Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Holocaust: Lots and lots of bad yet some good
Today at assembly Rabia talked about her experience of World War II and the Holocaust. I thought that it was lucky that she came to talk while we were studying the Holocaust. One point that she made that I hadn't considered was pondering whether I would have hid Jews from the Nazis during WWII. Would I risk the life of my family to help save the life/lives of others? It is a large risk to take but many Gentiles did during the Holocaust. Not only did many Gentiles hide Jews to help save their lives, but also were kind and helpful towards the Jews unlike the majority of Nazi officers. We witnessed one of these helpers in Maus II when we meet the Hungarian Mancie who helps relay messages between Anja and Vladek. I had never truly thought of the helpful Gentiles during the Holocaust because one usually thinks of the concentration camps or ghettos. It is truly important to recogonize both the good and the bad but to also understand different points of view in each situation. The one thing that I truly took away from her talk was the fact that although lots of bad things were going on during the Holocaust some people went out of there way to help others, these people risked their lifes to uphold their moral and ethical duty.
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I completely agree with everything you've said ryan. The ending of her talk at assembly was so strong and was indeed the point I left thinking about. Now I say "ofcourse I'd try to help others," but risking one's entire family is a huge commitment and shows how some did try to help as much as they could. When we reflect on this world war, most people think about the Nazi's and the Jews (and others being taken to camps and killed). I never really thought about the other people. I figured that they all just followed Hitler. This talk made me realize, just like yourself, how there were some who risked everything to help others. By taking in a little girl who the germans were after, Rabia's "mom and dad" put a lot on the line and I think that is worth acknowledging.
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