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Wednesday, August 10, 2005

 


HOLOCAUST OVERDOSE


In my circle I’m the only one feeling this way, so I’m hoping to find a like-minded person among my readers.

There are no words sad enough and adequately tragic to describe the horror that was the Holocaust.
Pretending it didn’t exist would be foolish, hurtful to those who lived through it and grossly disrespectful to its countless victims.

Since I was a child there was always talk about it and around it.
My mother used to bring books from the library for me to read about it.
50 % of the Artscroll and Feldheim catalogs contain Holocaust stories (some really interesting).

Rebbeim often referred to it and it was a large part of the history lessons year after year.
Movies on the subject are made by the dozen, so many in fact I find it tasteless. Books written about it wouldn’t fit in the largest library in the world; and many countries have museums and shrines devoted to it.

Before I continue I’d like to emphasize that I’m not against being taught about it, reading about it, or even watching movies relating to the war.
I’m not saying people shouldn’t be told about it at all and that children shouldn’t be taught.
But I am troubled by something.

In recent years it has become common to travel to Poland, or other places where all the horror took place.
My wife, before we were married was on such a trip.
I feel this is a bad idea.
When asking people who visited such places about their experience, the answer is invariably, “it’s an experience one should have“
They rarely have anything to add.
It sounds like an indoctrinated answer, as literally everyone who returns from such a place will answer those exact words.
Those who organize these trips advertise it as a once in a lifetime experience and a spiritual journey but I don’t buy that.

The truth is most people resume their normal lives the second they’re in the bus back to the airport. And I have yet to meet someone who was inspired enough to turn his/her life around.

My grand-mother unfortunately was there 60 years ago, and had she had the choice I’m positive she would have chosen not to be there.
So isn’t it crazy to send our kids voluntarily to that place where so many Jews were cruelly murdered.
When I advance my arguments, people answer that the next generation needs to “know”.
I say yes of course they do, but they know, they hear, they read, they see, what’s next? “Spend a day in a concentration camp”? “
It’s so sad that the Holocaust had to happen; it’s tragic that nothing has been learned from it, it’s ridiculous that non-survivors make tons of money on merchandising (yes it exists!) and holocaust related stuff.
Baruch H’Ashem the Holocaust is over; the new generation is privileged and blessed to be living in free countries with actual civil rights.
Why do kids need to be confronted with what happened non-stop.
It should be taught, visiting a museum is instructive but going to a concentration camp and inundating the kids with information and images is wrong.
They don’t have to know all the gruesome details; it only serves to create nightmares and subconscious fear.
The Jews were punished enough during the Holocaust, why should the new generation be punished again?

Comments:
You raise, lulei demistafina, an important point. Rabbi Berel Wein, shlit"a, recently second-guessed all the touring of Eastern Europe that Jews are doing. I say, it's important--but it can't be so overpowering.

The bottom line is, "What will inspire you to be a better Jew?" And I don't think this is the way to do it.

We need to stress the positive. Mamme's "Jewish Boy" search says it all.

Great post.
 
breindel- Thanks for complementing my thoughts.
You raise a few very valid points.
I think that the Anne Frank house is different as it’s more the story of a troubled family as opposed to a place that carries the ashes of thousand of Jews.

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YM-that is what infuriates me so!! about this whole attitude in general. Why would you say” I feel like if they actually had to go through it, the least I can do is look at pictures of it
What good would it do to make yourself sick and sad bout it? We have Tisha Be’Ov and Yom H’aShoah to commemorate tragic events.
Your husband is very wise obviously; the new generation did need not be punished for what happened. It just needs to realize how lucky we are to have been born after!
How disconcerting that googling “Jewish boy” cannot bring other results, as if there’s nothing to tell about Jewish boys besides that many were brutally murdered.

Cloojew- It feels good to know such a Respected Rabbi agrees with me
Thanks for the info.
 
My yeshiva in Israel has a lot of guys that go on a tour called "Hertiage" that takes guys through the concentration camps and the old ghettos.
It is very hard to pinpoint exactly where an experiance will increase or decrease a person's role fulfillment. Who knows how or exactly in what area an expriance can inspire.
All i know is that it makes logical sense that this experiance does insipre, and does improve life.
There are many lessons to be learned from the holocaust, being there, living through the pain, is a very Jewish thing. We Jews have suffered throughout the genrations.
The Rambam writes that these sorts of feelings, if properly internalaized will inspire us into teshuva.
How many inspirations have you let pass you by? Just because this specific one may not have caught, it might have for others.
 
I asked my grandfather who went through the holocaust if he wants me to learn about what happened: to read the books, go to the sites, watch the movies. And he said that all he wants is that I should tell the stories over to my children and that they should to theirs. But we shouldn't dwell on it. He didn't put all that effort into surviving in order to have children and grandchildren who were held back in life because of the horrors he went through.
 
like breindel, i also backpacked through (mostly eastern) europe. i did get to the anne frank house as well, but i purposely went to poland, hungary, the czech republic, and germany to learn a bit more. i visited many camps, but ended up cutting my stay short after seeing auschwitz. i quickly packed my pack and hightailed back to holland. i just couldn't take it anymore. originally i had planned to do some research in poland and hoped to find traces of my family history, but i was getting so depressed that the guy who is now my husband was telling me over the phone, "get out of there! there are too many ghosts!" now, i did this all on my own, from working through college to pay for this trip, to going myself to learn, and honestly, the whole experience was extremely heavy. would going on a tour have been better? yes and no, first off, i hate tours, so no, i would never have gone for that, but the truth is, when you're on a tour, experiencing these sights with other people, there is support. there are some people who NEED to see where it happened. but you ask if it's necessary to send our kids there to see. i don't think so. my parents and grandparents thought i was crazy for going on my own, and crazier for going at all. i don't think a kid needs to go there. maybe if parents who are going to spend their money to send their teenagers off on this experience would save it and send them to spend more time in israel, everyone would be better off.
 
YM-thanks for the clarification

Bec-it's really nice to hear someone whio agrees, especially somleone who's actually done it

Callie-it’s not because someone is smarter than you, that you cant' have a different opinion

The real me-what you're writing is THE big argument to defend the problem I’m writing about.
Unfortunately I don't believe talking about it incessantly is any guarantee it won't happen again, despite the millions of book and museums, anti semitism is still thriving, especially in Europe.
 
What a loaded topic!
So Prag you bring up many good points as to why it isnt necessary for Jews and the younger generation to make the trip back to Poland, back to the camps.

When I was 18 I went to Poland on a tour during my seminary year. As a child I had dreams of hitler talking to me, asking me questions in the camp s and therefor i was hugely apprhensive...I wasnt sure if I realy wanted to go to the very site where it all happened - to have the exactly places ingrained in my memory.

I went. And I dont regret it. For 5 days we toured Poland, went thru the ghettos, camps and old shules. It wasnt just the information I accumulated or the number of places I ticked off the 'Holocaust List' - but the feeling.

To stand in a gas chamber in Auschwitz - Berkenau, to see the scratches in the cement walls that our ancestors scratched in desperation as they were being gassed, is a life changing experience.

To see the mass graves, the vandalized cemetaries, the kvarim of so many great Rabbonim, the beautifully decorated shules and yeshivas gave me personally an insight to just how wonderfully rich Jewish life was before the Holocaust - the underlay of beginning to grasp what was actualy destroyed and murdered.

After 6 heavily loaded days we got on a plane back to Israel. Straight from Ben Gurion Airport we went to the Kotel. With renewed emunah I davened, hard. That, I will never forget.
 
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