Vol. 36-No.3 ISSN 0892-1571 January/February 2010-Shevat/Adar 5770 THE LEGACY OF SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL DAY OF COMMEMORATION IN MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST he 2010 observance of the camps. The architects and engineers who “And yet, remarkably, many people li Zborowski, Chairman of the T International Day of Commemoration designed the gas chambers and cremato- survived the camps and the ghettos. EAmerican & International Societies of in memory of the victims of the Holocaust ria, with chilling efficiency. The drivers who Those survivors carry a crucial mes- Yad Vashem, addressing more than two focused on a central theme: “The Legacy of delivered the wood, the workers who ham- sage for all of us. A message about the hundred guests present at the opening, said: Survival,” which emphasizes the universal mered the nails and laid the bricks. triumph of the human spirit. A living “In observing the 65th Anniversary of the lessons that the survivors will pass on to “And then, once these facilities were testament that tyranny,though it may Liberation of Auschwitz and in commemo- succeeding generations. With fewer sur- ration of International Remembrance Day vivors alive to tell their stories, it is of pri- of the Holocaust, on behalf of the survivors mary importance to share this legacy with and the world community, we extend our people everywhere, to encourage respect deepest thanks to the United Nations for for diversity and human rights for genera- opening its doors for the Yad Vashem tions to come. exhibit ‘Architecture of Murder — the A series of events took place the week of Auschwitz-Birkenau Blueprints’. 25 January 2010 at United Nations “Yad Vashem is the National Headquarters. One of them was the open- Remembrance Authority and the world’s ing of the exhibition “Architecture of Murder: largest archival depository of Holocaust The Auschwitz-Birkenau Blueprints.” related material that is being used for The aim of the exhibition is to empha- research and studies, teaching the history size that Auschwitz-Birkenau, the concen- of that tragic period. tration and extermination camp, which “In remembering the victims of the became known worldwide as the insignia unspeakable atrocities, we also honor the of human evil, was engineered for the Righteous Among the Nations, those who destruction of European Jewry. The risked their lives to save Jewish lives. Part Auschwitz camp complex was the largest of my family and I were saved by two Polish and most important extermination com- families who were hiding us for two years. plex built by Nazi Germany. During the “The rescuers were few in number com- period of its operation between June 1940 pared with the murderers, yet their and January 1945, the Germans mur- courage and heroism were given a place dered more than a million people on site, of honor in the Boulevard and the Garden most of whom were Jews. of the Righteous Among the Nations at The exhibition was curated and produced Yad Vashem. by Yad Vashem — The Holocaust Martyrs’ “This Exhibition, ‘Architecture of Murder and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority and — The Auschwitz-Birkenau Blueprints,’ sponsored by the American & International further illustrates for the entire world the Societies for Yad Vashem. demonic details of this factory of torture Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, and death. This archival material, the orig- speaking at the exhibit opening, thanked inal document, was handed over by the “everyone involved in bringing this impor- Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, to tant exhibition to the United Nations — and the Prime Minister of Israel, the Jewish in particular, Yad Vashem, a close partner of state, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, for safe- the United Nations in our vital work of keeping at Yad Vashem. Holocaust education and remembrance.” “This was a significant step being “This exhibition delivers a vital message recorded in the aftermath of the Holocaust that bears repeating again and again: history. This is a powerful document the Holocaust did not just happen; it was against deniers of the Holocaust. planned. The abominable crimes com- Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General, and Eli Zborowski, Chairman, American Society “Germany, since the days of the late Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, is fearlessly mitted against so many millions of Jews for Yad Vashem, at the exhibit opening. confronting the past. and others were not just incidental casual- ready for their grim business, the com- rise, will surely not prevail. “The donation of these documents by ties of war; they were its very intent. manders and guards who herded people “That is why, at United Nations offices the German newspaper Bild, published by “The blueprints for Auschwitz-Birkenau into rows; who turned on the poison gas; around the world, the theme of this Axel-Springer Verlag, demonstrates that show just how many people it took to build who saw the panic on people’s faces; and year’s International Day in Memory of openness and truth can lift the burden of this enterprise of death. The Nazi leaders who heard, clearly, the dying cries of men, the Victims of the Holocaust is the lega- the past from successive generations. who commissioned the extermination women, boys, and girls. cy of survival. Survivors play a vital “The American Society for Yad Vashem role in keeping the lessons of the in partnership with Yad Vashem in Holocaust alive for future generations. Jerusalem is proud to have brought you “The United Nations Outreach this exhibit. We thank the Constantiner IN THIS ISSUE Programme on the Holocaust is work- family for their sponsorship and the lead- International Remembrance Day of the Holocaust...................................................1, 2, 8 ing closely with survivors to ensure that ership of the United Nations — the con- Blueprint for genocide on display at Yad Vashem Holocaust museum....................3 their stories are heard and heeded as a science of the world — for hosting it in FDR and the “Voyage of the Damned”.........................................................................5 warning of the consequences of anti- these hallowed halls. A survivor in Berlin........................................................................................................6 Semitism and other forms of discrimina- “We want to acknowledge with thanks the “We were the children of monsters”............................................................................7 tion. Holocaust survivors will not be extraordinary work done by Yad Vashem’s Hitler’s pope was no saint............................................................................................9 with us forever, but the legacy of their museum curator, Ms. Yehudit Inbar, and her Yad Vashem honors Polish Righteous Among the Nations.....................................10 survival must live on. We must pre- team in producing this exhibit based on the As the Nazis and adolescence took hold...................................................................11 serve their stories, through memorials, original architectural blueprints. Controversy over remains of Nazi leader..................................................................12 through education, most of all through “If ‘Never Again’ is to be a reality — it will Memoirs of Hitler aide could finally end Holocaust claims......................................14 robust efforts to prevent genocide and come about through education and evi- The miraculous story of the Jews of Zakynthos.......................................................16 other grave crimes,” said Ban Ki-moon. dence such as this.” Page 2 MARTYRDOM & RESISTANCE January/February 2010 - Shevat/Adar 5770 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF COMMEMORATION IN MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST ISRAEL: HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY MARKED GERMANY: SHIMON PERES ADDRESSES REICHSTAG wail of sirens brought Israel to a AS WORLD MARKS HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY A standstill on the morning of January he significance of the occasion diplomacy — flowed as he drew parallels 26 for a two-minute silence to remember Tcould not have been overstated — between the dangers of the regime in the victims of the Holocaust. and it was not lost on the 622 politicians Tehran and the Nazi dictatorship, and At a ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin gathered in the Reichstag, a symbol of referred to Germany's moral duty, as the Netanyahu said Holocaust deniers would postwar transparency and democracy. country that once tried to destroy the never be allowed to carry out another Shimon Peres became the first Israeli Jews, to protect Israel from outside attack. Holocaust against the Jewish people. president to choose Holocaust He said Holocaust Remembrance Day During the two-minute silence in Israel, Remembrance Day to address the nation "not only represents a memorial day for pedestrians stopped in their tracks, driv- responsible for the murder of six million the victims, not only the pangs of con- ers pulled over and got out of their cars Jews, on what was described as a and people in offices rose to stand next to "groundbreaking occasion" in both their desks. Jerusalem and Berlin. Names of the victims were recited and flowers At the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, Traditionally, German leaders have were laid at a ceremony at the Yad Vashem survivors Lia and Iudit — twin sisters — lit a travelled to Israel on this day, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. torch to open the Remembrance Day cere- anniversary of the liberation of the An official ceremony was also held in mony, before Israeli President