Sixty years later, who gives a damn about the Holocaust?...

by Mikasi | April 16, 2009 at 10:24 am

577 views | 89 Recommendations | 10 comments

[March 12, 2008 Kenosha, WI ]

...apparently a lot more people than you'd think

For an overcrowded speaking room at Carthage College the day's biggest story was told by Magda Brown. Hers was the autobiography of a 17 year old Jewish girl in Miskolc, Hungary who – along with her family - was rounded up in 1944 and sent to the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. For over an hour Brown laid down the chronology of horrors which befell her, her family and six million Jews during the Nazi ascendance.

But to me, the more unusual story was not the tale from the Holocaust which Brown related, but rather the number of students and community members who came to hear it. For a country which criticizes itself for producing a dismally vapid and ignorant younger generation the number of young people at Brown's lecture was both surprising and heartening.

A modular speaking room, originally set up for 200, had to be thrown open. Hurriedly, members of Phi Alpha Theta, the academic history fraternity which sponsored the speech, set up more seats.

And with over 300 people it was still standing room only.

Why was it that so many traditionally aged students, – 18 through 22 – showed up to listen to a stranger's story of a history which happened before even their parents were born? The few students I spoke with listed different reasons – a duty to hear the stories of survivors, a desire to listen different perspectives, a chance to meet someone who had lived through something they had only read about.

After the presentation and a question and answer session, Mrs. Brown took a moment to reflect on the numbers. “I was overwhelmed... especially when I heard that Spring break is coming very shortly... I figured if I have ten people I'll have ten people. Because my contention is I speak to one or I speak to a hundred.”

For a cynic like me it was heartening to see so many people taking their free time to listen – many with pens in hand, pads on laps, taking copious notes - to a story so important.

As for Magda. Brown, there was a message she hoped everyone walked away remembering - “The one thing is to understand that hatred creates this tragedy. That's the beginning of all the genocide problems – hatred.”

“Our main aim is to say that never again really means never again.”

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sara star

flagged this story as Eyewitness Report

at 12:46 on April 16th, 2009

This is an eyewitness report from the NowPublic member Mikasi who was on the scene.

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Mikasi

at 10:31 on April 16th, 2009

A note concerning this story - the presentation was on March 12th of this year. While that does not make it breaking news I felt the cultural aspect here was still applicable enough to warrant sharing. My apologies if wrong on this assumption.

Mikasi

at 10:45 on April 16th, 2009

Here's another video from the event. This one, about student reactions to the presentation, would not post with the story.

Jordan Yerman

at 10:45 on April 16th, 2009

Your headline asks a very pertinent question, since most survivors (both perpetrators and victims) are now dead.

Folks, get your firsthand accounts while you still can.

It's also important that the Holocaust be taught in a modern context, as genocide isn't just about Nazis and Jews/Gypsies/Homosexuals/anyone the Nazis didn't like.

Amy Judd

at 10:51 on April 16th, 2009

I'm glad so many people came out for the event, I would have gone as well. It's so important to remember what human beings have done to each other I think, both good and bad, and hopefully try and learn from it.

Tamiya

at 12:02 on April 16th, 2009

Years pass by, but you don't forget if you have seen your own family, friends, and neighbors killed as cattle, and you barely made it alive due to luck or otherwise.

The scar stays with the survivors forever.

You can be sure many of these survivors tear up at the thought of events that they have witnessed.

It is unfortunate the world still does not react to genocide fast enough. All genocides are watched in silence, and fought after the fact. Hence they are only good for debates and cross-panel discussions.

"Red alert" countries include Afghanistan and Iraq alongside commonly known regions currently experiencing genocidal conflict such as Sudan's Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These and Myanmar, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka all made the list's top eight because they appear in each of the five "expert" indexes.

The next 25 "orange alert" countries appear in at least three of the indexes and include China, Colombia, Philippines and Indonesia as places where ongoing or simmering violence could flare to genocidal proportions.

"It is possible to identify early indicators of mass atrocity crimes. But what happens now is the international community sees what's going on, gets paralyzed and, if it acts, really only acts after the fact," said Jill Savitt, project executive director.

tikun

at 12:21 on April 16th, 2009

Thanks for this important story. It appears that not only the children of survivors have suffered their own angst but their children, the grandchildren, have also been profoundly affected.

Mikasi

at 12:27 on April 16th, 2009

Let me clarify first that I am not a Christian, Jew or Muslim. however, there I believe there is much wisdom to be found in all holy books. Somewhere it is said that the sins of the father will stay with the his people to the seventh generation. It could also be said that the sins inflicted upon one may stay alive for seven generations.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 18:05 on April 16th, 2009

Having visited a concentration camp (Dachau), I know that this will stay on the conscience of the German people for a long time. In Germany denying the holocaust is a crime. Lest we forget.

Ravinwood_777

at 20:30 on April 16th, 2009

yes it is true, every single person associated with that Holocaust in World War II are deceased by now. obviously those brilliant ancient philosophers were dead on, for-time certainly heals all wounds. we should realize that there will come a day when a future generation of people will forget 911using that same timeless excuse.

however, the animalistic horrors of the Holocaust no matter when or where it happened still haunt this generation, like an unfriendly ghost.. to think that man could one day throwaway his reason and become a evil animating robot is something to ponder about. looking at the current political events that are now shaping the future, can we be certain that history no matter how horrendous may repeat itself.

if history teaches us anything it's that man learns nothing from history one thing that mankind is noted for his overall stupidity when facing an uncertain future holocaust.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 06:54 on April 17th, 2009

firozeshakir, I agree with you totally. Unfortunately hatred is well established. I.ve seen some deepseated hatred in my travels around the world. You even see it in North America where hate is thrown around between the left and the right of the political spectrum. Is the human race not capable of living without hate? Surely we discuss our differences in a civil manner and reach compromises. Winning the argument doesn.t always make it right.

Just a few recent examples of hate, HOLOCAUST, Genocide in RWANDA, the genocide in the Balkans, 911, etc etc etc. When will it stop?