Sunday, March 15, 2009

A SMALL GLIMPSE....

Well, Jeff and I and John had a VERY different Sun afternoon. It started off with us trying to come up something different to do with our afternoon since there just didn't seem to be any movie out that we really felt like seeing....John suggested going to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles...He and Jeff had both been there before, but I had never been and it is something I have always wanted to do. So we loaded up and headed out to LA. We couldn't get into the museum until 3 as they have limited space and only let so many in at once. We had lunch at Canters which is a Jewish Deli in Hollywood which added to our "feel" of the day. It is very much like Katella Deli for those of you who have never heard of it. I guess it is quite famous, but I will admit I had never heard of it. Anyway, the food was GREAT....I had a half of a Turkey Salad sandwich and a cup of chicken noodle soup. They had HUGE wonderful pickles which they brought out a plate of. We left there and still had a little time so we drove around for a bit in West LA and looked at some houses etc. We actually ended up going through an open house. It was actually a nice little house but was really quite small. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and pretty small living room. They were asking the rock bottom price of a million one...haha I honestly couldn't believe it. Anyway, we finally headed over to the Museum. They had to search my purse and actually took out of pack of unopened gum and made me throw it away before they put in through the medal detector to let me in. It never occurred to me that we would have to go through security to get in, but when I thought about it of course it made sense. Anyway, we didn't have time to go through the Holocaust part and hear a lecture by an actual survivor. John had heard a survivor speak before and said it was really an unforgettable experience, and for me it was a no brainer from the beginning. I REALLY wanted to hear the survivor talk. So we sent Jeff to save us seats (he had been through the Museum part before but had not heard the lecture)and John and I looked around for a bit. We didn't get into the Holocaust area, but we saw a number of other really neat things. When we got to the lecture area of course there was Jeff talking to some woman who turned out to the wife of the survivor. I sat down next to her and got to chat with her for at least 20 min or so before it started. She was SUCH a neat lady. She was warm, friendly and I loved her accent. She told me they had 3 grown daughters and 6 grandchildren. Anyway, he eventually came in and told his story. I was in no way prepared for how truly moving it really was. He was only 13 years old when he was taken off, along with his mother and father and two brothers. One of his brothers was older and the other was about 4 years younger. The things they all went through had a completely different feel hearing about it first hand. How horrible it all really was. He was the only one in his family to survive. His mother and little brother were put to death almost immediately, and he and his brother and dad were together for a little while, but they were taken away and he never saw them again. He found out later how they were killed, but he didn't say what it was. So much of what was going on they really didn't know, as all they really had to report things with was the radio and newspapers, which of course they had no access to. They would eventually hear things, but it was long after it had actually happened. He went through a total living hell. The things he saw were unspeakable, and they were basically starving the entire time. Death was everywhere. He had a few what I would call miraculous escapes and breaks that helped him to become a survivor. I guess he is one of the youngest survivors as they automatically murdered all the children. They were considered pointless as were most of the women and elderly. His outlook on life was inspiring, and pointed out once again how none of us even really knows the true meaning of the word suffering in comparison. It's truly mind boggling that any of these people survived to tell their stories. I guess he speaks there twice a month, and use to speak at Universities and some other smaller schools when he was younger. It amazes me that he is willing to talk about it all so frequently, keeping it all so fresh in his mind. But he said he felt like it was his duty to do so, as God allowed him to survive for this reason. He wanted to re-build his family as he was left with nothing and no one. He was often emotional during his speech, and his wife who sat next to me cried openly. There was a young German man there who was struggling with English during the question and answer time. He said he had just recently come to our country and how grateful he was to be able to come and hear his story. It is not taught or spoken of in Germany much at all. He was VERY emotional as well, and apologized for his people and said he was so ashamed to call himself German. The survivor was really good with him and told him he held no grudges against him. The German asked if he could hug him, and so they did. Few were not moved to tears. Afterwards Jeff and John and I went up (many people were) to hug him and speak to him for a moment. His wife and I hugged after it was over as well. It was an experience I will no doubt remember for the rest of my life. It made me feel like I had just a tiny little glimpse into the horror of what was truly one of the worst experiences mankind has ever been through. I will never forget his wife either, and the warm way she said to me as I was leaving..."May God always richly bless you."

6 comments:

  1. It was a memorable day. For a history buff like myself, just fascinating and horrifying.

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  2. Wow, that sounds like an incredible day! I find myself choked up just reading it. It is always surprising how many things there are to do so close to us that we have never even experienced. I will have to make it a point to go there.

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  3. Sounds like just the sort of day I would love too! I am with you Di there are a billion things close by to do that I have never down. For some reason I get stuck in a rut in my own cave and rarely venture out. Perhaps it's part of my whole "disease".

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  4. Donna, we drove very near the theater we saw Beauty and the Beast at and I thought of you...to this day that remains the BEST thing I ever saw....it was sooo good. And just so you know, I too am often in a RUT....if it wasn't for Jeff and John I probably would have never done that yesterday either...it just seemed like we were running into "horses" as I call them, but that managed to talk me into it, and I am soooo glad they did...It did make me realize that there are times where I just need to be more often.....you should really go to this sometime and take Katie. Blake is probably too young to get, but there were many there Katie's age....

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  5. I wish there was some way to "correct" a comment....I MEANT to say...."they" managed to talk me into it........and I need to be more "open"....what a club haha

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  6. I know what you mean I would love to be able to correct commemts, somehow doing it after the fact doesn't always work.

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I am so glad that you would take the time to comment on my thoughts and feelings, it is such a blessing to me!