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Remembrance Week (thread, true story)
The number of living people who spent even a minute in a Nazi death camp dwindles down to nothing. The telltale numerical prison tattoos on the arms will become only the dimmest of memories. (1)
The number of living people who spent even a minute in a Nazi death camp dwindles down to nothing. The telltale numerical prison tattoos on the arms will become only the dimmest of memories. (1)
Remembrance Week
Without visible proof and testimony, these factual horrors are in danger of slipping into something akin to Arthurian legend, and then the risk of repetition will become greatest. I have not the honor of being a Jew, but I do carry one of these stories in me. (2)
Without visible proof and testimony, these factual horrors are in danger of slipping into something akin to Arthurian legend, and then the risk of repetition will become greatest. I have not the honor of being a Jew, but I do carry one of these stories in me. (2)
Remembrance Week
A few years ago, my brother spend a weekend with a friend who brought an older man along, his godfather, he said. After dinner, my brother spotted the tattoo poking under the older man’s watchband. The old man saw this. “Yes, I was there,” he said. (3)
A few years ago, my brother spend a weekend with a friend who brought an older man along, his godfather, he said. After dinner, my brother spotted the tattoo poking under the older man’s watchband. The old man saw this. “Yes, I was there,” he said. (3)
Remembrance Week
“People are shy bringing it up, and think they’re hurting me by doing so, but they most certainly aren’t! Pretending that it didn’t happen or that the deaths of my parents or my sisters isn’t polite to talk about what hurts most.” (4)
“People are shy bringing it up, and think they’re hurting me by doing so, but they most certainly aren’t! Pretending that it didn’t happen or that the deaths of my parents or my sisters isn’t polite to talk about what hurts most.” (4)
Remembrance Week
My brother raised his glass and toasted their memories. The old man raised his glass too. “They would have liked that,” he said. He spoke of many things into the late night, and my brother told me many of them, but one story stays longest. (5)
My brother raised his glass and toasted their memories. The old man raised his glass too. “They would have liked that,” he said. He spoke of many things into the late night, and my brother told me many of them, but one story stays longest. (5)
Remembrance Week
After the deaths of his family, and his own minute by minute waiting for his own death either by falling down from starvation, exhaustion, guard brutality or the mass executions, he was then assigned duty in the Nazi living quarters. He had to clean bedrooms. (6)
After the deaths of his family, and his own minute by minute waiting for his own death either by falling down from starvation, exhaustion, guard brutality or the mass executions, he was then assigned duty in the Nazi living quarters. He had to clean bedrooms. (6)
Remembrance Week
While this may sound like soft duty, the old man said, it was no less terrible than hard labor because you were thrust into close quarters with the most terrifying, brutal guards who were able to focus just on you. His arms and legs had become like straws. (7)
While this may sound like soft duty, the old man said, it was no less terrible than hard labor because you were thrust into close quarters with the most terrifying, brutal guards who were able to focus just on you. His arms and legs had become like straws. (7)
Remembrance Week
“I was starving to death,” the old man said. “People say ‘starving to death’ all the time now but, believe me, until you’re actually dying from it you can’t conceive how bad it is. You think about it all the time.” (8)
“I was starving to death,” the old man said. “People say ‘starving to death’ all the time now but, believe me, until you’re actually dying from it you can’t conceive how bad it is. You think about it all the time.” (8)
Remembrance Week
“Every second of every minute of every hour of every day your brain is telling you to eat, thinking about food, remembering food, wondering what can be eaten, what MIGHT be eaten.” On this day he was cleaning the room of a terrifying officer. (9)
“Every second of every minute of every hour of every day your brain is telling you to eat, thinking about food, remembering food, wondering what can be eaten, what MIGHT be eaten.” On this day he was cleaning the room of a terrifying officer. (9)
Remembrance Week
In this officer’s room was one of the camp’s enormous German Shepherds, used to instill fear and docility in the prisoners. The officer went over to his bed and lay down on the covers, hands behind his head, and closed his eyes. The dog lay down on its mat. (10)
In this officer’s room was one of the camp’s enormous German Shepherds, used to instill fear and docility in the prisoners. The officer went over to his bed and lay down on the covers, hands behind his head, and closed his eyes. The dog lay down on its mat. (10)
Remembrance Week
Unlike his master, who could now be heard rhythmically breathing, the dog never took his eyes off the boy as he tidied up and swept and dusted. In the corner of the room was the dog’s bowl with a few remaining pieces of kibble in it. (12)
Unlike his master, who could now be heard rhythmically breathing, the dog never took his eyes off the boy as he tidied up and swept and dusted. In the corner of the room was the dog’s bowl with a few remaining pieces of kibble in it. (12)
Remembrance Week
Our friend, as you may be guessing by now, was fixated on these morsels. It was death to steal, and we may readily imagine him being executed on the spot. This officer would do it for a nothing, as he’d demonstrated in the past. (13)
Our friend, as you may be guessing by now, was fixated on these morsels. It was death to steal, and we may readily imagine him being executed on the spot. This officer would do it for a nothing, as he’d demonstrated in the past. (13)
Remembrance Week
But our friend’s hunger was all-consuming and it led him to take a terrible risk. When the dog, finally, closed its eyes, the boy edged closer to the bowl. The man and the dog still dozed. Slowly the boy knelt before it. Slowly he lowered his head. (14)
But our friend’s hunger was all-consuming and it led him to take a terrible risk. When the dog, finally, closed its eyes, the boy edged closer to the bowl. The man and the dog still dozed. Slowly the boy knelt before it. Slowly he lowered his head. (14)
Remembrance Week
He paused after each movement, prepared to leap up with a bunch of laundry or some such other contrivance in case the officer woke. But they still dozed. The boy, turning to look at the dog as he did so, lowered his head all the way and began to eat. (15)
He paused after each movement, prepared to leap up with a bunch of laundry or some such other contrivance in case the officer woke. But they still dozed. The boy, turning to look at the dog as he did so, lowered his head all the way and began to eat. (15)
Remembrance Week
He ate as noiselessly as he could, basically swallowing without chewing so as not to be detected. His eyes never left the dog’s face. Then, without warning, the dog’s eyes suddenly opened and met his. This was it. He had committed and he had failed. (16)
He ate as noiselessly as he could, basically swallowing without chewing so as not to be detected. His eyes never left the dog’s face. Then, without warning, the dog’s eyes suddenly opened and met his. This was it. He had committed and he had failed. (16)
Remembrance Week
But instead of launching itself across the room and tearing the boy to shreds as the boy expected, the dog gave him a look of enormous tenderness and pity before looking away and letting the boy finish. “The man would never have done that,” said the old man. (17)
But instead of launching itself across the room and tearing the boy to shreds as the boy expected, the dog gave him a look of enormous tenderness and pity before looking away and letting the boy finish. “The man would never have done that,” said the old man. (17)
Remembrance Week
“I go to schools and talk about the Holocaust,” said the old man, but I’ve never told that story before. And then he cried at the fresh memory of it. My brother cried when he told it to me, and I cried when I heard it. And now I’m crying as I tell you. (18)
“I go to schools and talk about the Holocaust,” said the old man, but I’ve never told that story before. And then he cried at the fresh memory of it. My brother cried when he told it to me, and I cried when I heard it. And now I’m crying as I tell you. (18)
Remembrance Week
The old man is long gone. This story has become ours to tell and remember. Tell it! It’s yours now. He’d like that. May we always have more compassion for each other, and forsake cruelty and malevolence. Amen, amen, amen. (19)
The old man is long gone. This story has become ours to tell and remember. Tell it! It’s yours now. He’d like that. May we always have more compassion for each other, and forsake cruelty and malevolence. Amen, amen, amen. (19)
