Martyrdom & Resistance, November/December 2008

ID Transcript mare3502_01 "Vol. 35-N0.2 110 ISSN 0892-1571 November/December 2008-Cheshvan/Kislev 5769 ""Mi. AMERICAN & INTERN AT ION A LiGC ICTIE5 FOl ANNUAL'limi 11! DINNER 'AD VASIITM ""THERE IS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE"" ELI ZBOROWSKI, Founder and Chairman of the American Society for Yad Vashem Honored guests, ladies and gentlemen of dais, dear colleagues and friends: I wish first to offer my heartfelt congratulations to this evening's three distinguished honorees, who are each in their own way the embodiment of this year's dinner theme - Hope. It is because they believed and hoped that they were able to make this world a better place for all of mankind. Selma Gruder Horowitz was born in Poland, survived the concentration camp, fled to the forests and was ultimately hidden by a Polish woman who has been designated a Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem. Her story of courage and optimism, against all odds, is truly heroic. We are grateful for her support of the American Society, and proud to have her as a member of our Executive Board. Fred Zeidman, Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, is a member of a growing generation of Jews who feel a strong connection to the Holocaust as a pivotal event in Jewish history, even though they do not have family members who were directly affected by this systematic annihilation of the Jewish people. Mr. Zeidman's commitment to tikkun olam is evidenced by the dozens of organizations to which he gives his time, talents and resources. I am personally grateful to Fred for his expression of warmth and interest in the American Society for Yad Vashem. General Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, has been a close colleague, friend and partner for the past 15 years. It is Avner's vision, tenacity and creativity that has enabled Yad Vashem to become the Global Guardian of Holocaust Remembrance. It is not surprising that his contribution to Holocaust awareness has been acknowledged by a Legion of Honor presented by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and that he accepted Spain's Prince of Asturias Award for Concord on behalf of Yad Vashem. It has been a privilege for the American Society to participate with Avner in bringing his foresight to fruition. The concept of Hope comes to us from the prophet Jeremiah, who said, ""There is hope for the future."" Today to the date we observe the 70th Anniversary of the Kristallnacht and we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the State of Israel. We recall that, since November 9th, 1938, the infamous Krisallnacht, we experienced increased discrimination, systematic dehumanization, ghettos, starvation and deportations to concentration and death camps. A very few of us survived, to be witness to the tragedy, coined as the Holocaust. When the liberation came, we could not return to our hometowns, to our communities. They simply did not exist! We became Displaced Persons, many of us still housed in the camps that once were our prisons, or in temporary makeshift communities. Yet, we made the effort to refocus our lives and move on. Now, seven decades later, not only have we established ourselves and become productive members of our communities and their institutions, but we are in the forefront in the support of the State of Israel. Today's Tribute Dinner is honoring a survivor, a witness of the tragedy and the two Chairmen, heads of the two great institutions working successfully for Remembrance. The teachings of these two great institutions and their activities for Remembrance give us HOPE for NEVER AGAIN. The presence of a large number of young people in this Tribute Dinner and their active role in our activities is HOPE for a better future, HOPE for continuing teaching the lesson from our tragedy. IN THIS ISSUE American Society for Yad Vashem Annual Tribute Dinner. 1,7,8-9,16 A map of a Lithuanian town donated to American Society for Yad Vashem 3 Rosh Hashanah 1944: A Holocaust controversy. 5 Romance in the Holocaust 6 Yad Vashem honored unheralded Holocaust hero 10 A friend in deed 11 Holocaust survivors seek congress's help in court 12 Austria accused of shielding Nazi suspect 13 Stamp collector's Holocaust memorial 13 The ""silent heroes"" now have a voice 14 Nazi collaborator living peacefuly in Germany. 15 ""THE VERY WORLD RESTS ON THE BREATH OF ACHiLD IN SCHOOL"" MARGARET SPELLINGS, U.S, Secretary of Education As the U.S. Secretary of Education, it's a pleasure for me to honor three champions of education: survivor Selma Gruder Horowitz; Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, and Fred Zeidman, Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. The Talmud says that ""the very world rests on the breath of a child in school."" No one lives by this saying more than tonight's honorees. I've known Fred for a long time, so I'd like to talk about him first. Fred has never been one for ceremonial assignments. Instead, he seeks out the most challenging and interesting work, where he can make a real difference. That's why, in leading the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Fred not only commemorates the past, he also serves as a voice of conscience for today. What that means is that, when you visit the museum, you learn about the tragedies of the Holocaust as well as the genocide that's taking place now in Darfur. I know that Fred and all associated with the museum are proud that 28 million people have visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum since it opened. I know he's equally proud that a majority of these visitors are not of Jewish descent. Because intolerance, hatred, and fear are everybody's problems. Fred, thank you. Today, we mark the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht and the beginning of the Holocaust. We know that these events may seem long past, but the tensions that created them are ever-present. Few understand this as well as survivors like Selma Gruder Horowitz. After surviving Korowice, Selma came to the U.S. and founded a highly successful company. Today, she serves as President of East Coast Industrial Uniform, a board member of the American Society for Yad Vashem, a trustee of Yad Vashem Jerusalem, and a strong supporter of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. When we hear the story of survivors, we are powerfully aware of our moral responsibility to challenge prejudice and intolerance. That's why the work of Avner Shalev is so critical. Thanks to Avner, the individual stories of more than three million Holocaust victims are now available online, so that anyone anywhere can hear them. Under his leadership, Yad Vashem has embraced new technologies to make sure the world's most comprehensive collection of Holocaust material is also the world's most accessible. He has established an International School for Holocaust Studies, a new museum complex, and a new library to house more than 68 million pages of documentation, plus hundreds of thousands of books and photographs. The more I learn about Avner Shalev, the more I see why he and Fred have been such close partners. Between their two organizations, Fred and Avner have helped provide training for nearly 200,000 teachers. Think of the multiplier effect that will have. Over the course of their careers, those teachers will impact millions of students. I could not imagine a more hopeful way to illustrate tonight's theme of ""Tikvah"" (hope). I want to thank all of tonight's honorees for all that they do to create a more hopeful future. I thank them for teaching young generations the values of decency and tolerance. Their wisdom gives us hope for what we can achieve. And I know they and your children, and all of us, will continue this work long into the future. A / f % m ' rtpy a^ ^'s s£ason b£ fitted with jog, ^f%£L. .* warmth & mang celebrations! A ^~ 1 i i Sscswtv •w 11 ,IB [ANpfKKAfl J;"