I survived Auschwitz

Zeev (Tibi) Ram, a survivor of Auschwitz will be talking about his story in schools, university and the Jewish community. He is in New Zealand from April 19 to May 3, 2012. His visit is organised by the ZFNZ and the Israeli Embassy. He will be in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. 

For more information contact schlicha@zfnz.or.nz
 
JUSTICE and ACCOUNTABILITY AFTER THE HOLOCAUST

The keynote address by Peter McKenzie QC at the Parliamentary reception for the 2012 UN International Holocaust Memorial Day

In the final stages of the Second World War the allied armies sweeping through eastern Germany and Europe came across sites of such horror and carnage that they found it hard to believe that even the Nazi regime in its worst excesses could have been responsible. Near the town of Gotha they found a death camp where thousands of Jewish prisoners were starved to death and this was reported to General Eisenhower the Allied Supreme Commander. The bodies of naked emaciated men were piled in the rooms and the stench was overpowering. General Patton would not enter fearing he would be physically sick.  Eisenhower however strode in and forced himself to inspect every nook and cranny. He called for photographers and ordered that Germans from the neighbouring villages be brought in and required to bury the dead.  In this way they would have to confront the reality of what the Nazi regime had been doing.  He stated:
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Four People behind the Numbers
The German Unger Story - the fate of a family

Four People behind the Numbers

In February 2011 The Listener published an article about Diana Wichtel’s journey to the death camps her father survived. In that article a reference was made to the International Tracing Service, whom I contacted. 6 months later they provided another tiny piece of evidence of the fate of my family. At a time when the world is tuning in to the trials of the 2nd worst European murders of all time, it is timely to remember the worst genocide, and the faces of some who did not survive.
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The Violinist

The book by Sarah Gaitanos about Clare Galambos Winter, past member of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Hungarian survivor of Auschwitz, is now available from the Wellington Holocaust Research and Education Centre

$40 plus $4.50 postage, $44.50 (NZ)

 
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Are your origins in Austria?

Inge Woolf  is collecting material  for a Symposium in Vienna on Austrian Jewish migration to New Zealand and the work of the Holocaust Centre. If you would like to contribute your story please fill in this survey
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Holocaust survivors
Holocaust survivors Freda Narev (hidden by a Catholic family in Poland) and Bob Narev (survivor of the Concentration Camp of Theresienstadt) are prepared, by arrangement, to speak of their experiences to secondary schools in the Greater Auckland area. They can be contacted  by email fabnarev@clear.net.nz
 
March of the living

THE MARCH OF THE LIVING is an international, educational programme that brings Jewish teens (16 year olds) from around the world to Poland on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, to march from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest concentration camp complex built during World War II, and then to Israel to observe Yom Hazikaron, Israel Memorial Day, and Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel Independence Day.
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Anne Frank

The Anne Frank travelling exhibition tells the story of Anne Frank and the Holocaust to people who are not able to visit the Anne Frank Museum in The Netherlands. The exhibition  will tour throughout New Zealand for three years, visiting museums and community centres to teach people the story of Anne Frank and the Holocaust.

Click here for more information.
 
Holocaust research

THE MARCH OF THE LIVING is an international, educational programme that brings Jewish teens (16 year olds) from around the world to Poland on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, to march from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest concentration camp complex built during World War II, and then to Israel to observe Yom Hazikaron, Israel Memorial Day, and Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel Independence Day.

The goal of March of the Living is for these young people to learn the lessons of the Holocaust and to lead the Jewish people into the future vowing “Never again”.

There is also an adult group that goes annually for this March and is separate from the students.  Esther and Daniella Haver joined this group in 2010 for the first adult New Zealanders to be part of this international tour.

March of the Living in New Zealand

Since 2006 Jewish youth of New Zealand have been privileged to be able to participate in this life-changing experience under the auspices of the Zionist Federation of New Zealand, in its role of supporting informal Jewish education and nurturing Jewish continuity and identity. The students who participate, return to New Zealand having born witness to the fact that the March of the Living is a life-changing experience.  In 2010 the New Zealand group joined with a group from Cincinnati and 2011 New Zealanders will join the Southern USA contingent.  In previous years New Zealanders went with Australia, but that is no longer feasible.

 An International Educational Program

Thousands of Jewish teens and adults from countries around the world will share in a once-in-a-lifetime experience when they march three kilometres from Auschwitz to Birkenau. The March commemorates Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Memorial Day. You can be there along with approximately 10,000 students – all be part of this historic event. As one of the marchers you will retrace the steps of the March of Death, the actual route which countless numbers of our people were forced to take on their way to the gas chambers at Birkenau. You will experience Jewish history where it was made. This time, however, there will be a difference. It will be a March of the Living with thousands of Jewish youth, like yourself, marching shoulder to shoulder.

You will participate in a memorial service at one of the destroyed gas chambers/crematoria in Birkenau, which will conclude with the singing of Hatikvah, reaffirming Am Yisrael Chai - The Jewish People Live. From Poland, you will fly to Israel to join in celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s  Independence Day. You will participate in a week of unforgettable experiences.

"I feel that as a March participant it is my responsibility to now take what I have learnt and seen and to pass this knowledge and message on to future generations or people who might not know about the Holocaust - especially with the rising level of denial and anti-Semitism." - Oran Franco, Auckland, 2006 Participant.

Unforgettable Moment

Yom HaShoah and Yom Ha’atzmaut are two of the most important days in modern Jewish times. By taking part in these special events, you will share unforgettable moments in Jewish history and bear witness to the undying spirit of the Jewish people. Like those who participated in the marches since the programme’s inception, you will return home with a new sense of yourself, your people and your history. It will be an experience that will remain with you for a lifetime.

The Contrast

Your stay in Poland and Israel will be a study in contrasts. In Poland you will search for traces of a world that is no more. You will discover that, of the hundreds of Jewish schools, synagogues and institutions that existed in Warsaw before the war, all that remains is one sparsely attended synagogue (used by the Nazis as a stable during the war) and a centuries-old Jewish cemetery that was left relatively untouched by the Nazis during their occupation of Warsaw. Today you can see a new resurgence of Jewish culture with synagogues, schools, organizations and youth groups. Like many others you may leave Poland still wondering how it was possible for the destruction of an entire generation of Jews to occur - you will pledge to keep their memory alive.

"I felt that on the March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau we walked together in silence, but I was walking alone. On the March of Celebration to the Old City - we walked and sang and danced together for everyone and everything we had experienced. It was so exhilarating and uplifting walking through the ancient gate of Jerusalem, to the beat of the drums and clapping of our own hands and the chanting of our voices. Bystanders joined in singing. I didn't know all the words but I still sang loud. Thinking about it now, I'm excited and I can't stop smiling!" - Bianca Kraitzick, Auckland, 2006 Participant.

In Israel, you will encounter a country striving valiantly to keep the age-old flame of Jewish nationhood alive. On Yom Hazikaron you will join with all of Israel as they mourn their fallen soldiers and the victims of terror and on Yom Haatzmaut you will celebrate Israel’s independence. Poland and Israel; one, the richness and anguish of our past; the other, the hope of our future. This experience will help you understand how important both aspects are to your identity as a Jewish teenager living in the 21st century.

World wide participation

The March of the Living will bring together Jewish teens from over 60 countries and regions around the world including Israel, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Latin America, France, Germany, Belgium and Poland. You will have an opportunity to meet some of these teenagers. Together you will share moments of sadness and joy and create long-lasting bonds.

 In Poland

You will visit the concentration camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka and Majdanek. You will also visit historic Jewish sites in Warsaw (the Ghetto Memorial, Mila 18, the Jewish Cemetery, the restored Nozyck Synagogue) Cracow (the Jewish Quarter, the Ramah Synagogue) and LublinN (the famous Yeshiva). The highlight will be the March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau.

In Israel

During your stay in Israel you will take part in many special events organised specifically for participants of the March. On Israel’s  Independence Day, all of the groups from around the world join thousands of Israelis in this national celebration. You will visit a number of exciting locations and ancient sites, such as Jerusalem, Masada, Tel Aviv, the Golan Heights, the Galilee, the Negev and more.

"Being in Israel was good for us, it made us even more proud of who we are. Israel made us prouder, and Poland made us stronger." - Sophia Duckor-Jones, Wellington, 2006 Participant.

"How can one here today not be concerned with the assault that is being waged on Jewish memory? Some people deny that it occurred, others turn it around and say that we were guilty. Others still, in their viciousness, use a vocabulary that we use with regard to the killer, but they use it against Israel. ...How can there not be concern about anti-Semitism? We were convinced that anti-Semitism perished here. Anti-Semitism did not perish. Its victims did”. - Elie Wiesel at the 2005 March Ceremony.

Find out more about the March of the Living programme by sending

an email to Esther Haver at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text22882 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //--> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

 

 

 
Links
Holocaust images
Two Holocaust survivors

The current display at the Holocaust Centre describes the lives of two Holocaust survivors, their Holocaust experiences, their lives before  and their lives after the Holocaust. One is from Rakovic, the Czech Republic, the other from Szobathely, Hungary. The two stories are two book ends of the Holocaust. The persecution of the Jews of the Czech lands was the beginning of the total annihilation of the Jews of European, the deportation and mass murder of Hungarian Jews was the final act.
© Wellington Holocaust Research and Education Centre