Published Friday May 17th, 2002


Well then.. today... was or has been an interesting day...In 3rd-4th period for about 2 hours, we listened to a jewish holocoust survivor.... It was really interesting... Sadly i failed to catch the mans name (ill have to get it)... but anyways... his story was interesting... He told us that he was 82 years old, born in 1920... And, i though to myself that at his age of 82 that his health seemed well, he was at times a bit ...hrm, i dunno.. he went really quick and jumped around a lot (not physicaly, but in his story) but, it was really interesting watching him and thinking.. wow... he's 82 years old and was born in 1920... just 2 years after WW1 ended..... he told us about his life.. and... sumarizing the almost 2 hour story...
He talked of how he went to school like normal and nothing was unusual untill he was around 13 years of age or there abouts... then, the new Nazi laws started about and he had to go to a Jewish school, and thereabouts his mom asked him if he wanted a more hands on education which he did... and, seemed to benefit him because soon there after Jews were no longer alowed to go to school... His mom had been widowed (dont know what happpened to his father, said nothing about him). Anyways, He went on to Kristallnacht and spoke about how they were forced into their apartments cellar, freezing ... and when they came back to their apartment everything was tosed about and thrown outside by the SS... Ah! Which reminds me.. his first name was Simon... there we go, remembered that one.. Anyways.. then, the SS told him to clean up the streets so traffic could go past... he did this all day with no food at all, and then in the evening they arested him and put him in a local jail.. later he was put into the city jail for 2 days (or 2 weeks, not sure) and then.. they were exported to Dachau. He spoke of how they were cramed into the karts.... first he thought that maybe he was heading for the west of germany to build a wall to protect little germany from great evil france, or so he said with humor. He seemed to always be patriotic to his homeland, germany.. and seemed to stess this fact too but not upfront.... Anyways.... He was on the train... in the karts packed in.. he said that.. the old and the weak just died while they drove and drove on the rail untill they reached Dachau... there, they were forced out... he didnt really say much about life in the Death Camp.. however He did speak about how cold it was and they were forced to strip and stand in the cold freezing, outdoors where it was rianing and snowing, hailing, whichever.. He also spoke about a neutral zone in the camp where, if you went to, the guard from the tower would shoot you... he described how some SS guards picked up people and threw them into the barbed, electric fency to watch them fry, and how he saw dead people on the fence shot. He described how the Sun, seeing the Alps, all gave him Hope... and how this helped him survive.. He then moved on to how he got out.... i'd say he was prety lucky... his number came up on Cubas imigration list and he was allowed to come to Cuba... The germans wanted to get rid of the Jews, so they allowed Simon to leave Dachau.. He then went back home to his apartment where his mother had been.. I'm not quite sure why she hadnt been put into a camp... but, anyways... there he had been harased and when he went to the shores to find a boat to take him to Cuba, he said he was also harrased... He was lucky and found a boat to Cuba with 300 others... He was the last boat into Cuba, the next one was the one with 900 poeple on it and was denied entry into cuba, miami, new york... and was sent back to tgermany doomed... Not sure of the name.. but.. Ship of the Damned Souls or soemthing.. Anyways, Simons ship was the last one to cuba, and there.. we worked on a farm and made some money... One day, his imigrations number came up in the USA and he was allowed to move to the USA... so, he went to the american embasy in cuba where they said his passport was expired and that he would have to go to the german embasy to get it renewed.... This terrified him, because this would mean he would need to step on german soil again... but, he got his passport renewed and went to New york.. after he got a boat to ride on.. There, he said.. he didnt want to stay in new york.. he wanted to move east and not get stuck in new york.. So, he went west, to about the middle east.. Anyways.. He then joined the army when the usa joined WW2 and was a comunications.. interseption person.. whos job was to confuse the germans with false radio data.. anyways... simon seemed very proud of his military carrere and his whole speech seemed to be focused aorund this, and sadly not his time in germany... However, he did mention how he arrested the SS officers when he was there, sometimes sifting through soldiers for the SS who were trying to hide.. and he sent them to the Neuremburg trials.... He said that he was very mean at that time.. and hunted down the SS as well as he could to arest them... He then told us about how he met his wife and they moved to Ventura, CA....It seems as if through the whole thing he didnt really want to talk about his time in the camps and quickly rushed past that....... which is understandable..
After the lunch bell run, and prety much all of the class left.. i hung around and looked at the things he had brought with him... I saw his german password with the big red J in it, really old papers with lists of SS officers he sent to the Neuremberg trials and many more artifacts.. it was really interesting.. he then talked to me and told me about the items and it was very interesting..
I dunno, it was interesting behing next to this 82 year old holocaust survivor.. hearing his story... a person who had been through all those horrors... How he saw this building where they claimed was the hospital. where he noticed that people entered but never came out... how he told himself that he must stay away from there... and that infact they were runing inhhumane tests in there.. how long it would take for a man to bleed to death... I dunno, it was odd and almost comforting talking to this man... and at the same time confusing.. I shook his hand and told him thank you for his time and that i valued his story and i left...
But, i dunno... i was a bit confused after that... i mean.. wow.. the things this man has been through... they are simply amazing.. and, talking to him.. wow... i dunno, depressing, and yet uplifting... and all in all confusing... but. yes, i've spoken to a halocaust survivor.. and i treasure that fact... its amazing...
hearing his story.. talkuing to him.. and the halocaust.. that took up 2 hours today.. and then.. it was over just like that... i felt powerless... i couldnt do anything.. i dunno, i felt empty, or deprived of something.. i wanted to do something or something. but.. i really couldnt... i dunno, so... im disgruntled... but.. alas.. it was nice... I wish i could spend hours and hours with people like Simon.. just talking about their past.... I think this summer i'll do that with my grandparents.. and, see if i can do it with my great grandma... that would be very interesting... I would enjoy that greatly... I dunno, this posting seems incomplete.. but.. alas... i dont really know if there is anything more right now... I'll try to find out Simons last name... thats it for now... a meaningfull news posting, for once..