The Yad Vashem Diaries IV: A Week in Review

 The cycle has continued and the brief moments of clarity at the start of the week dissipated. The second week of lectures and tutorials was less of a shock to the system, but the continuation of my tiredness and the increasingly dark content in the lectures had me reaching a low point on Wednesday/Thursday. My personal circumstances restrict me from taking the opportunities that others have seemingly used in the evenings to explore and enjoy experiences separate from the Gandel program. By the middle of the week my resentment and exhaustion overwhelmed me, and it’s taken a bit of time to restore my equilibrium. I’m very thankful I have stayed as healthy as I have during this time, and this is probably largely owing to those personally imposed restrictions. There has been a bit of illness throughout the participants, but apart from the constant tiredness and one small encounter with some nuts I’ve been fine.

While the first week of lectures and content has looked at the existing Jewish world and situations of anti-semitism, the second week focused more on ghettoization into the Final Solution. Ironically the most positive and yet challenging experiences were the testimonials we heard from holocaust survivors. Their recounts of the difficult (which feels like such an understatement) situations these people found themselves in as young children in Europe made me so devoutly thankful to be living now and to have a complete family, but also so uncomfortably aware of my own materialism and selfishness. The lack of free time in the program has intensified my responses this week as I’ve struggled to emotionally deal with the content and to contemplate how to integrate what I’ve learned into classroom practice. Most of the week I was looking forward to my first free time in twelve days – the Shabbat.

Lecture 1 Monday started positively. It was about Nazi aesthetics in art and the ideologies which were supported and denounced. I was really glad I’d visited the Haus der Kunst in Munich because it was quite a feature of this lecture. The use of visuals were also quite engaging.

We discussed reasons for why the Nazis were so supportive of art, especially considering the reduced significance the arts receive in the contemporary world.

•       Hitler was an aspiring artist.
• ·         Completely engaged the Reich’s architectural program.
• ·         Promoted by the state at the highest levels. No expense spared in Nazification.
• ·         Platform on which Nazi power rose to power, used as a tool of propaganda.
• ·         Controls information.

“We must create the New Man so that our race will not succumb to the phenomenon of degeneration so typical of modern times.” Hitler

Nazis were educating an entire generation to be connoisseurs of art through visual cues and codes. (Leni Riefenstahl – Triumph of the Will, Olympia, films such as The Eternal Jew, stamps, maps, picture books, cartoons, magazines).

O. Garvens, "The Sculptor of Germany"

http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/lesson_plans/germanys_sculptor.asp

 I’ve not seen this image before, but it spoke to me quite powerfully because of how effectively it metaphorically reflected Hitler’s actions as the Führer, and it was really easy to read and interpret.

A summary of the Nazi ideologies with relation to art reminded me rather ironically that I pretty much side with the Nazis in my personal preferences, although of course not to such degrees of extremism.

• ·         Standardisation and collective homogenisation in art.
• ·         Contrasts and caricatures.
• ·         Following classical tradition. Noble simplicity and calm grandeur.
• ·         Banning of books, or of ideas which were deemed dangerous to the regime (incl Bauhaus).
• ·         1936 – art critics are banned. Artists who do not conform have works confiscated from public collections, may be banned from future work, and work may be displayed at the Museum of Degenerate Art. 112 artists and 16 000 works banned.

The next sessions further developed our understanding of the ghettos.

Ghettoes used in medieval ages were vaguely reminiscent but mostly different from the WWII version. The terminology was an accidental term that became synonymous across Europe.

1.       Metaphorical term – segregated from social environment. (common in C19 in Eastern Europe)

2.       Densely populated poor Jewish neighbourhood (more common in Central and Western Europe).

Preliminary steps of ghettoization consisted of marking, movement restrictions, and the creation of Jewish control organs. These were established very early in Poland. To the Jews, the ghetto was a way of life, to the Germans it was an administrative measure. (paraphrase Hilberg, The Destruction of the European Jews, 1961). Hilberg identified concentration as ghettoization.

I rather thought the following summary from Yad Vashem helped me understand the concept: “There is also no evidence that the Nazi leadership themselves ordered the establishment of ghettos in the exact form they eventually took. Even on September 21, 1939, when Reinhard Heydrich called for the centralization of Polish Jews into separate areas of cities and used the term ghetto, he did not mean it in the way it was ultimately carried out. Most likely, ghettos were instituted separately by local officials. Thus, each ghetto was unique in how and when it was set up, how it was sealed off from the rest of the city, and how it was governed.

Each ghetto was also governed uniquely. Because the ghetto was actually a type of city-within-a-city, the Jews were forced to run services and institutions for themselves for which they had no previous experience. In addition to running the Judenraete, which were established before the ghettos and were a separate entity, Jews in the ghetto ran postal services, police forces, and various other services that a city would normally provide. They were also compelled to distribute food rations, and arrange for housing, health care, and jobs. Sometimes, a ghetto was divided into two separate areas: one for the workers, and one for the rest of the population. Some ghettos also contained other types of refugees besides Jews.”

http://www.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%206286.pdf

Approx 1140 ghettos during WWII, 130 established 1939-1941. Most established much later.

The next session was about the primary sources which exist in the Warsaw Ghetto that reflect daily life and continuity. A particular point that I recall was the emphasis it is essential to identify the author and their motivation/positioning in taking images. Almost all of the images we used in this session were taken by a German soldier, Heinz Joest, in the ghetto in September 1941. The responses of the Jews in the images do not always reflect a true reality of their lives away from German eyes.  A selection of these images can be found at: http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/warsaw_ghetto/german_soldier.asp          

The final session of the day considered music in the holocaust. We commenced by looking at the existence of orchestras and choirs in the ghettos, and how the societies used these to continue cultural practice in an insular way. Apparently I should watch ‘The Pianist’. Regarding music in the camps, we heard that  most melodies of songs during the holocaust were taken from existing songs, with new lyrics added. Singing could be used as anecdote and a form of a communication between victims. These could be used as testimonials following the holocaust: It could be a form of protest, a kaddish, a final testament. Sometimes the Jews were killed because they sang. On other occasions, singing spared their lives. I think this was a lecture that was less interesting than I had anticipated it would be, or perhaps I was just reeling from yet another 1.5 hour lecture.

A great sunrise from my room.

Tuesday we initially started looking at cultural and spiritual resistance by Jews during the Holocaust. My notes for this unit were relatively brief, and we spent a while discussing the fact that resistance was multi-faceted and that interpretations vary regarding what constitutes resistance. We read excerpts from ‘Night’ which is one of the most powerful autobiographies I’ve ever read. I suppose my restricted commentary implies I didn’t get much out of this session, but it was really thought provoking.

The next workshop held great relevance for the classroom, and discussed strategies for introducing the holocaust in an age appropriate way.

1.  If starting with narrative in primary school, the story of an individual should be balanced. A story of a survivor which touches upon big issues, but don’t dwell on these.
2. May start with some knowledge, but reduce the levels of complexity. As students mature the complexity can increase.
3. Big issues can be introduced, and later on developed. Don’t introduce ethical dilemmas or provide questions without answers. Middle school aged children aren’t ready for the big philosophical questions in life.
4. Even with senior high school, some topics don’t have educational benefit. Be selective.

Overall suggestions:

The holocaust was a formative event. One which will shape memory and identity for generations to come. The holocaust can be taught from primary school age onwards. Yom Ha-Shoah cannot be ignored in Israel – siren, TV programming. Controlling the knowledge can then become a problem – you don’t want students to learn too much too early.

A teacher’s role in holocaust education is to deal with complex topics and to ensure that students learn through the ideology of ‘safely in and safely out.’

Apparently I didn’t have a coffee for the session about literature during the holocaust, because I have very minimal records of what we did. I remember reading some excerpts and discussing the texts we study at our different schools. The most important emphasis when reading texts was to recollect that there are distinctions between what is written:

(i)                  At the time of the holocaust – fragmented, partial vision

(ii)                That which is written subsequently – impacted by context

The final session was about Holocaust films. The lecturer was definitely the most engaging one we have encountered to date, and while once again there was limited objectivity (rather an Israeli trait), it was a session which prompted a lot of group discussion both during and after the session. Because of my extreme sensitivity to film, I have consciously restricted my access to holocaust related films. It turns out as a result that the most holocaust related films I have ever watched are ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘Indiana Jones’. Needless to say, I learned a lot, and I don’t quite fit the norm.  

Many others headed to the Israel Museum after this day but I’ve already been and as established earlier, I’m not up to much in the evenings. 

Wednesday’s subject matter was the final solution – it began heavily but concluded with the optimistic accounts of three survivors – from Lithuania, Slovakia and Italy. It was a real panacea after the morning, which I tried to disassociate from memory. I did however remember that the emphasis of evidence we saw aimed at the dehumanisation of the Jews, and that in discussions of such material the victims and perpetrators should be treated separately.

When it came time to hear the survivor accounts of three people who were children at the time of the war, I was excited to hear that one was a survivor through being sheltered in an Italian convent. Yehudit was five and was forced to make impossible decisions about her life as the only surviving member of her family, and listening to her story was yet another experience that reinforced the blessings heaped upon my life. I ensured I received a copy of her autobiography so that I can both read and remember. The other two survivors had brief introductions and people in other groups went to hear their stories while I heard Yehudit’s. The debriefing session we had later allowed us to grasp the nature of their stories in more detail. It was amply evident that the rich lives these people had led afterwards were equally as interesting as their wartime experiences, and showed them demonstrating amazing resilience and optimism for the future. 

 Yehudit and I

A further survivor account was heard on Thursday afternoon from Frieda, who part way through her testimony bared her arm and showed her tattoo from Auschwitz. She was again so resilient and incredibly positive, though she said she knew she would not go to hell because her experiences at Auschwitz and then Bergen-Belsen meant she had already been there. 

Earlier in the day we were made privy to the documentation and information regarding the Allies’ awareness of the holocaust during and following the war. It was devastating. The next session about teaching about the perpetrators was done using both Nazi and Jewish testimonies about the same event – a train transportation – and reading between the lines and comparing. It was fascinating seeing such deviant perspectives. 

Just prior to the account from Frieda we saw images from the ‘Auschwitz Album’, which was a collection of images found by a Jewish girl on the day of liberation. The images record the transportation, selections, daily life and other situations which were part of life at Auschwitz and as such provide an invaluable and enduring testament of the millions of lives cut short or affected by their experiences there. I think it was not coincidental that I had my only rough night of sleeping that night.

Friday morning we looked at liberation and considered a variety of posters reflecting images of the process of rehabilitation, restoration and the aftermath of lives in hiding or in the camps. The next session was about Pope Pius XII and his contribution (or lack thereof) to the holocaust, especially with regards to public statements.

The final conclusions were the following: Don’t base history on one testimony. Pius XII is a difficult figure to ‘judge’ based on the limited scope of available evidence.

What is obvious

1. The Vatican wanted to stay neutral.
2. The Church’s main priority was to Catholics.
3. The Pope wanted to avoid a schism of Catholicism.  
4. What can be proved is that the Pope offered help to those religious people who wanted to rescue Jews. He didn’t give a clear instruction when requests were received.

What I found particularly interesting were the discussions about the changing power of the Vatican and the political complications involved at the time being surrounded by the fascist state of Italy, which I hadn’t really comprehended before. What was of course confronting was the realisation that through confessionals and other church communications that the Church was amongst the first entities to be aware of the situation especially in Poland, yet for mostly political reasons the organisation which should most espouse humanitarian aid was deficient. 

Because it was soon to be Shabbat, our very relieved group returned to the hotel where we parted ways and enjoyed the experience of our first daytime free time since the start of the seminars.

I joined a group of about seven or eight which dwindled to three after a few alleyways in the Old City. Because I was the only one who had visited Jerusalem before, I basically became the tour guide. Poor weather had been predicted but we managed to dodge it for most of the afternoon until the crazy downpour as we were preparing to leave the old city, necessitating a crazy expensive taxi ride down the street.

I enjoyed navigating the streets more with others, and it felt more friendly. We wandered through the Muslim Quarter along to the start of the via Dolorosa and the Church of St Anne and to Bethesda. It was just gone two and there were no groups when we arrived so it was possible to head down into the pools and archaeological remains. It was great, and became even greater when the Muslim call to prayer ricocheted through the ruins, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre’s bells joined into the cacophony. It was that ephemeral moment which encapsulates that unity and disunity of religion and races that is seen in Jerusalem. 

  

Obligatory Church of the Holy Sepulchre crazies

We briefly followed a via Dolorosa cross carrying re-enactment complete with Latin singing nuns before Jodie and Kerryn very excitedly purchased an ancient coin each. My list of items to purchase was fairly small but I ended up deciding to buy a cross stitched pillowcase which ended up being a rather fateful decision. I’d run out of notes but because of the dubious reputation of the souq obviously I didn’t want to use my card. I arranged with the seller that I’d walk up to Jaffa Gate where I knew there was an ATM, however it didn’t work and it was bucketing rain and of course that was when the men were being more intrusive about trying to show me their shops, and I got flustered and two hours later realised I left my card in the ATM. Thankfully I have other sources of money and I was able to suspend the card before any damage was done (the rain and it being Shabbat would have helped too because only mad people would be out in that rain). That night was also my mild nut encounter at dinner and the rain was torrential so there was no chance of retracing my steps.

The next morning I walked back to the Jaffa Gate because we had a later start on our Masada morning, but there was no sign of the card. It was a pleasant walk and the first time in daylight hours I’ve ever seen the square outside the Jaffa Gate empty.