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Meet the 2009 - 2010 Holocaust Survivor - Student Teams
Read more about The Next Chapter ProjectSee art work created by The Next Chapter Project's students.
For More Information:Taylor Epstein; TaylorE@jfcs.org; 415-359-2463 |
Meet the 2009 - 2010 Holocaust Survivor - Student TeamsYou can read the essays about the eight Polish Holocaust survivors who participated in this year's Next Chapter Project by following the links beside their photos and excerpts below. Also, see the art works created by the students during the project. The Survivors and Their StoriesMary DinitsExcerpt from "Living in the Memories” by Student Sara Storey-Cuddeback Mary’s hair was shaved off. She was humiliated, along with the other women in the camp. A German officer told her, “You are a dummy for crying about this. If you are alive, your hair will grow; if you die, you don’t need your hair.” Anshel FriedExcerpt from "A Story of Courage” by Student Benjamin Wachs
When Anshel made his final decision and prepared to leave on his own, his father suddenly realized that he might never see his son again. "Twenty-one years of raising you, and then you are gone," Anshel recalled his father saying. In fact, his father’s premonition was true. Anshel was never to see his family again. Esther JachimowiczExcerpt from "And I Continue to Wonder” by Student Sharon Aucar
A German policewoman came over and told me that if I didn’t stop crying, she would kill me. In my anger and frustration, I yelled at her in perfect German and left her astounded. The next day, she took me out of there and sent me to a German hospital so I could escape death for at least a little longer. Wilfred “Bill” KayExcerpt from "An Unforgettable Journey of Life and Death” by Student Kai Hseuh
An officer came up to Bill’s mother and saw that she had a gold wedding ring on her finger. He ordered her to hand over the ring. Bill’s mother knew that if she resisted she would be shot on sight, so she gave her ring to the officer unwillingly. Bill could tell that his mother was crying, because that ring was the last thing she had from his father. Henry LibickiExcerpt from "Pictures from the Past" by student Vilma Herrera
They started to group the Jews together, with their guns pointed at them. They chased and shot people as they passed by. The Jews were gathered into the streets, where they stood with their hands in the air, and then separated into two groups by gender. The groups were searched for any kind of weapons, like sharp objects. If they were found with one, they would be sent to a pit, where they were killed. Harry RechtExcerpt from "A Brother’s Love" by Student Gabriel Lopez Low
Weighing around 80 pounds, Chaim was on the edge of starvation and had little chance of living much longer. The Jews sensed the general unease among the Nazis and knew that liberation was just around the corner. The question, however, was whether they would survive to see it. Sally RechtExcerpt from "More Than Just a Roll of the Dice" by Student Ezra Stoller
In the barracks, Sally and her sisters always tore off a small piece of bread from their allotted rations—an inch off the bottom—for an emergency. Once, someone stole this emergency, extra bread. “We knew this one particular woman had taken it, but she survived and afterwards came to us and told us that she still feels sick thinking about why she did it, but she was so hungry she couldn’t help it,” said Sally. Tauba WeissExcerpt from "When G-d Was on Vacation" by Student Geny Rabinovich
Every night, we experienced an Appeal: Everyone from the camp was brought outside in the snow, naked. Nazis would torture us by pouring ice water all over our shivering bodies, and if we tried to share body heat, we would get severely beaten. At least a third of the group died from frostbite. Nazis would find new ways of torture every day. An SS officer by the name of Erta beat me every day. |
