Just receintly I received a video from my friend Suzanne. She said to me, "You'll cry when you watch it, or at least be filled with deep emotions. I feel sick to my stomach everytime I watch it now." Ok, I know I am a complete sucker for anything that plays with the emotions, but this video really was amazing. I hope you watch this and see what I saw...not a group of kids acting out a skit, but a retelling of Christ's story, His passion, our shortcomings, and His divine forgiveness.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
The Holocaust Remembrance Project
This past school year we of the elite St. Andrew's Academy Highschoolers were assigned to write a paper for a national contest, The Holocaust Remembrance Project. At first, I really had no desire to write such a paper, but then as I was reading the subject requirements, I realized how much my life was actually connected to the Holocaust. I went to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. with my classmates in 2004. Walking through the museum was like living a nightmare. Seeing the absolute monstrosities that these people were put through shocked my poor fourteen year-old self. So, upon receiving the assignment three years later, I decided to use the experiences I gained from the tour to help me write this essay. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. (No, this essay won no awards, just the praise of family members.)
“And then we got out of the train. And everything went so fast: left, right, right, left. Men separated from women. Children torn from the arms of mothers. The elderly chased like cattle. The sick, the disabled were handled like packs of garbage. They were thrown to a side together with broken suitcases, with boxes. My mother ran over to me and grabbed me by the shoulders, and she told me ‘Leibele, I’m not going to see you any more. Take care of your brother.’ ” (“The Holocaust: Personal Histories.”)
Twenty thousand Nazi concentration camps. Millions of Jewish prisoners. Fifteen years of persecution. Terror. Cruelty. Human suffering. This is the Holocaust.
How did this horrible tragedy come about, you ask? Why would someone wish such pain to befall innocent people? Pride and Prejudice. No, not the well beloved Jane Austen novel, but the actual sins of pride and prejudice. Whose pride? Whose prejudice? Adolf Hitler’s. He led the way, lighting the fuse which led to explosive anti-Semitism and the persecution of the Jews.
The persecution began with excluding the Jews from state services. Not being content with that, the German government rejected all Jewish students in the schools and universities, as well as all “Jewish activity” within the medical and legal professions. Finally, not only were the professing Jews affected, but all those who had converted to Christianity as well as any who had three of four Jewish grandparents. By 1938, Jews were physically divided from their fellow Germans and by 1929, they were forced to wear yellow stars declaring their heritage.
Then the true reign of terror began. Concentration camps had already been set up by the hundreds, solely for the purpose of forced labor, transit and extermination. The men and women that filled these camps were not only Jewish, but German Communists, Social Democrats, Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and homosexuals. The people at these camps were treated horribly, forced to work until they dropped dead from exhaustion, hunger, and exposure. In some of these camps, medical experiments were performed on the prisoners, not all of them being dead. Finally, there were the extermination camps. Treblinka, Auschwitz, Birkenau...up to eight thousand were murdered in Birkenau daily.
“The doors of the cattle car were yanked open. The first thing we heard was shouts of, ‘Out, as soon as you can, out. Your belongings you leave there!’ Despite this we grabbed what we could and assembled outside. Before us stood an immense rectangle of land surrounded by electrically-charged barbed wire. This was the Auschwitz death camp.” (“A Tragic Legacy: Rudy at Auschwitz.”)
“At the end of 1944 I was moved again. This time I went south to a German concentration camp called Dachau closer to the Austrian border. By this time I was just a skeleton. Shortly after I arrived, camp officials decided it was time to leave. We could hear the machine guns...booming and they told us to march. The Allies were getting closer. I marched for about five kilometers to Allach...Then I fell. I couldn’t walk anymore. The rest of them continued walking. The Germans killed all the people who kept walking. That was the death march. I survived because I could not walk.” (“A Tragic Legacy: Ben at Auschwitz.”)
“At Auschwitz, people died of hunger because they had come to the camps already weakened. The people who had died there...were stacked like cordwood, naked, without dignity. Nobody to close their eyes...we knew they were taken to the crematory to be incinerated, but we still had no knowledge of the gas chambers and that people were killed or gassed in such numbers as they were...” (“A Tragic Legacy: Rudy at Auschwitz.”)
Why bring up these horrors to light again? Is it not better to forget and move on? No! It is our duty to remember. It is our duty to tell our children what prejudiced humans have done to fellow humans. Why? To prevent such a massacre and hatred of our fellow man. To protect the sanctity of life. To dwell in peace and harmony with one another, rather than pride and prejudice.
I have read about the horrors of the concentration camps. I have learned about Hitler’s passion to remove all “blemishes” from the perfect and proud German race. I have been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. I have seen the inhuman suffering. I have met a Holocaust survivor. I share the same family name as a Holocaust survivor. I for one want my children to know what happened. I want them to see what I saw, read what I read, know what I know. I want them to learn to respect all people of all nationalities and religions. I want them to know about the Holocaust.
What can we do today in order to prevent this past tragedy from occurring again? Treat all men as equals. We have dealt with similar issues before, such as the issue of slavery. Through the acts of William Wilberforce and many others, slavery was abolished, and finally we treat all men as equals. We need to keep it that way. Look to the example set for us by Corrie ten Boom. She was arrested for aiding the Jews. Why did she help them, knowing that doing so could kill her? Her sentiments are summed up in her father’s words: “You say we could lose our lives for this child. I would consider that the greatest honor that could come to my family.” (The Hiding Place, 99)
Ok, now to explain the whole 'sharing the same family name' bit. This is actually quite a story. My Aunt and Uncle went to the Holocaust Museum not too long ago. As they walked in the door they were greeted by a table offering 'passports' of young children and a few adults who managed to survive the Holocaust, and also a few of the ones that did not. My Aunt picked one up and glanced at it, and then did a double-take. The young man possessed the exact same last name as her father and my father! Waterman....he survived the Holocaust and came to America. I do not know if this is one of my ancestors, but I do know I have a small amount of Israeli blood running through my veins. Who knows? He might have been a great-uncle or something like that. But anyway, it makes an intriguing story.
Thinking Back to the Holocaust...
“And then we got out of the train. And everything went so fast: left, right, right, left. Men separated from women. Children torn from the arms of mothers. The elderly chased like cattle. The sick, the disabled were handled like packs of garbage. They were thrown to a side together with broken suitcases, with boxes. My mother ran over to me and grabbed me by the shoulders, and she told me ‘Leibele, I’m not going to see you any more. Take care of your brother.’ ” (“The Holocaust: Personal Histories.”)
Twenty thousand Nazi concentration camps. Millions of Jewish prisoners. Fifteen years of persecution. Terror. Cruelty. Human suffering. This is the Holocaust.
How did this horrible tragedy come about, you ask? Why would someone wish such pain to befall innocent people? Pride and Prejudice. No, not the well beloved Jane Austen novel, but the actual sins of pride and prejudice. Whose pride? Whose prejudice? Adolf Hitler’s. He led the way, lighting the fuse which led to explosive anti-Semitism and the persecution of the Jews.
The persecution began with excluding the Jews from state services. Not being content with that, the German government rejected all Jewish students in the schools and universities, as well as all “Jewish activity” within the medical and legal professions. Finally, not only were the professing Jews affected, but all those who had converted to Christianity as well as any who had three of four Jewish grandparents. By 1938, Jews were physically divided from their fellow Germans and by 1929, they were forced to wear yellow stars declaring their heritage.
Then the true reign of terror began. Concentration camps had already been set up by the hundreds, solely for the purpose of forced labor, transit and extermination. The men and women that filled these camps were not only Jewish, but German Communists, Social Democrats, Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and homosexuals. The people at these camps were treated horribly, forced to work until they dropped dead from exhaustion, hunger, and exposure. In some of these camps, medical experiments were performed on the prisoners, not all of them being dead. Finally, there were the extermination camps. Treblinka, Auschwitz, Birkenau...up to eight thousand were murdered in Birkenau daily.
“The doors of the cattle car were yanked open. The first thing we heard was shouts of, ‘Out, as soon as you can, out. Your belongings you leave there!’ Despite this we grabbed what we could and assembled outside. Before us stood an immense rectangle of land surrounded by electrically-charged barbed wire. This was the Auschwitz death camp.” (“A Tragic Legacy: Rudy at Auschwitz.”)
“At the end of 1944 I was moved again. This time I went south to a German concentration camp called Dachau closer to the Austrian border. By this time I was just a skeleton. Shortly after I arrived, camp officials decided it was time to leave. We could hear the machine guns...booming and they told us to march. The Allies were getting closer. I marched for about five kilometers to Allach...Then I fell. I couldn’t walk anymore. The rest of them continued walking. The Germans killed all the people who kept walking. That was the death march. I survived because I could not walk.” (“A Tragic Legacy: Ben at Auschwitz.”)
“At Auschwitz, people died of hunger because they had come to the camps already weakened. The people who had died there...were stacked like cordwood, naked, without dignity. Nobody to close their eyes...we knew they were taken to the crematory to be incinerated, but we still had no knowledge of the gas chambers and that people were killed or gassed in such numbers as they were...” (“A Tragic Legacy: Rudy at Auschwitz.”)
Why bring up these horrors to light again? Is it not better to forget and move on? No! It is our duty to remember. It is our duty to tell our children what prejudiced humans have done to fellow humans. Why? To prevent such a massacre and hatred of our fellow man. To protect the sanctity of life. To dwell in peace and harmony with one another, rather than pride and prejudice.
I have read about the horrors of the concentration camps. I have learned about Hitler’s passion to remove all “blemishes” from the perfect and proud German race. I have been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. I have seen the inhuman suffering. I have met a Holocaust survivor. I share the same family name as a Holocaust survivor. I for one want my children to know what happened. I want them to see what I saw, read what I read, know what I know. I want them to learn to respect all people of all nationalities and religions. I want them to know about the Holocaust.
What can we do today in order to prevent this past tragedy from occurring again? Treat all men as equals. We have dealt with similar issues before, such as the issue of slavery. Through the acts of William Wilberforce and many others, slavery was abolished, and finally we treat all men as equals. We need to keep it that way. Look to the example set for us by Corrie ten Boom. She was arrested for aiding the Jews. Why did she help them, knowing that doing so could kill her? Her sentiments are summed up in her father’s words: “You say we could lose our lives for this child. I would consider that the greatest honor that could come to my family.” (The Hiding Place, 99)
Ok, now to explain the whole 'sharing the same family name' bit. This is actually quite a story. My Aunt and Uncle went to the Holocaust Museum not too long ago. As they walked in the door they were greeted by a table offering 'passports' of young children and a few adults who managed to survive the Holocaust, and also a few of the ones that did not. My Aunt picked one up and glanced at it, and then did a double-take. The young man possessed the exact same last name as her father and my father! Waterman....he survived the Holocaust and came to America. I do not know if this is one of my ancestors, but I do know I have a small amount of Israeli blood running through my veins. Who knows? He might have been a great-uncle or something like that. But anyway, it makes an intriguing story.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Philosophy and Socrates...
Today during our enlightening Philosophy class, we were given a specific challenge concerning a famous quote from Socrates..."The unexamined life is not worth living."
Basically it means we cannot be a static nation, "contented" with our video games, MSN, cell phones and Barbie dolls. We are to ask "What is the meaning of life?", "Why am I here?", "What's the big idea?" and so on. We were made to search for something greater than our 64-inch plasma screened TVs and Ipods...but what exactly is that something?
So anyway, where do we find ourselves? Where do I find myself? Am I content with the fancy computers, designer clothes and high-tech cell phones? To be completely honest, I don't think I really am. But what is out there that will satisfy me, that will fill up that little hole in my heart where I know something belongs? Besides the obvious (or at least it should be!) answer of God and religion, there is the search for knowledge. The mind desires knowledge, requires it in order to grow. Socrates is stating that a person who lives life without seeking what lies beyond his own personal level of knowledge is pretty much leading a worthless life, a dead life. What can you do to avoid the life "not worth living"?
Basically it means we cannot be a static nation, "contented" with our video games, MSN, cell phones and Barbie dolls. We are to ask "What is the meaning of life?", "Why am I here?", "What's the big idea?" and so on. We were made to search for something greater than our 64-inch plasma screened TVs and Ipods...but what exactly is that something?
So anyway, where do we find ourselves? Where do I find myself? Am I content with the fancy computers, designer clothes and high-tech cell phones? To be completely honest, I don't think I really am. But what is out there that will satisfy me, that will fill up that little hole in my heart where I know something belongs? Besides the obvious (or at least it should be!) answer of God and religion, there is the search for knowledge. The mind desires knowledge, requires it in order to grow. Socrates is stating that a person who lives life without seeking what lies beyond his own personal level of knowledge is pretty much leading a worthless life, a dead life. What can you do to avoid the life "not worth living"?
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Entering the World of Blogs!!!
Hello to one and all. My name is Sarah, and I will be learning to deal with the blogging world as soon as possible, so bear with me please!
My sole purpose...well,I hope it is my sole purpose...for beginning this blog is partially to open up discussions concerning important matters that may arise, and partially to help me learn my course material better over the year. During this past week, my school was given a lecture on study skills. Actually, it was a series of lectures given during the first two days of school. Anyway, one particular method of reviewing a tough subject is to attempt to explain or teach it to persons outside of my classroom. So, here we go! I am sure a great many of my future posts will be me attempting to explain Philosophy or Apologetics or Latin or something of a similar nature in order to learn the subject better.
Now, what about the title of this blog? I might as well explain the inner workings of my mind...well, during a more boring moment of one of the lectures which I have heard at the beginning of the school year for at least six years now, I suddenly came up with the word "Anatomatizing". Now I am sure that this word has been thought of before, if not used regularly. It merely appeared in my mind, and I decided it would be a fun title for a blog. Last night while discussing blog titles with my two sisters, they came up with something along the lines of "The Anatomy of Sarah's Brain" and "Dissecting the Grey Matter." (Grey matter is, as you know, a term for parts of the brain!) I took my word and my sister's ideas, and tada! Anatomatizing of the Grey Matter!
Thank you for reading my first blog post!
My sole purpose...well,I hope it is my sole purpose...for beginning this blog is partially to open up discussions concerning important matters that may arise, and partially to help me learn my course material better over the year. During this past week, my school was given a lecture on study skills. Actually, it was a series of lectures given during the first two days of school. Anyway, one particular method of reviewing a tough subject is to attempt to explain or teach it to persons outside of my classroom. So, here we go! I am sure a great many of my future posts will be me attempting to explain Philosophy or Apologetics or Latin or something of a similar nature in order to learn the subject better.
Now, what about the title of this blog? I might as well explain the inner workings of my mind...well, during a more boring moment of one of the lectures which I have heard at the beginning of the school year for at least six years now, I suddenly came up with the word "Anatomatizing". Now I am sure that this word has been thought of before, if not used regularly. It merely appeared in my mind, and I decided it would be a fun title for a blog. Last night while discussing blog titles with my two sisters, they came up with something along the lines of "The Anatomy of Sarah's Brain" and "Dissecting the Grey Matter." (Grey matter is, as you know, a term for parts of the brain!) I took my word and my sister's ideas, and tada! Anatomatizing of the Grey Matter!
Thank you for reading my first blog post!
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