Kristallnacht marked the end of Jewish life in Germany; a pivotal turning point in what later became known as the Holocaust. A generation is passing, but it is a generation that has left behind voluminous records, testimonies and memoirs, video recordings and diaries, letters and notes.
Here are the stories of these American servicemen who observed the High Holidays not in conventional synagogues, but on far-flung battlefields. The worship services they participated in were often improvised and incomplete. But the jarring juxtaposition of war and prayer, faith and fear, continues to resonate with these men.
I\’ve spoken to many groups all over Los Angeles during extremely volatile times. I\’ve never seen such rudeness, narrow mindedness and just plain boorishness.
The Rosenbergs were executed for spying for the Soviet Union in June 1953. Their personal story was told 51 years later by their granddaughter, Ivy Meeropol, in the powerful 2004 documentary, \”Heir to an Execution.\”
A college buddy of mine — Jewish, though not a descendant of survivors — once observed that his family dynamics follow the rules of a sport: Guilt Judo. The sport requires a range of moves: arm-twists, throws, the art of the pin. Grace and style matter, and it is, of course, imperative to master that most fundamental skill: learning to fall without injury.
The other day, it suddenly hit me. I\’m the anti-Forrest Gump.
President Bush has played the Sept. 11 card with his choice of former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik to head the Department of Homeland Security during his second term.
At about 3 p.m., June 1, 1941, everything changed for Iraq\’s Jews. No American Holocaust museum pays homage to their tragedy.
\”Stamina is what separates Siberian Jews,\” Aron Broder said. \”We can adapt to any form of life. We\’re not afraid of difficulty. Look at me, what I managed to survive. I didn\’t lose my spirits. I still have high hopes.\”
Aviva Slesin\’s affecting but unsentimental documentary focuses on the psychological aftermath of hiding, such as the sense of abandonment child survivors carried into adulthood and the difficulty rebonding with parents.
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