6 minute read
The responsibility of your legacy
By Ida Margolis and Shelley Lieb
As we age, we have all had moments when we consider what will be gone when we die. Who will remember us? Who will maintain our memories and what we have learned from our life? What is the legacy that remains after we are gone?
Here is a dictionary definition of legacy: The long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life. If there has been a life-changing event in a previous generation, it will affect whatever comes afterwards. These effects may be conscious or just the way it is. Children of Holocaust survivors may realize that their very existence is the effect of such a life-changing event.
So, what is your responsibility to keep that legacy alive? Survivors had to cope with constant decisions about that responsibility. For many of them, it was enough that they experienced the horrors of that time, and they kept it to themselves. For others, it was necessary to talk and write about their experiences. To make sure that the horror was not forgotten and to be a deterrent to the rise of such hate and destruction.
It is now 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. Very few of the remaining survivors can actively engage in responsibility for their legacy. And we are grateful to those who chose to speak openly to their family and to the world about their experiences. Now is the time for us, their children, to step into their shoes.
Regardless of whether or not your survivor parents engaged with your family or with the greater public about what they experienced, we can choose to take on that responsibility.
GenShoah SWFL provided an opportunity for a group of 2Gs to become a link to the Holocaust for the sixth-grade students at Temple Shalom who are preparing for their upcoming bar/bat mitzvahs. In January of this year, the b'nei mitzvah class came to the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center for a tour and brunch. They have done this in the past, but this year, they were also introduced to four 2Gs. This informal meet-up was very successful.
Early in March, the students will again interact with these same 2Gs for a panel discussion. Students will have an opportunity to ask questions that they have prepared in advance.
So, what kinds of questions would a 12-year-old ask of someone who has a personal relationship with the Holocaust? Here are some examples that were shared by another student of similar age.
Questions from a 4G, age 13
This example is personal for the author, Shelley Lieb, 2G.
If your Bubbie was still alive, what would you ask her? (My mother was a Holocaust survivor. My grandson does remember her. He was 9 years old when she passed away in 2020.)
• How scary was it?
• How could you be Jewish in your everyday life?
• Were your parents ever interrogated?
• Were you bat-mitzvahed?
• Were you in jail?
• Were you captured?
• Were you in a concentration camp?
• How was life in a concentration camp?
• Did you try to escape?
• Did you celebrate after the war?
• How did you know the war had started?
• How did you know the war was about being Jewish?
Of course, this should encourage all survivors and 2Gs to think through the answers to these questions. They are pointed and poignant and clearly inform the survivor or 2G of what the student wants to know. What the student has never experienced in their own life. The questions show that the student has an awareness of some of the horrors that were experienced but struggles to explain why it happened and how to respond to it. This is just a sample from one student around bar/bat mitzvah age.
Putting yourself in a position to have to respond to such questions is only one way to be responsible for your legacy.
Upcoming programs
"Our Stories" GenShoah member gettogether – Sunday, March 2, 1 p.m.; Location TBD. This is an opportunity to talk with other Holocaust survivors and descendants about themselves and their family experiences on a specific topic. Submit your RSVP to liebro@gmail.com; RSVP is required to attend.
"The Holocaust in Salonika, the Jerusalem of the Balkans" by Sam Varsano – Wednesday, March 19, 2:30 p.m. at the Holocaust Museum. Sam Varsano (2G) will share the dilemma of the Jewish community in Salonika and how they were selected for deportation during the Holocaust. Submit your RSVP to hmcec.org; RSVP is required to attend.
Genealogy Workshop by Hank Bitterman – Sunday, April 6 at 1 p.m.; Location TBD. Bring your device and follow the lead of Hank Bitterman (2G) who takes you to various online resources to find out about you and your family’s past. Bitterman shares his knowledge from his own family findings both in the USA and abroad. This session will provide a good starting point for further inquiries. Submit your RSVP to liebro@gmail.com; RSVP is required to attend.
Yom HaShoah Commemoration – Sunday, April 27, 4 p.m. at Temple Shalom, Naples. A program of Holocaust remembrance for the entire Jewish community. Local clergy, cantors and others offer prayers, musical selections, candlelighting, recollection of individual names and additional presentations of relevance to the solemnity of this occasion. Submit your RSVP to jewishnaples.org. There is a pre-event reception for GenShoah and survivors at 3 p.m. Please send your memorial message for this program to genshoahswfl@hmcec.org by March 31.
About GenShoah SWFL
GenShoah SWFL is a group for children and descendants of Holocaust survivors, and anyone interested in the mission of GenShoah of SWFL which is:
• Promotion of Holocaust education and human rights
• Preservation of history and memories of the Holocaust
• Connecting the Second Generation with one another
• And support of the Holocaust Museum & Janet G. and Harvey D. Cohen Education Center
An affinity group of the Holocaust Museum, GenShoah, is always open to those interested in our mission. If you would like to receive our newsletter and program announcements, just send an e-mail to liebro@gmail.com.
As in our mission, we encourage all GenShoah members to join the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center. For information about membership, please email hmcec.org.
