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
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