Specifically, Philip Riteman.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Such an honour!
It was such an honour to be in the presence of so many Holocaust survivors the other evening.
Specifically, Philip Riteman.
Specifically, Philip Riteman.
Friday, January 27, 2012
"Every time we speak, we lose a night's sleep."
Today marks the 67th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Today, Philip Riteman lives: he tells his story with emotion, with passion, with anger, and with love. Today, we are in a peaceful, safe country. Today, I am so thankful for the Soviet troops that liberated Auschwitz, the American troops that liberated the small mountainside camp where Riteman was, in the middle of a Death March. Today, I remember. The millions of souls that were not as fortunate as Riteman: who never saw happiness, love, life following the war. I remember the millions of souls who cannot share their stories with us. And I remember the overwhelming emotions I felt visiting Auschwitz, Birkenau, Majdanek, Plashov and Treblinka. I remember the horrible sites, exhibits, artifacts we saw. I remember, and will practice, the saying: "Never Again."
Last night, I was honored to hear four Holocaust survivors speak and be in the presence of several others. The Atlantic Jewish Council, in conjunction with King's College, hosted an event for International Holocaust Remembrance Day which included the aforementioned speakers, as well as a beautiful musical interlude, small reception, and a poetry reading. It was a fantastic, yet emotional speaking.
Each survivor spoke of something different - the troubles of telling your story (Michael Falk - who I quoted in my title), what it was like to grow up in a Christian family/orphanage despite being Jewish (David Corn), what it was like to be smuggled across borders (Natan Nevo), and finally, Philip Riteman told his story - of life in Auschwitz, being liberated, and how he came to Nova Scotia.
David also spoke about returning to the orphanage where he was in hiding during the war. The Lutheran Evangelical orphanage books showed that 26 of 70 children were Jews in hiding. Beside each of their names, in pencil, was "non-Aryan." The pencil offered a quick fix should the orphanage ever be visited by officials or Nazis: pencil markings can be erased, and children can be saved.
There was humour throughout the evening, as well. Natan Nevo told us of his memories of being sixteen years old, living in France: "I was a teenager with hot blood. I got beat. But you should have seen them!"
Philip Riteman, as I was expecting, also incorporated humour - he's a fantastic speaker. He knows when to tell a joke to lighten the mood. He knows what stories to tell, and how to tell them. But his actions show how hard it is to speak - he stopped to gather his thoughts, to think, to ponder, to let things sink in. He laughed as he reminded us "you people know nothing", and people gasped at the horrors of his stories.
I was able to speak with Philip following the presentations - he remembered me from our meeting last spring (which you can read about here), and asked me what I thought of Auschwitz. I froze, I had nothing to say to him. He understood this, I think. He squeezed my arm, smiled, and nodded as I shrugged my shoulders and stuttered. He then asked if he had showed me his tattoo from Auschwitz before. He hadn't, and proceeded to roll up his left suit sleeve and show me. The faded navy numbers on his skin gave me shivers. I'm so honored he showed me this. But again, I was speechless.
It was, however, heartwarming to see such a full room - all chairs in the lecture hall were full and people were sitting on the floor. There was a pretty good mix: a few local families, a handful or more of students, and a large elderly group in attendance. Everyone was interested - for whatever personal reasons - and it was a wonderful evening of commemoration and education. I am so happy I was able to attend.
I'm waiting to receive a photo of Philip Riteman and I - I'll post it as soon as I get a copy.
Until then, I'll leave you with a few quotes:
"I beg you - don't you ever hate anyone." - Philip Riteman
"Many times I wish I hadn't survived...but maybe I did to tell you." - Philip Riteman
"You want to know my story? Read my book!" - Philip Riteman
"I enjoy life in the finest country in the world" - Natan Nevo
"The short answer is that these are very, very sad memories. Every time we speak, we lose a night's sleep." - Michael Falk
Last night, I was honored to hear four Holocaust survivors speak and be in the presence of several others. The Atlantic Jewish Council, in conjunction with King's College, hosted an event for International Holocaust Remembrance Day which included the aforementioned speakers, as well as a beautiful musical interlude, small reception, and a poetry reading. It was a fantastic, yet emotional speaking.
Each survivor spoke of something different - the troubles of telling your story (Michael Falk - who I quoted in my title), what it was like to grow up in a Christian family/orphanage despite being Jewish (David Corn), what it was like to be smuggled across borders (Natan Nevo), and finally, Philip Riteman told his story - of life in Auschwitz, being liberated, and how he came to Nova Scotia.
David also spoke about returning to the orphanage where he was in hiding during the war. The Lutheran Evangelical orphanage books showed that 26 of 70 children were Jews in hiding. Beside each of their names, in pencil, was "non-Aryan." The pencil offered a quick fix should the orphanage ever be visited by officials or Nazis: pencil markings can be erased, and children can be saved.
There was humour throughout the evening, as well. Natan Nevo told us of his memories of being sixteen years old, living in France: "I was a teenager with hot blood. I got beat. But you should have seen them!"
Philip Riteman, as I was expecting, also incorporated humour - he's a fantastic speaker. He knows when to tell a joke to lighten the mood. He knows what stories to tell, and how to tell them. But his actions show how hard it is to speak - he stopped to gather his thoughts, to think, to ponder, to let things sink in. He laughed as he reminded us "you people know nothing", and people gasped at the horrors of his stories.
I was able to speak with Philip following the presentations - he remembered me from our meeting last spring (which you can read about here), and asked me what I thought of Auschwitz. I froze, I had nothing to say to him. He understood this, I think. He squeezed my arm, smiled, and nodded as I shrugged my shoulders and stuttered. He then asked if he had showed me his tattoo from Auschwitz before. He hadn't, and proceeded to roll up his left suit sleeve and show me. The faded navy numbers on his skin gave me shivers. I'm so honored he showed me this. But again, I was speechless.
It was, however, heartwarming to see such a full room - all chairs in the lecture hall were full and people were sitting on the floor. There was a pretty good mix: a few local families, a handful or more of students, and a large elderly group in attendance. Everyone was interested - for whatever personal reasons - and it was a wonderful evening of commemoration and education. I am so happy I was able to attend.
I'm waiting to receive a photo of Philip Riteman and I - I'll post it as soon as I get a copy.
Until then, I'll leave you with a few quotes:
"I beg you - don't you ever hate anyone." - Philip Riteman
"Many times I wish I hadn't survived...but maybe I did to tell you." - Philip Riteman
"You want to know my story? Read my book!" - Philip Riteman
"I enjoy life in the finest country in the world" - Natan Nevo
"The short answer is that these are very, very sad memories. Every time we speak, we lose a night's sleep." - Michael Falk
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