Legacies - News and Commentary
-
Days of Remembrance – Holocaust Commemoration 2019
This year, Days of Remembrance week was observed April 28 – May 5. The latest synagogue shooting, a hate-filled attack on the last day of Passover, and on the anniversary of the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue shooting, is a stark reminder of why educating about the Holocaust is more important than ever. In this part of the Legacies of the Holocaust, I’ll share brief vignettes about my family. Some survived the Holocaust in Hungary, others did not. Dismayed by the growing antisemitism and racism in the past two years, I immersed myself in Holocaust studies. I promised myself to work on educating about the Holocaust and genocides. During this…
-
Holocaust Survivors and Liberators Speak Out
Since Holocaust Remembrance Week, there has been a variety of news, some good, more not. My aunt Kati (now Kitty Williams) is an Auschwitz survivor. Each year, she has spoken throughout the Omaha region and reached thousands of students with her messages of tolerance and hope. KETV interviewed her and shared this article and clip: KETV didn’t get the title of their article quite right. Kati wasn’t just warning about the rise in antisemitism, but also of the increase in othering and hate crimes in the current political climate. She spoke of the rising tide of hate crimes, and then of her hope that the students will learn from…
-
From the Holocaust to Thalidomide: A Nazi Legacy
Although thalidomide, a drug first sold for morning sickness, was released in 1957, the heartbreak from its damage continues and lessons have not yet been learned—including the need for better research and corporate ethics, the need to care for those hurt by an “advance,” and the importance of strong and ethical oversight from government regulators like Frances Kelsey, the FDA reviewer who prevented the birth defects caused by thalidomide from occurring in the United States by blocking its approval. The following article first appeared on the Scientific American website on November 8, 2012. I was attending World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust and Descendants 24th…
