Yom Hashoah 5766
I have said before that I write on this blog primarily for me. You, the reader, are of course welcome to "overhear" my thoughts, but I write for me.
I start with that reminder because I don't think that there is anything new in this post. Oceans of ink have been spent on the holocaust from all angles and perspectives. No new angle and no new perspective are being offered here. Only my thoughts from today.
Food for thought: Someday in the not-too distant future there will be a small article in the New York Times page A-21 saying something like, "So-and-so, the last known survivor of the Holocaust, died yesterday in _________, at the age 102. No other survivors are known to be alive."
It is sobering to realize that it will be virtually impossible for these high school students to get married and have children who will be old enough and mature enough to hear from survivor who was old enough to have memories from the Holocaust but young and energetic enough to tell his/her story. It won't happen. This is the bridge-generation between the survivors and the future.
Having said that.... Yom Hashoah played prominently throughout the day in our school. Torah classes dealt with both the emotional and halachic components of the day. Other classes dealt with the day as well (a great display of an interdisciplinary curriculum). For example, The English classes read easy poems about the Holocaust as they learned grammar and vocabulary. Math classes worked on impressing upon the kids what the number 6 million means. History classes talked about the Holocaust and/or the creation of the State of Israel in context. Music classes learned about music from World War II. We had a moving ceremony with a survivor telling her story and some poems and songs.
Certainly the most moving part of the day happened at 10 AM: the siren sounded when the entire nation stood together. Traffic stopped on the streets, commerce stopped in the stores. All to think and reflect collectively. I was standing outside when the siren stopped. These 9th graders playing soccer stopped in their tracks and we all stood, listening to the siren wailing while a light wind and quiet birds chirped in the background. I felt – really felt – connected to the entire nation thinking with me at the same time about our recent nightmares and how the future is built on the past.
Kol Od Ba'leivav pnima.....
Ani maamin b'emunah shleimah.....
I start with that reminder because I don't think that there is anything new in this post. Oceans of ink have been spent on the holocaust from all angles and perspectives. No new angle and no new perspective are being offered here. Only my thoughts from today.
Food for thought: Someday in the not-too distant future there will be a small article in the New York Times page A-21 saying something like, "So-and-so, the last known survivor of the Holocaust, died yesterday in _________, at the age 102. No other survivors are known to be alive."
It is sobering to realize that it will be virtually impossible for these high school students to get married and have children who will be old enough and mature enough to hear from survivor who was old enough to have memories from the Holocaust but young and energetic enough to tell his/her story. It won't happen. This is the bridge-generation between the survivors and the future.
Having said that.... Yom Hashoah played prominently throughout the day in our school. Torah classes dealt with both the emotional and halachic components of the day. Other classes dealt with the day as well (a great display of an interdisciplinary curriculum). For example, The English classes read easy poems about the Holocaust as they learned grammar and vocabulary. Math classes worked on impressing upon the kids what the number 6 million means. History classes talked about the Holocaust and/or the creation of the State of Israel in context. Music classes learned about music from World War II. We had a moving ceremony with a survivor telling her story and some poems and songs.
Certainly the most moving part of the day happened at 10 AM: the siren sounded when the entire nation stood together. Traffic stopped on the streets, commerce stopped in the stores. All to think and reflect collectively. I was standing outside when the siren stopped. These 9th graders playing soccer stopped in their tracks and we all stood, listening to the siren wailing while a light wind and quiet birds chirped in the background. I felt – really felt – connected to the entire nation thinking with me at the same time about our recent nightmares and how the future is built on the past.
Kol Od Ba'leivav pnima.....
Ani maamin b'emunah shleimah.....
posted by T.Y.I.I. at
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
7 Comments:
"Mah inyan shmittah eitzel Har Sinai?" Since I see no connection between your first comments and the rest of your entry I will assume that the juxtaposition of this post coming right after my last comment answers this question. Thank you for answering me even though it was "kliachar yad". I'd just like to say that when you said that you have made it very clear that this blog is just for you, that is fine. I respect that, and your need for anonymity. However, when one writes a blog and accepts comments, typically, (and obviously you are not typical) they respond to them much of the time. When I wrote my first comment, you did. I didn't realize that you had such an issue with this and if I have offended you in any way I certainly apologize. I did want to comment on your visiting day post that as the relative in chuz laaretz we feel just as badly if not worse when we leave Israel. We have the double heart-ache of leaving our loved ones AND the place that we know we belong. Maybe you can take some solace in that! If you'd like to respond feel free to hide it in your next blog or just say I know what you mean. Even if you are anonymous it still feels nice to know that you are there (as I'm sure it is nice to read all of your supportive bloggers comments).
Touching, well put post.
Welcome to the blogosphere, "what a nice surprise - bring your alibis."
I too feel like I write mostly for myself but then some commenters' comments appear. And I love that and also feel ambivelent about it.
I'm writing about me and then all of a sudden others appear on my site and between their lines is another message, that as Willy Loman put it - attention must be paid.
You seem like a person that works hard at the balancing game we call life. Alongside balancing your approaches within teaching and Israel you can now add balancing withing your approach to blogging.
hajew-what do you mean by, "what a nice surprise - bring your alibis?"
Being that this week's Parsha was Tazria/Metzorah I would like to publically apologize for my last two entries if they have caused you any upset. I guess I was trying to "hocheach tocheeach" and perhaps instead I ended up being chayav on lashon harah. Since I certainly can't do what should be done for real t'shuvah and approach you directly since you are anonymous and I certainly don't want to ask you to respond again, since that's what got me into trouble in the first place... So .... if you would like to PLEASE feel free to delete those two entries. I will not be insulted. Libby BaPeh.
Libby Bamizrach: Thank you for your comments. My comments about anonymity were not intended as a private message to you that I didn't want to respond. I didn't respond simply because I did not have enough time. For that, I apologize.
As you probably know, I'm new to the blogging world. As you also know, the purpose of my blog is, as I said, for me. Still, if I really, really wanted it to be only for me, I'd write a private diary and have no one read it. The fact that I write it on the internet means that I really do want at least some people to read it. And, the fact that you read it - and more than that - you spend the time to respond, deserves, at the very least, a thank you.
I most certainly do not want to delete your emails. I enjoy reading them and I hope you'll send more!
Sorry, I only noticed this comment now. When you referred to it I thought that you meant one of those "here" places where you send the reader to an older entry. Your comment was much appreciated! Looking forward to reading about Yom Haatzmaut in Israel. It must have been awesome!
I said "welcome to the..." and that reminded me of the lyrics to a song, which include those words and also "bring your alibis" - although I 've never known what it meant. I often use phrases in comments and in my posts and particularly in my titles that are references - mostly to songs.
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