One Survivors Story

With Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) now having just passed, a very touching story was told by one of the shoah's remaining survivors: Paul Henri Rips. Rips shared his story at JUMP (Jewish Urban Meeting Place) from his memoir Fate Undecided recently published by the Azrieli Foundation. Here is a clip of Rips describing what the conditions were like to obtain food in Belgium during the time of the war.

Inspiring women

Yesterday morning, I got sidetracked by a 12-minute YouTube video when I should have been getting ready for work.

A friend of mine had forwarded the link in an e-mail that said she is “collecting” women who inspire her. “Pls watch this and tell me how worthy she is of making my list,” she wrote.

I was curious, but had no intention of watching the entire video. Just a minute or two, I decided. As it turned out, that was all it took to override my intentions.

And my friend’s request? Completely rhetorical.

The subject of the video is a 106-year-old survivor of Theresienstadt, a Nazi propaganda camp to show that inmates there were treated well.

A former concert pianist who performed all of Chopin’s études from memory at the camp, Alice Sommer – the world’s oldest living Holocaust survivor – was born in Prague in November 1903, and now lives in London, England.

She still plays piano and receives visitors every day, sharing life wisdom often peppered with an engaging laugh.

A sample from the video: “A lot of German journalists... ask, ‘Are we allowed to enter your room? Do you not hate us?’ So my answer is, ‘I never hate, and I will never hate. Hatred brings only hatred.”

I watched the video a second time as I began to write this blog entry yesterday afternoon, then drove home with Sommer’s melodic renditions echoing in my head.

Click here to see the video.

A Tribute to True Heroes

In a room at the Allstream Centre filled with just over a thousand attendees, The Canadian Society of Yad Vashem held the True Heroes Tribute Gala Tuesday evening on the Exhibition grounds in downtown Toronto.

In 1953, the Israeli Parliament passed a law which established YadVashem, The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority, as the sole entity allowed to bestow the title Righteous Among the Nations on behalf of the State of Israel. Righteous Among the Nations denotes non-Jewish individuals who, during the Holocaust, risked themselves and their families’ lives and safety in order to save numerous Jews, without demanding any rewards in return. Those recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” are awarded a specially minted medal bearing his or her name, a certificate of honour, and the privilege of having his or her name added to those on the Wall of Honour in the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.  Since its inception, Yad Vashem has recognized, on behalf of the State of Israel, over 23,200 “Righteous Among the Nations” from 44 countries around the world. 

Under the direction of National Chair, Fran Sonshine and  Executive Director, Yaron Ashkenazi, the Gala was hosted by CEO of RioCan REIT Ed Sonshine along with Canadian businessman, political activist and former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party John Tory.

Also present in the audience were Israel's Consul General to Toronto and Western Canada Amir Gissin, Israel's Ambassador to Canada Miriam Ziv, the Hounorable Jason Kenney Canada's Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. Words were read aloud from Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a pre-recorded message was played from the Right and Honourable Stephen Harper praising and pledging to continue supporting their good works.