By Gideon Goldstein iEARN Coordinator Israel
I have just returned from leading yet another mission to Poland, this time, unfortunately, with no iEARN participation. It was a large group, almost two hundred students and teachers from Israel, Russia, and Argentina. Yet, something was missing.
I had time to reflect. During the very long bus rides, when my mind was less preoccupied with running the mission, I had the opportunity to review my several missions to Poland.
I am not a history expert. I started off with the basic knowledge of the Holocaust and World War II that every Israeli person has. Yet, through time and with the special needs of mentoring the HGP, I was captivated with several of the intriguing facets of this historical phenomenon.
On this last mission, during a survivor's testimony, a teacher asked a question, which would not have been surprising, if not for the context.
"Why did you not fight; why did you not resist?" asked the teacher. The survivor, a petite lady who as all of 14 years old when she was brought to Birkenau, was startled at first - and, then, with tears in her eyes, she gave a lengthy response.
I could recite her answer now. I remember it almost point by point. Yet, I would like to leave the answer the survivor gave for next year's issue of AETI. I would like to pose this question to all HGP participants, as part of next year's curriculum. I am planning to place the question, with guidelines for a response from all of you. Only at the end will I relate the answer given by a survivor on fresh, spring grass in the women's camp of Birkenau in April of 1999.
HGP Students