My Grandparents survived the Holocaust. Key word survived. Our society often seems obsessed with focussing on the way Jews were victims of the Holocaust. More importantly Jews are survivors of the Holocaust. I never heard my Grandfather tell his story, he was taken from his family far too young, but my Grandma would not let us see it any other way. She was a survivor, absolutely not a victim.
January was a difficult month. My beloved Grandmother, Tamara Branitsky z”l, passed away and suddenly a women who seemed invincible became a memory. Soon after this, I attended a session of Birthright Madrichim training that dealt with the Holocaust. A survivor shared with us his story and our mentors read some excerpts from other peoples' accounts. As I listened, I thought about my Grandma. Having just spent a week observing shiva (seven day mourning period in Jewish tradition) with my family, I had been reminded on multiple occasions how amazing my Grandma was at telling her stories. Noone ever grabbed my attention the way she did and I promise I am not the only one who felt this way. As I reflected on the session, I had an epiphany. I realized what element set my Grandma's testimony apart. It was her language.
Many survivors who speak in public emphasize the horrible conditions of the ghettos, transports, and concentration camps. They talk about being segregated, the fear they lived with, and the pain of losing loved ones. My Grandma did not. She told us about how she survived and through this lens shared a horrific experience. I understood the unimaginably gruesome experience of living through this time in history, but I never saw her as a victim – she wouldn't let me.
This realization has made me think about Holocaust education. I think it is important that the world be aware of the crimes committed by Nazi Germany and the living conditions of those targeted. However, I think there needs to be more balance in this education, especially in the education directed towards Jews. Unfortunately, the description of these conditions leads to a victim mentality, which I believe is the opposite of what is intended. The major theme of Jewish history has been survival. We need to learn about the Holocaust and build a survival mentality. Along with the sadness, we need to hear about hope and strength of the human will. We need to acknowledge how remarkable these people are and not just how evil Hitler and his Nazis were.
I have also realized the importance of telling my Grandparents stories accurately as I embrace my role as a second generation survivor. I have to honour them by telling their stories as they would have told them. Honouring their memory by preserving their spirit.
My Grandparents' stories, in brief:
My Grandfather was a partisan and eventually became a soldier in the Russian army – he never went to a concentration camp and was never imprisoned by the Nazis. He was given two military awards for bravery and saving his comrades. My Grandmother was arrested as a Polish traitor – a case of mistaken identity – she was given political prisoner status which saved her from random killings. She maintained a strong value system throughout the war, protecting strangers she did not know. She escaped a death march when her labour camp was liquidated and found freedom in the same place she found her husband.
