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Sharing the Legacy:
The Second Generation Accepts the
Mantle of Shoah Remembrance
by Leah Goldstein
As future generations prepare to take
on the responsibility for remembering the events of the Holocaust
and those who suffered and were lost, four active members of the
Second Generation explain their connection to the Shoah,
Yad Vashem, and their vision of Holocaust remembrance in the
future:
Connections with the Past
“I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t
aware of the Holocaust,” says Yad Vashem Benefactor and American
Society for Yad Vashem Vice-Chairman Ira Drukier. “My parents,
Charles and Toby Drukier were survivors, as were all their
friends. I was surrounded by their memories of those years, yet
many survivors kept the histories to themselves for many complex
reasons.
“As I grew older and began to
understand the strength of the survivors both in living through
the most tragic of times and in going forward to make new lives, I
realized how important it was for us—their children—to keep their
memories alive, intact and unadorned.”
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Zygmunt Wilf (left) presents
a token of appreciation to Danek Gertner at the inauguration
of the Archives and Library Building |
For American Society Secretary-General
Zygmunt Wilf, Shoah remembrance was always a central theme
for him and his family: “As a child of survivors, I was aware,
from an early age, that my parents’ experiences during and after
the Holocaust shaped and defined their world. Moreover, the
suffering and loss they experienced only deepened their resolve to
rebuild and reclaim their lives. To my parents, Shoah
remembrance meant building family, and building our Jewish
communities both here and in Israel. In this way, the torch has
already been handed to my generation.”
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David Halpern (center) shows a model of the new Holocaust
History Museum to his wife, Sharon, and father, Sam Halpern
(left) |
David Halpern is the American
Society’s East Coast National Secretary. His strong connection to
Holocaust remembrance also came from his parents, “who suffered in
the ghettos and concentration camps of Poland, and who saw their
families murdered and synagogues burned. As a son of survivors, I
understand the lessons of the Shoah perhaps better than
most. If I do not work to see the memory preserved, who will?”
The Role of Yad Vashem
“The only individuals who can truly
remember the Holocaust are the survivors, and sadly that
generation is slowly disappearing,” explains David. “Recognizing
their mortality, they made sure their memories were recorded in
vital institutions like Yad Vashem. We—the generations after the
Holocaust—will not be able to remember the Holocaust. All we can
do is to strengthen the institutions that can. Yad Vashem is the
worldwide leader in that effort."
“As time passed and remembrance
organizations arose,” continues Ira, “only Yad Vashem undertook
the enormous task of preserving all the memories, all the
documents, all of the Holocaust. Yad Vashem took as its mission to
become the primary resource center for Holocaust Remembrance, for
document preservation, for being an unbiased data storage
repository. Of course, being a child of survivors, I naturally
became involved with the activities of Yad Vashem, just like my
parents before me.”
Practical Involvement
Like other members of his generation,
Ira is constantly thinking of ways to maintain public interest in
the Shoah. “Involvement in Shoah remembrance takes
many forms: helping develop programs to attract new people to this
most worthy of causes; supporting Yad Vashem’s work by visiting
and attending their programs; and of course, helping raise funds
for the work they do.”
Adds David: “Only with the proper
investment of time and money can the efforts of Yad Vashem and
other institutions continue their vital work.”
Shoah Remembrance in the 21st century
In terms of the coming decades,
Zygmunt is adamant that people carry on learning about, and from,
the Shoah. “On my part, I will continue to support Yad
Vashem as it seeks to educate future generations against
intolerance and inhumanity. Along with my wife and my children,
my focus will continue to be on building remembrance and, as we
do, building a better world for the generations to come.”
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Ira Drukier signs the
Declaration of Remembrance, watched by Rachel Barkai, Director
of Yad Vashem’s Commemoration and Public Relations Division |
Ira concurs: “I do not know what the
future will bring for Holocaust Remembrance, but I do know that
supporting Yad Vashem will assure that honesty, accuracy and
unbiased views of the Holocaust will remain, even after the
victims, survivors, and their children are long gone.”
Copyright ©2004 Yad Vashem The Holocaust
Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority |
