Newsletter No. 28,  January  2013

Four-Day Int'l Academic Conference Attracts Scholars

The International Institute for Holocaust Research held an international four-day conference "The End of 1942, A Turning Point in World War II and in the Comprehension of the Final Solution?" in mid-December. Scholars from around the world attended the event, discussing topics such as "What was the impact of the Allies Declaration in 1942 acknowledging the mass murder of Jews?" "What are the Problems of real-Time Comprehension, what was the impact of the British-American Invasion of French North Africa During WWII (Operation Torch)?" and "Were the years 1942 and 1944 Turning points in Humanitarian Intervention?"  The conference was held with the generous support of The Gertner Center for International Holocaust Conferences, The Gutwirth Family Fund, The Ben-Zvi Institute, and The Documentation Center of North African Jewry during WWII (supported by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany).

First Ever-Seminar for Educators from India

A group of twenty senior educators from across India recently participated in a special seminar at Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies. The group included secondary school teachers, high school principals and university lecturers who teach a variety of disciplines.  For many, it was their first trip outside of India.  During the seminar, the group experienced in-depth tours of the Yad Vashem museums and campus, met with Holocaust survivors, and discussed historical and pedagogical questions with Holocaust researchers and educators.  Among the lectures presented were topics relating to using technology to teach the Holocaust, Nazi racial ideology, the ‘Final Solution’, and everyday life in the ghettos. They also had an opportunity to tour Jerusalem and other areas in Israel.  The seminar took place with the support of the Adelson Family Foundation and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

New Online Exhibition

A new online exhibition "From Hope to Despair, The Story of the Horonczyk Family" tells the tragic story of the members of the Horonczyk family, of widower Shimon and his five children Joseph, Symcha, Chaya-Dworja, Leah and Esther, their spouses and children. The Horonczyk family moved from Poland to Paris in 1926 with hopes and dreams of a better life. They adjusted well to life in France, creating a thriving business and expanding their family. In the space of a few terrible years, the extended Horonczyk family faced destruction beyond their imagination. The end of the war found the family's few survivors broken and dispersed. The photographs, documents, testimonies and artifacts presented in this exhibition tell their tragic story.

Int'l Book Prize Awarded for Monumental Work

On December 10, 2012, The International Institute for Holocaust Research of Yad Vashem awarded the Second Annual Yad Vashem International Book Prize for Holocaust Research, in memory of Abraham Meir Schwarzbaum, Holocaust survivor and his family members murdered in the Holocaust. Dr. Christoph Dieckmann, of Keele University (UK), received the award for his monumental two-volume work Deutsche Besatzungspolitik in Litauen 1941-1944 (German Occupation Policy in Lithuania 1941-1944).  The Prize Committee called Dieckmann’s 1,652 page comprehensive study of German occupation policies in Lithuania “a model for similar research to be done in other countries.” The award is bestowed for path-breaking Holocaust research.

Discovering Family Around the World

Genealogists seeking information on Jews whose lives were impacted by the Holocaust often turn to Yad Vashem's Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names. Nancy Diamond, of Washington DC, used the Names Database as her starting point on a global trek, piecing together fragmented information about her family that had become obscured in the aftermath of the Shoah. For Diamond the search became a life-altering endeavor, as she found not only interesting facts about the past, but also living relatives in various cities around the world with whom she has now developed close relationships. Read about her search and wonderful discoveries here.

Yad Vashem invites the public to continue to submit Pages of Testimony for Jews they know who were murdered during the Holocaust. Assistance in filling out Pages of Testimony in Israel is available at: +972 2 644 3808.  For assistance in other parts of the world, please contact: names.outreach@yadvashem.org.il

No Place For Tears

Author: Sabina Rachel Kalowska

Life began for Sabina (then Rozia,) in 1925 as part of a warm, close-knit, religious family in Jedrzejow, Poland. After the establishment of the ghetto in Spring 1940, life for the Jews was extremely difficult and many survived on smuggled food. On September 22 it was Sabina’s turn to bring back food for her family, however, disaster struck. Upon her return she discovered that the ghetto had been liquidated and everyone Sabina had known and loved, except one uncle, had disappeared. A non-Jewish Pole living in Sabina’s family home made it his duty to help Sabina and her uncle, securing them false identity papers, arranging shelter, and providing them with clothing. Order online to read sabina's story of a loss and hope.

Yad Vashem Studies 40 (2)

Editor: David Silberklang

This issue features six research articles on a variety of subjects relating to Romania, Germany, Britain, Latvia, DP camps, and Israeli society, and four review articles of recent important books.  The research articles include: Ion Popa’s analysis of the significant influence of Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Miron Cristea during his year as prime minister (1938-1939) on attitudes toward Jews and on the ultimate fate of Romanian Jewry; Christine Schoenmaker revealing the considerable role of the German Gold Discount Bank, Dego, in expropriating Jewish assets and property in the Third Reich; as well as articles by Stephen Tyas, Richards Plavnieks, Ela Florsheim and Yehiam Weitz.  Click here to order online.

Trip Advisor, one of foremost online resources for travelers planning vacations, ranks Yad Vashem #1 of all attractions in Jerusalem.  The listings are created by forum members and visitors who describe Yad Vashem as "not to be missed,"  a "world class museum"  and a "must see."

10 of Israel's best museums, on CNN
Teaching the Holocaust: the power of personal stories, in The Guardian
Yad Vashem archives rediscover heroic rescue, in Haaretz
Late Italian cardinal honoured for rescuing Jews during Holocaust, in The Catholic Register
Muslim Leaders Visit Yad Vashem, in The Jewish Week

Be Inspired by the Righteous Among the Nations ג€“ Donate Now!

“If I were to fail, to turn away and thus permit the death of this person whom I could perhaps save, only because I was in danger myself, I would be committing the same error as the entire German people…The people who ordered and implemented these horrible deeds were not so many. But infinitely many others let it happen, because they lacked the courage to prevent them.”  - From the testimony of Dr. Ella Lingens, a Righteous Among the Nations, who was a prisoner in Auschwitz

Deep within the darkness of the Holocaust, there were a few glimmers of light – those brave non-Jews who refused to be silent bystanders, but rather, risked their lives and the lives of their loved ones to rescue Jews. This year Yad Vashem marks the 50^th anniversary of its Righteous Among the Nations program, honoring those brave individuals who demonstrated that even in times of war and under the most repressive tyranny, we all retain the freedom and ability to carry out morally courageous acts. It is of utmost importance that the public today and the future generations have the opportunity to learn about these stories of human compassion and heroism.

We call upon you to support our concerted efforts to gather the stories of the Righteous, help us maintain them on the Mount of Remembrance and disseminate them around the world. Click here now to make your gift and help us ensure that their example shines on, inspiring us all to make a better world. To learn more about how you can support Yad Vashem's important activities to promote Holocaust education, commemoration, documentation and research, please contact the International Relations Division.