria accused of shielding Nazi suspect................................................................13 Stamp collector’s Holocaust memorial.......................................................................13 The “silent heroes” now have a voice........................................................................14 Nazi collaborator living peacefuly in Germany..........................................................15 Page 2 MARTYRDOM & RESISTANCE November/December 2008 - Cheshvan/Kislev 5769 ANNE FRANK MUSEUM RESTORES PHOTO COLLAGE JEWISH MUSEUM IN BERLIN TRACES ART STOLEN BY NAZIS he Anne Frank House museum said Britain’s Queen Elizabeth - when she was ewish-owned art seized by the Nazis seized by Nazi officials. Tit has restored 52 photographs and still a princess – and the Dutch royal fam- Jfrom 1933 onwards is featured at a Exhibition organizers said that many of images the Jewish teenager pasted on ily in exile. new exhibition at the Jewish Museum in the confiscated paintings and other treas- the wall of her room to cheer herself up As Anne grew older, she pasted over Berlin. Meanwhile, Germany’s culture ures had still not been recovered by the while hiding from the Nazis. some of the glamor shots with reproduc- minister has called for the “fair” return of lawful heirs of the original owners. The water-stained collage Jewish art. Michael Blumenthal, director of the of celebrities of the day, such The exhibition consists of 15 artworks museum, charged that German art col- as Greta Garbo and the Lane along with documents describing their lectors, dealers and museums had all Sisters, that Anne Frank cre- seizure or forced sale, later changes in profited by being able to purchase art at ated shortly after her family ownership, and ultimate restitution. reduced prices. went into hiding have been Valuable porcelain and book collections He praised Germany’s current efforts to seen by millions of visitors, from Dresden’s intellectual von Klemperer give back the art, but said he was disap- offering them another view family are included in the show. The pointed that heirs had no absolute legal into the mind of the girl best Gestapo confiscated the family’s collec- right to reclaim the artworks.

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