Fourth Pre-Trip Session 03/06/14

            We started off this meeting by comparing definitions of the Holocaust from around the world.   It was evident that each region of the world has a different perspective of the Holocaust.  Washington D.C., for example, acknowledges all minorities attacked, and not just the Jews, while others focus more on Jews.  Alex Weisser noted that it is important that we recognize all groups involved because we were not the only ones targeted. 

            Next, in small groups, we made “narratives” of the Holocaust by selecting six pictures out of thirty that struck us as significant.  It was very interesting to see that most of the groups had similar themes and many of the same pictures were chosen.  As Drew Eichel and I were creating ours, Werner Coppel, Holocaust survivor, pointed at a picture of Nazis deciding whether people should go to a work camp or a gas chamber and said, “I was there.”  Drew and I both agreed that after hearing that, our upcoming trip felt more powerful and real.

            Werner Coppel then told our group his Holocaust story.  He is the third speaker we’ve heard and I am noticing that each Holocaust survivor has their own unique story that they are very proud of.  Werner stated, “Your trip is holy because when you walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau, know that it is the same walk that I did.”  Matt Steinberg pointed out that yes, it is the same walk, but for completely different reasons. 

            Werner’s statement made us all realize that the march and our trip will be very emotional and “an experience that will change you as a person.”

Thoughts on Werner’s story:

“Werner had a fascinating story and I was captivated by it” – Matt Schneider

“This session was very profound.  Of all the speakers, Werner evoked the most emotion out of me because we will be visiting the same place where he suffered so much” – Dan Ginsburg