Honoring His Story

It is a rare honor these days to get the opportunity to read a firsthand account, let alone get the opportunity to personally have an interview with one. According to Israel National News, the projections of remaining Holocaust survivors will total approximately 145,000 by 2015.  This means that the historical significance of these accounts as well as the opportunity to speak with a living Holocaust survivor is not something to be taken lightly, but rather something to be valued and treasured for these experiences.

I will never forget a couple of weeks ago when I began to receive a series of emails.  The first email that came simply introduced the idea of getting to meet with this Holocaust survivor, Alter Wiener, whose autobiography was one of the reading materials selected for this class.  The second stated that he would be interested in doing an interview and the third and last email said that their was an interview set up with the confirmed date and time.  Mind you, all of this happened within a thirty minute time span and I walked away from my class really excited in anticipation of this interview.  And now that it is here, I cannot help but feel different emotions.  After reading Alter Wiener's From a Name to a Number, one cannot help but to truly get a sense of the impact of the Holocaust.  The way that he presents his story is one that truly strips any prejudices or barriers and simply shares a series of stories throughout his novel.

As part of what Wiener details in his autobiography, he feels a need to share his story with those people today who know of the Holocaust but maybe not in the way that Alter shares his story.

One of the most poignant parts to this autobiography is truly the way that he approaches his experiences of the Holocaust.  To be such a young man at the time of the Holocaust and then have the perspective that he does is truly amazing. He approaches the Holocaust in a way that appears to be full of grace and humility.  He honors those that risked so much to save him but painting portraits of these unsung heroes.  And while in this short clip, Wiener details exactly his reasons for writing this book, I would say that part of this reason is to honor these people around him in those years that made his survival possible.  Whether a cheese sandwich, clothes to wear, human touch or even shelter, he does not fail to say how their stories have made his richer.  They are the reason that he is allowed to speak and educate and help us to remember all those who lost their lives and endured the horrors of the Holocaust.

One of the themes that has been dominant throughout the readings of this semester has been the purpose of these authors in writing their novels or various accounts of German history.  Whether a simple fascination or even a true and very personal story, each serves to lay a brick in a foundation of German history.  Some may ask, why did Joseph Roth detail what he saw in Berlin or what was Erik Larsen's fascination with William Dodd?  But yet, in each of these books, there is a purpose.  There is a reason that these stories need to be told.  In each account, a different vantage point is presented that allows for me personally to view Germany in a total different capacity than I had previously.

And so to each one of you, I thank you.  I thank you for your willingness to be open and vulnerable in your writing.  To use your gifts of oratory and the written word to communicate to a generation more than a preconceived idea that Nazi Germany is all that Germany has to show for itself.  And while to a degree this is true, thank you for having the courage to challenge us as readers and listeners to look beyond narrow minded views and expand us to a deeper appreciation of history and understanding.

Tomorrow will be a wonderful opportunity to do just this.  To gain a deeper understanding straight from the mouth of Alter Wiener.  I am so looking forward to having this opportunity.  And so it is with great honor and respect for this individual, that I must allow him to do the rest of the talking for this week as my understanding only goes so far.

"I bow my head for all righteous people of all nations, who risked death to preserve human freedom and human dignity. We must honor them by carrying on their struggle to defend life, liberty and justice for all people". - Alter Wiener (51).

Interview Questions for Alter Wiener: 
1) In the preface, you mention the phrase "somewhat healed".  What do you mean by this phrase?  What brings you healing in the aftermath of the Holocaust?
2) What impact do you feel that your story has on audiences today?  What does it mean for you to get a letter from an audience member that details the impact that you have made by telling your story?
3) You mention that your story is one that is "difficult and painful to tell".  Do you find that speaking to audiences or sharing your autobiography was an easier medium for you to communicate your story?
4) Do you feel the need to "perpetuate the Holocaust's legacy"?
5) You mention that the "Holocaust legacy" has intrinsic value as a warning for the future.  What is this warning that you believe the Holocaust is for the human race?
6) You had mentioned that "if the seeds of genocide ever begin to appear, they can be identified and eradicated before they ripen".  What do you say in response to the genocide in Serbia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur? As a survivor, how do you wrestle with this notion of "never again"?
7) Beyond the guard that you met in Waldeburg, have you ever come into contact with a Nazi officer who survived the war?  If so, what was your conversation like?
8) The day that you were in the graveyard with the tombstones following your mother's death, why did you feel that one of those tombstones would soon bear your name?  Was there a sense of urgency you felt towards your death at that time? (***Joseph Roth and the predictor of doom)
9) The phrase, "we were given two ears, but only one tongue- to teach us that we should listen twice as much as we speak. The key to all good human relations is listening.  When your loved ones are talking, listen to them as if it were the last time hearing them."  In lieu of sharing your story, what does this phrase mean to you?
10) You mention your stepmother Rachel and create this beautiful portrait of her as your "torch in life; full of forgiveness, humility, meekness, steadfastness and moral principles."  How does Rachel's influence impact your attitudes towards the Holocaust, if at all?
11) "Never abandon your dreams; dwell on positive thoughts; you lose nothing by keeping your hopes alive! The adversities we face are passing phases that will be followed by fortunate events".  I really appreciated this quote of Rachel's.  What are your dreams now and then?  How do these words impact you today?
12) One of your father's quotes mentioned was "idleness is the killer of the soul.  If you have time, don't waste it because every moment is precious".  In lieu of your survival and the impact that you make with the time you had, do you believe that your father has made this lasting impact on your life? And in what way specifically?
13) Do family values that were instilled in you as a child translate to your honoring of their memory today?
14) The phrase, "Love the sinner. Hate the sin." In the midst of your experience, do you truly feel that you are able to love your oppressors despite all that they did to you?
15) When Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, what was it like for you to truly be so close and have that point in history so prominent in your own personal history despite of all the ensuing chaos around you?
16) Rachel seemed to have this unwavering faith with the invasion of Poland and the presence of the Germans.  Did you find that her faith strengthened yours simply by her presence?
17) When the Jewish men and women were being hung, what was your feelings about the Germans view of this as something as a "spectacle" of death?
18)  What was it like for you when you learned that your brother, Shmuel was in the camp with you?  Did you find that despite being in the camps, that you still had a presence in each other's lives?
19) In regards to hygiene, did you literally feel stripped of human decency?  Or what point in the transition to Blechhammer did you reach this point?
20) Did the Germans still give you a Sabbath so that you could observe a day of rest?
21) When wearing the star of David in the camps, was it a feeling of pride or a feeling of humiliation that you carried with you?
22) You include one of Arthur Ashe's quotes, "True heroism is not dramatic.  It is not the urge to surpasss all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost."  You highlight several heroes in this account.  One of the more prominent ones is the woman in the factory that brings you a cheese sandwich.  Why do you believe that she risked so much for you?
23) What did it feel like when you were taken to Waldenburg and went nameless and replaced by a five digit number? How did it feel to now just be one of many?
24)  When the camps were first liberated, what emotions did you feel? How did you cope with this new freedom? How did you transition to life outside of the camps?
25) Knowing today that there were those who knew of the camps, what do you say to them? How do you face them even when they know that the Holocaust was taking place?
26) Following liberation, you mention the phrase "renewal of life".  What does this phrase mean to you?
27) "My frame of mind was not for revenge.  No matter how I was hurting, I let it go and did not try to get even"? Was this a perspective/ attitude that was innate to you based on your faith or did something else drive you when others sought revenge?
28) What purpose do you ultimately find in sharing your stories? Do you feel that you are truly helping to educate a generation on this "never forget. never again" mentality?

And with that, we shall wait in expectation of what lies ahead. I am truly left speechless. What an honor...

Resources:
Fulbrook, Mary. A History of Germany: 1918-2008 The Divided Nation. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2009. Print.
Wiener, Alter. From a Name to a Number: A Holocaust Survivor's Autobiography. Bloomington: Author House Publishing, 2008. Print.