Day 6: Yad Vashem - Holocaust Museum
Day 6: Yad Vashem - Holocaust Museum:
I am in this world today in part because I have two grandparents (father's parents) who had the faith, will and luck neccessary to survive the travesty that was the Holocaust. My nana, from Romania, and my papa, from Poland, were both teenagers when they saw their entire families slaughtered along with the ten million other pour souls in an unthinkable act of pure hate.
Both of my grandparents have since passed, and while I in no way mean to discount my grandmother's story, my grandfather's account was well documented in a 1985 interview with The Holocaust Education Foundation. I now feel that it is my duty to share this video and the effect this visit had on me. I ask of you to sacrafice 45 minutes out of your busy day to hear David Major's awe inspiring journey (the interview says 1:30 but it only runs for 45 minutes).
Born in 1921, David's tale begins in Lititov, Poland. In 1939, when he was 18, he saw his entire family brutally murdered and was shipped to the Lodz Ghetto where he spent almost two years (another girl on my trip, Karen, informed me that her grandfather also was held in this ghetto and survived along with my grandparents). After surviving Lodz, he was sent to the death camps. He was held captive in both Auschwitz-Birkenau and Flossenberg before February 13th, 1945 when he was forced to march for three months until May 7th, 1945 when he was liberated. This is only a brief synopsis . The details of this story are moving and disturbing beyond what I can put into words.
Before you watch, I would like to share with you a few things I took away from my visit to Yad Vashem. In addition to inspiring me to watch this account which I have not watched for five years, experiences like this truly put our day-to-day problems into perspective. From time to time, we need to slow down and be reminded of the incredible sacrifices our ancestors made to survive before we succumb to the instinct to put in a half-asked effort on a task/goal that might be harder than expected or complain when things are not going our way.
What I find to be most interesting about David's journey is how he was able to forgive and be kind to ALL people even after spending the prime of his life in what can only be described as hell. Anyone I talk to who knew him makes a point to remind me of the kindness and love that was David Major. In the end of this video, he says that throughout all that happened to him he does not hate the Nazis because he was raised by his parents not to have any hate in his heart. I am lucky enough to have parents who have passed on the same values to me, but it takes experiences such as this to help us remember what/who is truly important in our lives.
This story has a happy ending. David and my nana Shirley came to America with my two-year-old father Harry in 1947. My papa worked his tail off (70+ hour weeks), saving every penny he earned in order to send my father to Northwestern. My grandparents and father became a shining example of what America offers to those who truly desire to provide their family a better life than they had growing up. I will forever be grateful for their sacrifices.
If you are able to take something from his story that makes you a better person, his pain and suffering was not in vain. Please share his story so that we never forget.
Here is the link to the interview:
https://vimeo.com/44585709
