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Próxima reunión: Lunes 24 de noviembre

Primera reunión para organizar el evento : lunes 3 de noviembre

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Nuestro interés particular

"De Cara al Futuro", el encuentro que -si todo sale bien- tendrá lugar dentro de un año, centralizó nuestras interacciones. Era inevitable que habláramos de ello aunque esté destinado un encuentro específico el lunes 3 de noviembre y partir de allí, cada quince días. Probablemente para nosotros, los hijos de los sobrevivientes, tenga significados diferentes que para quienes fueron protagonistas directos. Sería interesante si pudiéramos conversar, tal vez en una próxima reunión, sobre este punto específico, es decir, nuestro interés en tanto hijos.

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¿Multi-nacionalidad?

Lógicamente, el pensar sobre el evento, abre temáticas y reflexiones. Una de ellas fue sobre nuestra nacionalidad, o, mejor dicho, sobre nuestra multi-nacionalidad. A partir de la "polaquez", disparada por el comentario de lo sucedido en la embajada de Polonia el jueves anterior (homenaje a Irena Sendler, salvadora de 2.500 niños judíos). Hay en el grupo gente nacida en Alemania, en Rusia, en Polonia, entre otros lugares de la post-shoá. Gente que ha pasado por Bolivia, Uruguay, Israel, en fin, un muestrario de la enrancia del judío, del destino de caminos y destinos que nos ha constituido en este pueblo rico, heterogéneo, multifacético que somos hoy. Pensábamos en esta condición, favorecida por el mundo globalizado, en el que la gente se traslada de país en país, generado estos nuevos estados de inter o multi nacionalidades, esta nueva condición definida por la pertenencia a diferentes culturas, idiomas, costumbres, cosmovisiones. Condición común a inmigrantes, pero exacerbada en la actualidad. Estos estados de nacionalidades diferentes, de internacionalidades o como se llamen nos son familiares.

Nos preguntábamos entonces qué éramos, si nos teníamos que definir por una sola cosa nuestras múltiples pertenencias: lo argentino, lo judío, el lugar de nacimiento, el lugar donde pasamos la infancia, el lugar de origen de nuestros padres. Como sucede habitualmente, los ecos que recibíamos de los otros, daban corporeidad y sustancia a sentimientos a veces difusos.

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Propuesta

Hablando de "difusos", se propuso que el poema de Rosita, tenga un protagonismo especial en el evento. Tal vez, si nos lo aprueban en el otro grupo, pueda ser lo que vaya luego del título.

Compartimos un texto remitido por un médico chileno, Gonzalo Soto-Germani, un nieto de sobrevivientes, un texto que habla, muy bien, sobre estas búsquedas en las que estamos sobre algunos aspectos de nuestros pasados. Para quienes no lo han recibido:

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Una llamada telefónica

De nuevo tengo en el teléfono a Mendel Lichtik, que me está llamando desde Amberes, a mí, Alberto Stern, aquí en Montevideo, Uruguay. Me descubrió hace una semana y dice que es mi hermano, por parte paterna. Habla en yiddish galiciano y tiene la voz de un hombre de mi edad. Debe ser un tipo de unos sesenta años. Me ha contado que nació en Varsovia y que siendo niño, fue recogido por una mujer polaca junto al muro del gueto, en el lado ario. Después de la Guerra creció al amparo del matrimonio Lichtik, en Amberes, donde ha conseguido establecer una fábrica de chocolate kosher. Seguramente es un jasid. Su relato no parece contradecirse con la biografía de mi padre, judío polaco, único sobreviviente de toda una familia que incluía también a su esposa y a sus dos hijos pequeños, aquellos fantasmas que acompañaron toda mi infancia. Yo nací en Uruguay y soy el único hijo del segundo matrimonio. Mi madre provenía de una familia de judíos ucranianos, asentados en Montevideo desde principios de siglo. Me doy cuenta que la investigación de Mendel Lichtik ha sido minuciosa y consistente, la tarea obsesiva de un huérfano que busca sus raíces. Su llamada no me conmovió en la forma que cualquiera podría esperar. ¡Cómo asimilar que alguno de aquellos ángeles mutilados surja de pronto convertido en un señor de carne y hueso llamando a mi teléfono! Como un torrente, me cuenta ahora de su búsqueda y, ya incapaz de escucharme, va desplegando sin pausa todas sus evidencias, develando en alguna forma la prehistoria de mi padre. Con mi oído apretado al auricular, lo veo como saca las perdidas piezas del puzzle desde los bolsillos de su caftán, como va sumando fragmentos que me dejan entrever sombras de otros tiempos, peculiares trazos apolillados que van cerrando al fin la vieja historia. No tengo dudas, pero tampoco siento alegría. Tan sólo me embarga un creciente dolor, por este mensaje irremediablemente tardío para mi pobre padre muerto. Pero Mendel Lichtik parece incontenible en su entusiasmo vehemente y, antes que yo siquiera pueda esbozar alguna reacción, o agregar otro indicio a su relato, ya está recitando kadish por nuestro padre, y su voz grave, con una entonación cálida y viril, va desgranando la vieja oración, que como un relámpago inesperado me estremece de pies a cabeza y me deja de pronto sollozando sin pudor, pegado al teléfono. No escucho más los automóviles que abruman la avenida frente a mi tienda, desaparecen los dependientes y olvido a los clientes que examinan coloridas telas junto al mostrador. ¡Tan sólo experimento la maravillosa resurrección de mi padre en el canto de Mendel Lichtik, su presencia indudable y total, cual irrefrenable estallido de luz! Nota a nota las palabras sagradas del kadish van abriendo mi ser a un horizonte fuera del espacio y del tiempo, ajeno al dolor de la separación, con una intensidad arrolladora que ya no pertenece al auricular telefónico. En ese ámbito superior, mi padre no es más el triste viejo nostálgico, ni el desventurado pasajero de las pesadillas. Es un deslumbrante ser de luz, un ángel que me deja colmado de consuelo y de amor protector, antes de desvanecerse dulcemente y sin desdén, cuando Mendel, mi hermano al otro lado del océano, concluye su cadencia con la palabra amén.

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Generations of the Shoah International Newsletter

Hemos recibido el boletín por e-mail de GSI (Generations of the Shoah Internacional) grupo del cual somos miembros. Va a continuación para los que entienden inglés (es muy largo para traducir para los demás, lo lamento)

Generations of the Shoah International Newsletter
gsi@imeg.com
November, 2003

Dear Members and Friends,

As we start our second year, we wanted to share with you something that was sent to us by a survivor. His words speak volumes:

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Dear Friends:

I want to thank you for preparing and distributing such an informative and helpful newsletter. In the darkest days of the Holocaust, when hope was gone and we felt forgotten and forsaken, we in the ghettos and in the camps still promised each other a miracle: that one day, good people will want to know what happened to our people and will care.

Thank you for being a part of that miracle.

George Salton

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We are here and we are still remembering and carrying on the legacy. We appreciate all the help and support our members have given us in our first year. We hope we can all work together to support the survivor community worldwide.

Included in this newsletter is a request for help from our members in Eastern Europe. We also have an update on the CHE conference. We are delighted to include a piece written by a grandchild of survivors who attended a special Hillel program at Northwestern University with Elie Wiesel.

Next month we will have information for you regarding the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's 10 th Anniversary's Survivor Tribute. Many of us are getting together to meet and get to know each other.

Thanks,

Generations of the Shoah International

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INSURANCE POLICY LIST PUBLISHED.

The International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC) has published the names of 363,232 insurance policyholders from the Holocaust era, with the goal of enabling heirs of victims to search the list for policies held by their families. Publication of the list was made possible under the terms of an October 2002 agreement with German insurance companies, which the Claims Conference had a role negotiating. The public now has access to the most comprehensive listing ever available of insurance policies issued to Jewish residents of Germany during the National Socialist era. The list is available on the ICHEIC website, www.icheic.org .

The deadline to file claims with ICHEIC for Holocaust-era insurance policies has been extended to December 31, 2003. For more information: www.claimscon.org .

UPCOMING GATHERINGS

The US Holocaust Memorial Museum is having its 10 th Anniversary Tribute to Survivors on November 1 & 2, 2003. Over 6000 people are scheduled to attend the programs on Sunday and over 3000 will attend the sold-out dinner Saturday night. For more information see www.ushmm.org and http://tribute.ushmm.org .

GSI and the Washington, DC second generation group, The Generation After , have jointly arranged for two opportunities for all 2Gs and 3Gs to get together and meet. The first meeting is November 1, at 5 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC. We were originally supposed to meet at the lounge / bar but our numbers have exceeded the capacity of this bar so we will be using both the lounge and the sports bars, which are side by side in the lobby area. This is a cash bar but people are welcome to come even if they do not buy drinks. The Renaissance Hotel is one block from the Convention Center where the dinner will be held at 7 p.m.

The second meeting is for Sunday morning, November 2 nd at 8:30 a.m. for breakfast at the Loew's L'Enfant Hotel in L'Enfant Plaza. Originally we were to meet in the American Grill restaurant but the response was so overwhelming that we exceeded the capacity of the restaurant and they will arrange to give us a private room. Even though we will have a private room, this is not a private meeting and all 2Gs and 3Gs are welcome. People are welcome to buy the Continental breakfast or just a cup of coffee. This hotel is a few blocks from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum at L'Enfant Plaza.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES

From Strength to Strength

L'Dor v'Dor

A one-day conference for Adult Children of Holocaust Survivors
Sunday, November 9, 2003
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Baycrest Wagman Centre.
55 Ameer Avenue , Toronto

This Second Generation gathering will examine the legacy we have inherited: the challenges, the hopes, the pain and the strengths. Through workshops, seminars and guest speakers, we will explore the impact of the Holocaust on our families, our past, our future and our communities. We invite you and your partner to come together in an atmosphere of understanding and shared history. Speakers include:

Dr. Anna Baranowsky, Dr. Alan Bardikoff, Paula David, Eva Dojc, Bernie Farber, Dr. Carry Green, Martin Herskowitz, Susan Jackson, Margie Levitt, Len Rudner, Lisa Reitman-Dobi, and Lisa Zaid.

$18 per person includes lunch and materials. Kashruth observed. Limited space is available. Pre-registration is necessary. For more information and to print a registration form, visit www.baycrest.org (go to all events) or call 416 785 2500 ext.2853

Eleventh Annual One Day Conference Commemorating Kristallnacht
NUREMBERG : Seedbed of Holocaust Crimes/Emblem of Post Holocaust Justice and Responsibility
Thursday, November, 13, 2003
8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Baldwin Gymnasium, Drew University, Madison, NJ

Topics will include :
Profile of Nuremberg : Its Glorious History and Ongoing Symbolism;
The Voice of the Jewish Community in Nuremberg, Past and Present;
The Nuremberg Laws: Origins, Explanations, and Significance;
The Nuremberg Party Rally Grounds: Architecture & Propaganda;
The Promise of The War Crimes Trials: How Did They Fulfill Their Promise? How Did They Fail? ;
The 'Enigma of German Irresponsibility': Jewish Responses to German Guilt in the early Postwar Period;
Testimony on the Nuremberg Trials
On exhibit: Archival Materials and Documents related to Nuremberg, curated by Gerald Gurland, F.A.I.A. Reservation: $35 per person which includes lunch. Information and Reservations: 973-408-3600 or ctrholst@drew.edu .

UPCOMING EVENTS

Now through November 9, 2003-Westfield Shopping Center at Montgomery Mall, Bethesda, MD. There will be an exhibit on the life of Anne Frank on display. Docents will be available for individual and group tours. For more information: contact etfinder@juno.com and your inquiries will be forwarded to the Anne Frank House coordinators of the display.

Now through December 12, 2003-US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC.
Anne Frank t he Writer: An Unfinished Story. The exhibition, developed in honor of the Museum's 10 th Anniversary, marks the first time any of Anne Frank's original writings, in her own hand, have been on display outside of the Netherlands. For more information: www.ushmm.org .

Now through January 4, 2004 - Newark Museum, Newark, NJ. Quilt exhibit featuring The Patchwork of Memories Quilt , a living quilt created by Metrowest NJ survivors as part of a Cafe Europa art group It is accompanied by a companion booklet, in which each survivor narrates the story of his/her square. For additional information, contact Leah Kaufman, Jewish Family Service: (973) 467-3300, ext. 210.

Now through May 9, 2004-US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC.
Life in Shadows: Hidden Children and the Holocaust , an exhibit on Jewish children hidden by courageous Jewish and non-Jewish individuals and organizations. For more information: www.ushmm.org .

November 1-2, 2003-US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC
In honor of the 10 th Anniversary of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, there will be a Survivor Tribute. www.ushmm.org .

November 1, 6-9, 2003. Bickford Theater,Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ and
November 13-16, 20-23, 2003. Hunziker Theater, Wm Paterson U, Wayne, NJ -
The Women's Theater Company presents "Kindertransport" , a play by Diane Samuels. Performances are Thursday, Friday & Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Ticket Prices are $20 for all seats. For reservations/information please call: The Women's Theater Co. at 973 316-3033 and press 1. Leave your name and the number of tickets for the performance date you want to attend.

November 2, 2003. 5 p.m.-Koffler Center at the BJCC, Toronto, Canada. The opening of Women in the Holocaust: Faces of Resistance which showcases a diverse group of courageous women. For more information call 416-736-9655 or email mail@givathaviva.ca .

November 6, 2003, 7:30 p.m.- Temple Emanu-El of Greater Miami, 1701 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL. The powerful documentary film Displaced! Miracle at St. Ottilien will be shown as part of the Second Annual Holocaust Education Week. For more information: 305-538-1663.

November 8, 2003, 7 p.m.-The Florida Holocaust Museum, St. Petersburg, FL.
Kristallnacht "Night of the Broken Glass" Commemoration. www.flholocaustmuseum.org .

November 9, 2003, 3 p.m.-The Ring House, 1801 E. Jefferson, Rockville, MD
Kristallnacht Commemoration. For more information: etfinder@juno.com .

November 9, 2003, 6 p.m.-Temple Beth Sholom, 4144 Chase Ave, Miami Beach, FL.
Kristallnacht Commemoration: "65 Years After the Night of Broken Glass, Can History Repeat Itself?" For more information: 305-538-1663.

November 9, 2003, 7:00 p.m.- St Paul's Episcopal Church, 200 Main Street, Chatham, NJ. The Chatham Interfaith Council announces its first annual Kristallnacht Commemoration. Alicia Mickenburg , violist with the NJ Symphony, will be the featured performer. Mrs. Luna Kaufman , a survivor of Auschwitz, will be the keynote speaker . For more information, call 973-635-8085.

November 9, 2003, 7:45 p.m.- Temple Beth Ahm, Springfield, NJ. Members of Temple Beth Ahm will read from the liturgical play, "Night Words, A Midrash on the Holocaust" , compiled by David Roskies of the Jewish Theological Seminary. The program will culminate in a traditional candle lighting ceremony in memory of the Six Million. For additional information, please contact Lea Karpman, HEC Chair, at 973-912-0994, evenings, or by email: leakarpman@aol.com .

November 10, 2003, 7-9 p.m.- College of St. Elizabeth (CSE), Morristown, NJ. Kristallnacht Commemoration, "An Evening of Remembrance and Hope", CSE students share what they learned in Poland on the 2003 March of Remembrance and Hope. For more information call 973 290-4351 or www.cse.edu/remember .

November 10-14, 2003 - College of St. Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ. Week of Holocaust Remembrance . For a complete schedule of weeklong programs visit www.cse.edu/remember .

November 10, 2003, 7:30 p.m.-Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ. Annual Kristallnacht Commemoration: The Voices of Children. The speaker is author and professor Dr. Jeffrey Shandler. For more information: holo-center@brookdalecc.edu .

November 12, 2003, 7 p.m.-Drew University, Madison, NJ. Dessert reception in honor of Arno Hamburger, President Nuremberg Jewish Community, to benefit the Drew University Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study. The event is hosted by Lore and Eric Ross, newly appointed member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Reservation: $50 per person. Information and Reservations: 973-408-3600 or ctrholst@drew.edu .

November 20, 2003, 7:00 p.m.- Milwaukee, WI - in the JCC Ritz Theater -
The Holocaust Education and Resource Center presents Out of the Ashes , the second film in the Holocaust Film Series. This fact-based movie stars Christine Lahti as Dr. Gisella Perl, a Jewish physician in Auschwitz who performed numerous abortions on women to save their lives. A talkback will follow. For information call the HERC at the Coalition for Jewish Learning, 414/962-8860.

December 1, 2003, 7:50 p.m.- Wilkins Theatre, Kean University, Union, NJ. Lecture and forum with Holocaust scholar Michael Berenbaum, who will discuss "The Promise and Peril of the Americanization of the Holocaust," sponsored by the Holocaust Resource Foundation. Free admission. For more information, contact the Kean University Holocaust Resource Center at 908-737-4664.

December 4, 2003, 1:30 p.m.-Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ. Talking with Survivors: to meet Holocaust Survivors in person is to touch history. For more information: holo-center@brookdalecc.edu .

December 4, 2003, 7-9 p.m.-Florida Holocaust Museum, St. Petersburg, FL. Guest speaker Nechama Tec will discuss her new book Rescue & Resistance and how men and women survived in different Holocaust settings. For more information: www.flholocaustmuseum.org .

December 7, 2003, 9:30-11:30 a.m.-Minneapolis Jewish Community Center, Minneapolis, MN. CHAIM,a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Second Generation group and an initiative of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas,presents a panel discussion: "Where Was God during the Holocaust?" Panel:Rabbi Morris Allen (clergy), Cantor Shalom Markovits (clergy and survivor), Joe Rozenberg (survivor), Dora Zaidenweber (survivor). Brunch: light (bagels, cream cheese, fruit, and coffee) for a $5. fee. For more information: Jodi Elowitz at the JCRC Jodi@MinnDakJCRC.org

December 7, 2003, 3 p.m.- Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ. The Boys of Buchenwald. View this video and hear the story of one of them: Abe Chapnick. For more information: holo-center@brookdalecc.edu .

We received a special request for assistance. Perhaps one of our European members can help..

Dear Generations of the Shoah International Newsletter,

As a child of survivors, I have a land claim currently in the court in the Czech Republic and I need to find a person who could take home movie film of the land. I am trying to find out if there is an organization of Jews who help with things like this in the Czech Republic. Can you help me find such an organization?

Thank you.

Erica Lann-Clark. lanntell@cruzio.com

From a grandson of survivors reporting on a special Hillel event at Northwestern University:

Noted author, activist and holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel spoke on "The Seduction and Dangers of Fanaticism" at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL Oct. 26, identifying terrorism and fanaticism as the greatest dangers in today's world.

"Today, every country is affected," Wiesel said. "The whole world is at war."

He reiterated his support for the recent war in Iraq, asserting that the international community has a right and obligation to stop human rights abuses such as those committed by Saddam Hussein's regime, and described his latest project, an effort to have the United Nations declare terrorism a crime against humanity. Wiesel also led a question-and-answer session earlier that afternoon at Northwestern's Fiedler Hillel Center. Among other topics, Wiesel discussed the violence in Israel and the need for Holocaust survivors to continue speaking out about their experiences. "I want them to know it is possible, and if not, it is necessary, that one must bear witness," Wiesel said. To that end, Wiesel has started a program, funded by his publisher, Random House, to collect and publish survivors' stories. Memoirs can be sent to Wiesel at Boston University and will be forwarded to Random House.

-- Michael Beder (Mr. Beder is a journalism student at Northwestern)

Special thanks to Rabbi Michael Mishkin at the Northwestern Hillel for helping grandchildren of survivors to attend Elie Wiesel's program.

From The Holocaust Council of Metrowest NJ:

The Council of Holocaust Educators (CHE) Conference on October 8, 2003 was an overwhelming success with close to 200 participants from New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Washington DC and Israel. Participants and presenters alike submitted outstanding evaluations of the conference and meaningful suggestions for the future. Kudos to the CHE Executive Board (all volunteer educators) who worked so hard to make it happen and to the volunteers who helped it run satiny smooth. Thanks to the volunteer efforts of Anna Schiffer, the website is up so check it out at www.che-nj.org

From our friends at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Were you a Displaced Person in Europe in 1946?

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is searching for survivors who were Displaced Persons in France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland and who were interviewed in 1946 by American psychology professor David Boder.

Prof. Boder's interviews are believed to be the first audio-recorded accounts by survivors telling of their wartime experiences. The Museum's Oral History Department hopes to re-interview these individuals in order to gain a more complete picture of their initial recollections and to contrast their original perspectives of the Holocaust with their views today.

The Museum will post the list of survivors it is seeking on its Web site at www.ushmm.org .

Concerns over Claims Conference.

Anumber of concerns have been raisedby several2nd and 3rd Generation groups in the U.S.overhow the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims has handled its responsibilities in negotiating with European insurance companies to help survivors collect on claimsunder insurance policiessold to Jewish residents before and during World War II. Special concern has been focused on how the Claims Conference's fund distribution policies and practices maynot treat survivors' needs as its highest priority.

Issues have also been raisedabout the Claims Conference's retention of 20% of the funds collected from properties in Germany for use in what the Claims Conferencehas designated as"Holocaust education and memorials". A large portion of those fundsare being funneled into projects and entities that appear to have little to do with such education and memorialization. Questions have also been posed about whetherthe Claims Conference may be working at cross-purposes with the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC).

A letter-writing campaignto request that the Claims Conference release the funds now while the survivors are still living could very wellencourage the Claims Conference tomake speedy and complete distributions to survivors who are now aged and in some cases are in desperate situations. Letters raising concerns about or objecting to the Claims Conference's policies or practices may be sent to:

Israel Singer, President
Julius Berman, Chairman
Gideon Taylor, Executive Vice President
Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany
15 East 26th Street Room 906
New York, NY 10010

Pleaseforward a copy of your letter to us at gsi@imeg.com , and we'll keep a record of those letters. The Claims Conference's knowing that another group is being copied on your lettercould strengthenits force and impact.

On a related topic, The New York Times reported on Thursday, September 24, 2003 that two Holocaust survivors, Manny Steinberg and Jack Brauns of Los Angeles,were planning to file suitin California state court against the Claims Conference on the basis that theClaims Conference-- by siding with insurers and making it more difficult for survivors and their heirs to receive fair payment on insurance policies -- has engaged in unfair business practices. The Times described the suit as the "most serious challenge yet to the widely criticized organization". The entire article may be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/25/national/25HOLO.html .

We encourage you to share this newsletter with Holocaust Survivor families. To join GSI and receive future newsletters, to volunteer for / suggest a committee, to recommend a resource person or to submit a book recommendation, or program information, contact us at gsi@imeg.com .

GSI Founders

Esther Finder [The Generation After, DC],
Klaire Firestone [Second Generation, LA, CA]
Sandy Hoffman [Generations After, WI],
Dina Cohen [Generations of the Shoah, NJ],
Steve Salzberg [Holocaust Remembrance Cmte. Baltimore, MD],
Bonnie Stein [Generations After, FL]
and Sabina Cohen [CHAIM, MN].