Reflections of Survivors Tell Real Stories of the Holocaust

By Alexis Sanchez on April 14, 2016

The panel discussion for the Reflections of Survivors program

This past Monday morning, I was given the wonderfully enlightening opportunity to be a part of the audience for a panel of six children of Holocaust survivors. The program, Reflections of Survivors, tells real stories of the Holocaust to seniors. Through the sponsorship by the Tallahassee Senior Center and presented by HERC (Holocaust Education Resource Council), seniors register for this class which includes a bag with an informational packet, personal accounts of Holocaust survivors through their children, and a question and answer discussion.

The children of survivors that participated as panelists were Barbara Goldstein, Rita Blank, Howard Rich, John Rosner, Joanna Mauer, Elizabeth George. Each member of the panel had such distinct stories of how their parents survived with the added details of the consequences reverberating through the generations that it was an enlightening experience for the audience.

Rita Blank, a second-generation Holocaust survivor and Vice-President of HERC, was one of the panel members and brought two exhibit panels detailing the story of two sisters who first bravely hid in family’s woodmills in Poland and then were able to survive the ordeals in the concentration camps by having each other.

Blank made sure to emphasize her family’s very fortunate outcome in the welcoming arms of Colombia, SC by reminding the seniors multiple times, saying: “Every story is a miracle of survivors.”

The panel discussion for the Reflections of Survivors program

Barbara Goldstein, a second-generation Holocaust survivor and Executive Director of HERC, was another panel member that said the importance of Holocaust education is “it’s history, we can’t let history repeat itself.”

When the panelists grew up, they were not taught about the Holocaust and it was not talked about. Goldstein also added that the children of survivors are left “picking up the pieces as much as they can from them” and making sure they make their parents proud by making sure people know about the Holocaust.

HERC has been wanting to expand this program for a long time to reach out to children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors to give their experiences. The children of Holocaust survivors won’t be around to tell people about it forever so by making sure people know about these experiences, it will make sure history does not repeat itself.

The panelists in order from left to right (except Elizabeth George): Barbara Goldstein, Rita Blank, Howard Rich, John Rosner, and Joanna Mauer

Although this specific Reflections of Survivors program is targeting the senior population, it is important for everyone from children to seniors to learn and be able to teach future generations about the Holocaust to stop any experience like this from ever happening again.

If you want to help support necessary Holocaust education that HERC wholeheartedly represents, you can get involved by donating as a member and joining a committee online through the HERC website at www.holocaustresources.org.

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