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“Alicia: My Story” by Alicia Appleman-Jurman is a first-hand account of the Holocaust and World War II. Alicia Appleman-Jurman was a young Jewish girl living in Poland when it was invaded in 1939, and the book is an autobiographical account of her life during the war. After reading this book, I feel that we need to remember the horrors of the Holocaust and those who were involved. “Alicia: My Story” helps one appreciate life and remember the past with respect. In this book, we learn about the lives of her family members, growing tensions in Jewish communities with non-Jews, the harsh realities of prison, and the cruelty that was shown to the Jewish people. Her brother was hanged in the streets because his Polish friend betrayed him. Alicia was in a prison camp where the inmates were given water laced with typhoid germs so that they would get sick and eventually die. She was thought to be dead, but was found and secretly nursed back to health. She also was able to save two groups of Russian partisans during the war. She received a medal for her courage and valor during wartime from the Russians. There are countless other touching stories and heartwrenching moments throughout the book. Luckily, Alicia had a long and happy life after the war ended. Though her family had slowly died off, she remained a survivor and a reminder of what had happened. She wrote, “Through the story of ‘Alicia,’ I wish to reach out, not only to survivors like myself, but to all people. I hope that it will help strengthen today’s youth by imparting a better understanding of the true history of my entire generation. I believe my book can teach young people what enormous reserves of strength they possess within themselves. I pray that its readers, Jew and non-Jew alike, may unite in the resolve that evil forces will never again be permitted to set one people against another.” – s u z anne t u t t le
Breathe in, breathe out Stu d e n ts gi ve s tre s s -re l i e f a d vi c e a s fi n a l s dr aw c l os e r a n d th e s e m e s te r c om e s to a c l os e Students at BYUH have different strategies for keeping stress levels at a minimum during finals week. “When you shed yourself of your clothes, you shed yourself of your problems and cares,” asserted Todd Everette, sophomore from Connecticut majoring in biology. When asked to offer his advice on how to stay stress-free during finals, he jokingly responded, “Skinny dipping.” Laughing, he continued, “I’m not really good at these kinds of things, but definitely make goals for yourself, so you can fit in some beach time to de-stress.” It can be difficult to find a seat in the library at night, as the semester is quickly coming to a close. Students can be seen poring over textbooks in the Aloha Center or working on math problems in the GCB. Will Pryor, senior from South Carolina majoring in biochemistry, emphasized the importance of proper planning. “Preparing ahead of time is the best solution to not be stressed. Also, taking systematic breaks while you are studying is important. These can be as simple as going to a water fountain, or as complex as taking an extended lunch. You need to give your brain time to refresh itself.” Pryor suggested, “Anything that can take your mind off of studying is also good. If you enjoy running, run! If you like to read, read something other than your school material.” Derek Hall, senior from Arizona majoring in business management, and Cowdery Crisanto, junior from the Philippines majoring in EXS, added their own point-of-views. Hall began, “If you procrastinate, you stress.” Crisanto nodded, and finished, “If you do procrastinate, you deserve the stress. If you are going to be stressed, realize you’re still going to be alive after finals. “Realize you can take classes over; and if you have to, realize it’s another opportunity to spend more time at BYU–Hawaii,” Crisanto said, laughing. – AM Y H AN SO N Pictured: Carla Rada Photo by Aissa Mitton
APRIL 1, 2010
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