9 November 2008

Last night I went to Temple B'rith Kodesh for a presentation called "Voices of Conscience & Memory: 70 Years After Kristallnacht". The hall was full and there were a variety of speakers. I was most impressed with the video documentation that has been recorded of the local survivors who are actively telling their story. Some were in the audience and, sadly, others have died. Mrs. Paul used to come to the school where I taught and had the students riveted as they listened attentively to her presentation, so I was glad to see that her story was also documented before her death.

And I was delighted to hear retired family court Judge Anthony Sciolino, who is now a Deacon of the Catholic Church, say what I have been telling people for years. Christians are followers of Christ who was a Jew. Christians use the old and new testaments of the bible. Judge Sciolino had a difficult time with his Pope's involvement, or lack of involvement, with the holocaust, so he is also one of the people saying "never again".

I wish I had memories of some of those events ... not because I want or need to experience it, but so I could add my voice to the telling of this horrific event so it never happens again. Well, I guess I am telling it in my own small way.

When I went to college I lived in the dorm and the roommate they assigned me was Myrna Seigel. The next time I came home, I told my family about her and also mentioned that she was Jewish. Dad smiled and said, "Of course." Then he explained about last names and why they put Weinberg and Seigel together. I had no idea about ethnic names. It was never important or an issue in our house. After all, we lived in America where most people are decendants of not native born people.

I never understood prejudice. Even all that Dad went through, he never understood it, either. I remember him telling about an incident at work. It seems that dealers would bring scrap metal to Apex and Dad was in a management position at that time, so he took the customers in the order that they came. Apparently there was a white man after a black one and he objected to the "preferential" treatment of the black man. Dad gave the white man a lecture about being an American and how lucky he was to live here. Dad would be so pleased that Barack Obama was elected for a lot of reasons.

I wish I could have been in Grant Park when Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech. The crowd reminded me of V-J Day. We lived in Chicago at that time and heard on the radio about the joyous crowds all heading downtown. So we went, too. The bus took us as far as it could travel and then the driver said, "I can't go any farther!" So Mom took Bernd's hand and Dad had mine and we started to enter the crowd. We did not go far as the crowd was too animated and our parents were concerned for our safety so we went back. It was a very happy crowd then, too.

My plea is to please teach your children acceptance and kindness and positive coping skills. We are all different. Enjoy the differences.