Martyrdom & Resistance, November/December 2011

ID Transcript mare3802_01 "38-No. ISSN 0892-1571 ovember/December 2011-Kislev/Tevet 5772 PRESERVING THE PAST - GUARDING THE FUTURE 30 YEARS OF ACHIEVEMENT ANNUAL TRIBUTE DINNER OF THE AMERICAN & INTERNATIONAL SOCIETIES FOR YAD VASHEM The annual gathering of the American and International Societies for Yad Vashem is an experience in remembrance and continuity. This year the organization is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary. At the Tribute Dinner that was held on November 20 at the Sheraton Hotel in New York, survivors were joined by the generations that are their inheritors of Jewish continuity. The theme of the 2011 dinner was ""Preserving the Past- Guarding the Future: 30 Years of Achievement."" The contributions of 30 ""Pioneers"" and 30 ""Visionaries"" were recognized at this year's event, which was attended by more than 800 hundred people, including members of the diplomatic corps, dignitaries, and heads of major Jewish organizations, showing their support of the Yad Vashem Memorial. The release of the biography of the founder of the American Society for Yad Vashem, Eli Zborowski -A Life of Leadership: Eli Zborowski: from the Underground to Industry to Holocaust Remembrance, written by Rochel and George Berman - was noted at the event. Under Eli Zborowski's leadership more than $100 million has been raised to support the Holocaust Memorial. In his address to the Dinner guests Eli Zborowski said: ""On this 30th anniversary of the American and International Societies for Yad Vashem, I reflect back on our courageous beginning, when a group of friends, dedicated survivors, met to discuss the formation of an organization committed to Remembrance. Firm in their resolve to help make Yad Vashem the world's center for Holocaust remembrance and education, we established the American and International Societies for Yad Vashem. Those were the Pioneers. ""Over the years, this group of Pioneers was joined by an outstanding group of Visionaries, who were determined to ensure the future of our organization, and through this the future of Yad Vashem. ""We gather here tonight to pay tribute to the Pioneers and Visionaries, those who are with us today and those who have passed on but whose spirit joins us on this joyous occasion. I am proud to see how far we have come since that first meeting, thanks to the generosity of all who are here tonight and those we remember with love. We witness the growth of Yad Vashem, its many sites and museums built, and programs established, through our efforts. ""And we see our future leaders, the Young Leadership Associates, many following their parents' footsteps, who are determined to ensure remembrance. and prejudice. We are always pleased to have with us and recognize the major leadership of this spectacular 800 member association. ""The Young Leadership Associates are the guardians of the future and will be responsible for ensuring our legacy. ""Our thoughts tonight are bittersweet; we remember our loved ones and all which was lost in the Holocaust, but we are energized by our determination to ensure a future free of hatred and prejeudice. I am David Halpern, Dinner Chairman; Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate; Eli Zborowski, Chairman of the American & International Societies for Yad Vashem; Ira Mitzner, Dinner Chairman; and Leonard Wilf, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. ""Of the many endeavors the American Society has undertaken in recent years, none brings us more pride than the growth and development of our Young Leadership Associates, members of the second and third generations. Each year, for the past decade, they have sponsored a Professional Educational Conference, on various themes relating to the Holocaust, that attracts several hundred teachers from the Tri-State area and beyond. By transmitting the lessons of the Holocaust to present and future generations, these young people are increasing awareness and fostering sensitivity in reducing hatred, intolerance, gratified by the presence of so many friends, indeed a record number. May we look forward to celebrating the next twice- time 30 years of the Societies' achievement towards our 120th Anniversary."" Dinner guest speaker Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council, talked about the utmost importance of the work that is being done by the American Society and its supporters and contributors. ""You are the loyal guardians of the embers of memory, the carriers of the torch. ""Your shining example extends worldwide, so that others may learn from you the imperative of Holocaust remembrance and thus help ensure that no nation - anywhere, anytime - should ever again suffer a calamity of the unprecedented nature and scope that befell our people some 70 years ago in Europe,"" said Rabbi Lau. Recognizing the tremendous contribution of the Societies' chairman Eli Zborowski to the cause of Holocaust remembrance, Rabbi Lau said. ""Eli, I pray that the Creator of the world continues to grant you a long, healthy, and vigorous life that will enable you to carry on your hallowed labor of memory, as well as to transmit your torch onwards to the coming generations."" The importance of the work of the American Society for Yad Vashem and Eli Zborowski's personal devotion to Holocaust remembrance was the central theme of the speech delivered by the Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, Avner Shalev. ""As we gather to celebrate the thirty years of achievement that have marked the unique existence and activity of the American Society for Yad Vashem, I join you in recalling and saluting the founding pioneers who established the Society three decades ago. All were distinguished by a matchless verve and dedication to ensuring remembrance of the Holocaust that they and their loved ones had personally endured. That group of vigorous, deeply committed survivors has been led from the start by Eli Zborowski, the Society's visionary founder. ""Eli Zbrowski is a dear friend and true partner in the ongoing mission to establish Yad Vashem in Jerusalem as the world's leading institution for Holocaust remembrance. ""Eli was instilled by his parents with the values of integrity, diligence, and responsibility, as well as a strong Zionist legacy. These principles have motivated him to ensure the future of Holocaust commemoration and education for generations to come. He was among the first Holocaust survivors to bring these goals to the center (Continued on page 15) IN THIS ISSUE American & International Societies for Yad Vashem Annual Tribute Dinner... 1,8-9,15 Amidst the shadows of trees........ ...........4 Diaries reveal how much wartime Germans knew .................5 The schoolgirl who survived the Holocaust by fooling the Nazis.......... ...6 Ignoring Romania's Holocaust complicity: Not an option....... 7 Unraveling the Mengele mystery..... ..7 Rare survivor attends Israeli memorial...................... 10 Heroic tale of Holocaust, with a twist....................................... ........11 Grandchildren of Nazis delve into family past...................................... ...12 Elusive justice: The search for Nazi war criminals............................ .....................14 *Ldr* ^Pishing that pour daps arefiWk^ famine Q^Canukkah to dwjiesci\y* "