001good morning Dartmouth and Uxbridge high schools I'm will Higgins an English teacher at Dartmouth High School and I'd like to welcome you all to today's special presentation we've read about history in our textbooks we have Googled topics on the internet we've even watched documentaries on the History Channel but there are very few opportunities in our lives to actually listen to someone who has survived and truly live moments of history today you'll have the unique experience and privilege of hearing firsthand from a woman who is both a witness to and as a holocaust Survivor a victim of History I hope that you will listen understand and appreciate the message of Hope courage and compassion that she will share with you today it's my honor and privilege to introduce to you our special guest Mrs Marian Blumenthal
002lazan thank you thank you Mr Higgins thank you Mr Higgins for your meaningful and kind introduction I thank you principal Shay and axb ax Bridge High School principal Dr Ruben for giving me the opportunity to speak to and with your dmouth and axb high school students and Mrs brittingham thank you for sharing your Tech expertise with us I'm here this morning with all of you to share my story it is my childhood experiences during World War II in the concentration camps I will tell you about our Liberation and how we finally started our lives a new in our blessed United States of America mine is a story that an Frank might have told that she survived this is also a story that conveys a message of perseverance determination faith and above all hope after the
003presentation I will be pleased to answer some of your questions I hear some disturbance in the background can we lower the sound on your end I'm gonna M myself right now give me one second life in the early 1930s in Germany was very much for my family as it is here for most of you today never did we think that the anti-semitic incidents there would ever lead to very much my father was in a successful shoe business in the small town my parents two-year older brother and I lived comfortably with my grandparents above the shoe store life for Jews was made increasingly more difficult and in 19 1935 the nerenberg laws were formulated and enforced the following are just some of the many restrictions imposed on the Jews in Germany Jews were not allowed into
004theaters into Parks or into swimming pools all public schools were close to Jewish children then there was a evening curfew for the Jews Jews were only allowed to shop during specific hours of the day and non-jews were not allowed to shop in Jewish owned stores non-jews were just not allowed to associate the Jewish people and then a brick letter J for Jew was stamped on ID cards and on passports these restrictions went on and on and it was then that my parents decided to make arrangements to leave the country my grandparents who were in the late 70s and Ill refused to leave their home they could not understand the urgency or the necessity of doing so my grandparents passed away in 1938 just 11 days within each other and soon thereafter we received our necessary
005papers for our immigration to America I was just four years old at that time November 9th 1938 chal or Crystal night it was the night of broken glass when the Nazis and the many follow followers smashed the windows and the storefronts of Jewish own stores Jewish establishments synagogues and Jewish books were burned and destroyed this was the beginning of a massive program against the Jews in Germany a massive verbal and physical assault against all German Jews in reality this was the beginning of the Holocaust on November 12th following Chrystal the German government actually fined the Jewish population for the damage caused that night these imposed taxes were used to rearm Germany the night of Kristal not our apartment was ransacked all valuables were thrown into P Cas and taken away but worst of all was
006that they forcibly transported my father to concentration camp banal in Germany all sorts of terrible stories were related to my mother and we did not know what never see my father again he was released after 3 weeks only because our papers were in order for our immigration to America and to think that just a few years prior he had been awarded the Iron Cross for his military service in the German army of World War I we were forced to sell both our home and our business for a fraction of its worth and soon thereafter in January of 1939 we left for Holland from where we were to sail to the United States and for almost 9 months while awaiting our quota number from the American State Department my parents were assigned to take care of
007some 125 children these young children had been sent by their parents from various parts of Europe to escape from the Nazis in December of that year 1939 we were deported to the detention Camp of Vestor in Harland to great our departure day to America Camp vesto was constructed by the Dutch to accommodate Jews from various parts of Europe in May of 1940 just one month before our plan departure date the Germans invaded hland and we were trapped all of our belongings that were about to be loaded on board ship were burnt and destroyed as the harbor of rale was bombed under Dutch control vest were tolerable my mother father brother and I shared two small rooms we all ate in a communal dining room and at that time there was enough food for us so
008that we did not go hungry adults were assigned to various work duties my father worked to PA shoes my mother worked in the kitchen we children had a makeshift education and lived a very dull stagnant life several months later when the Nazi SS took took over the command of estal we became acquainted with the everpresent terrifying 12T High barbed wire and as thousands of Jews were rounded up many taken from the hiding places as was an Frank and her family Camp Vach became overcrowded and it was at that time that we had to share our small quarters with another family and then the Dreadful transports to the con conentration and extermination camps in Eastern Europe began this started in early 1942 and from then on every Monday night lists of those to be deported were
009posted causing incredible anxiety anguish and fear and then on Tuesday Mornings men women and little ones were marched to a nearby railroad platform from where they were transported this area became known as Boulevard de Miser it was an area of complete misery at 11:00 on Tuesday Mornings the trains left for the destination and of the total 120,000 men women and children that departed vorg 102,000 were doomed never to return in January of 1944 it was our turn to be shipped out we children were actually glad for a change of environment we were very naive and we welcomed the move we were allowed to take one napsack each and whatever we could stuff into it we were permitted to take when we approached the railroad platform and we saw the cattle cars in which we were
010to travel our fears began to mount adults suspected and they somehow knew what was in store for us I remember that it was a bitter cold pitch black rainy night when we arrived at our destination concentration camp bagen belon in Germany we were pulled and dragged out of the cattle cars and greeted by the German Gods who were shouting at us and threatening us with their weapons and with the most vicious attack dogs by their sides I was a very frightened 9-year-old and to this day I still feel a certain sense of fear whenever I see a German shepherd B and bellson were divided into various areas it was sectioned of and surrounded by electrified barbed wire guards were always in strategically placed high God towers and in the evenings as soon as it would
011turned dark the bright search lights from above would constantly sweep the campgrounds we were placed in the section that was known as the Stan lager or the star Camp named so because we had to continue wearing that yellow star which had been issued to us back in Harland men were on one side of the camp and the women on the other and they did make it possible at times for families to get a glimpse of one another we were placed in this particular section of the camp with the hope of being exchanged for German Nationals in Palestine who the British put under house arrest because they were citizens of an enemy country unfortunately that hope never materialized for our family 600 of Us 600 of our people were crammed into each of the crude wooden
012heatless Barracks meant for 100 when originally built there were triple deer bunk beds with two people sharing each bunk German Winters were bitter cold and very long we were given only one thin blanket per bunk and a straw filled mattress and this bunk was our only living quarters and that for two people I was very fortunate that I was able to share a bunk with my mother and that my brother was able to share a bunk with our father but can you imagine two adults two strangers sharing a bunk under such horrendous conditions a bun that was no larger than the small cut bed that we're all so familiar with I remember the first time seeing a wagon filled with what I thought was firewood for the one small oven that we had in our
013Barrack that oven of course was never used I soon realized that what was in the wagon were dead naked bodies thrown one on top of the other toilet and so-called washing facilities were at a great distance in the most primitive ouses toilets were long wooden benches with holes cut into them one next to the other there was no privacy there was no toilet paper there was no soap and hardly ever any water with which to wash and in the almost year and a half that we were in bag and Bon never once were we able to brush our teeth there were no trees no flowers nor did we ever see a blade of grass and whenever it rained we had to slush through the mud adding even more misery to our already dismal existence every
014morning every single morning without fail we were ordered to line up on a huge field it was called an Appel Plotz five in a row as we were counted we would would have to stand there until each and every one of us was accounted for often from early morning till late at night without food without water no matter what the weather without protective clothing Force bite was common we would treat our affected toes and fingers with the warmth of our own urine our diet consisted of a slice of bread a day some hot watery soup with grizzly meats and turnips and potato peeled bread was later cut back and given to us just once a week and only if our so-called quarters were needed in order our birthday present to one another was that little
015piece of bread that we had saved up from the previous week once a month we were marched to an area to shower and there under the watchful eyes of the Gods we were ordered to undress we had heard about exterminations and gas Chambers and other areas of Europe and we therefore were never sure when the forces were turned on as to what would come out water or gas the Nazis did their utmost to break us physically spiritually and emotionally Unfortunately they did succeed with many of our people it was not uncommon for people who were no longer responsible for their actions to attempt Escape even though they knew that the chance to succeed was next to Impossible but they also felt that they had nothing more to lose the failure of their attempts were obvious
016when we saw their lifeless bodies hanging electrocuted against the barbed wire malnutrition dissenter and the loss of the will go to go on is what destroyed body and mind death was an everyday occurrence the dark crowded quarters often cause us to trip and fall over the dead bodies could not be taken away fast enough we as children saw things that no one no matter what the age should ever have to see I know of course that you've all heard you've read you've studied you might have seen movies adults most likely have seen true documentaries about the Holocaust but the constant foul odor the filth continuous horror and fear surrounded by death is Indescribable there is no way that this can be put accurately into words or pictures our bodies hair and clothes were infested with
017lies we learned that there's a distinct difference between headlights and clothes lights squashing them between my thumbnails became my primary Pastime much of my time was taken up with making Bel games and one game a game based on Superstition became very important to me I decided that if I were to find four Pebbles of about the same size and shape that that would mean that the four members of my family would all survive my mother my father my brother and I it was a torturous painful very difficult game to play what if I couldn't find the third or fourth Pebble might that mean that one or two of my family members would not pull through nevertheless this game gave me something to hold on to some distant hope after a number of months on our
018omga diets our stomach shrunk so that the hunger was no longer painful teenagers and Men suffered most from malnutrition and were the first to die those who lasted the longest were the women and mothers in particular it was their strong will to keep their children alive that kept them going and my mother was one of those remarkable ladies there is no doubt in my mind that it was my mother's inner strength and fortitude that finally saw a one day my mother was able to smuggle some potatoes and some salt from the kitchen where she worked and somehow somehow managed to cook some soup in secret this was done on our bun I was on a bunk with her trying to hide and shield what she was doing super simmering just about finished when the German
019Gods entered our Barrack for surprise inspection in our rush to hide that setup the boiling soup spilled on my leg we had been taught self-discipline and self-control the hard way for I knew for sure had I cried out it would have cost us our lives this happened in the spring of 1945 I was just 10 years old the population in kmag and Belgium were dying off rapidly but not nearly fast enough to satisfy the Nazis several weeks later it was decided to send three train loads of our people to Eastern Europe towards the extermination camps and the gas Chambers we did not know that aitz with its gas Chambers had already been liberated my family was among the 2500 on the last of these three trains it was April of 1945 Russian army was closing
020in from the Northeast and the British and the Americans from the West under normal conditions this train ride from B and belon to whatever area of Eastern Europe they would send us would have taken no more than 10 hours but because the Germans tried to evade the Allies we were on rout for two long weeks without food without water without medical supplies without sanitary facilities that meant no toilets whenever train came to a St those who were able and those who were strong enough were permitted to get out and take a drink from a nearby stream or they up roots to eat my mother remembered taking some sort of a pot and collecting water from the locomotive and who knows what else a pot was used for the need for water at that time was
021almost more important than food because of the severe dehydration due to the dentary and the high fever due to the typhus let me briefly explain typhus it is a highly contagious deadly disease that's caused from filth and spread by lice at the same time while the train was at the stand still the Nearly Dead were taken off and buried along the tracks in addition our train was subject to frequent air attacks by the allies it is truly remarkable how any one of us was able to survive under such horrendous conditions in fact 500 of our people that's one out of every five died on rout or shortly thereafter my burnt leg was severely infected and it was impossible to keep the wound clean or lies free in late April after 14 days of this surreal
022and horrifying Journey German Gods stormed frantically through the train seeking civilian clothing so that they would not be recognized by the allies and we knew then that the war was coming to an end it was the Russian army that liberated our train and led us to a nearby Farm Village in Eastern Germany most of the inhabitants had fled and R took over their homes kitchens were stuck with emple food it was rich and good actually much too good for our staff bodies we could not tolerate that unfamiliar nourishment and at that time at the age of 10 and a half I weighed 16 kilos or as we know a de 35b and my mother weighed a mere 70 the Russians in a crude way tried to help us the best that they could I was
023B to a near by clinic for medical attention my leg was in very bad condition and I was close to losing it fortunately it was decided to treat the wound and I was very lucky that my leg responded to medication and it gradually healed as I regained my strength I also relearned to walk and in the inim our heads were shaved because that was the only way that we could rid ourselves of headlight although we were all weak ill and thoroughly exhausted I vividly remember the spring of 1945 weather was beautiful sunny and bright trees and grass were Lush and green flowers were in bloom birds were singing it was a wonderful exciting feeling to be free at long last we were all Elber typhus but my father had to die from it 6 weeks
024after our Liberation and this after six and a half years of mental torment and physical abuse my 12-year-old brother Albert actually helped bury our father when I talk about those years it is as though I'm relating a nightmare a very bad dream I separate myself from it ever having happened to me and that is how I deal with it it is a wonderful story as to how we gradually recuperated and were sent back to hland to start our lives new my brother and I were eventually placed in the children's home in preparation to live in what was then British mandated Palestine and we know today as Israel most of the children in this home survived alone without their parents I felt like a total Misfit I needed to learn how to resettle into a normal
025society had no training for that here I was by this time 11 years old had never been in a store had no idea what money was all about had almost no table manners it was like learning to live all over again it was in this home that we became reacquainted with life in its normal State meals served us were delicious and nourishing and you can imagine that just about anything and everything tasted good to us although our surate parents provided a very strict environment much love and care were given us I began my first formal education at that time at the age of 11 and a half we were taught the secular subjects Reading Writing arithmetic in a montauri school where we progressed at our own pace the Dutch language in which we were taught
026was all new to us we also received a thorough education in Hebrew and in religious studies the British who were governing Palestine in the 1940 had issued what was known as the white paper restricting the number of Jews permitted into the land they were intercepting many of the refugee ships and in turning the survivors on the island of Cyprus and in some cases turning the ships back to Europe in November of 1947 the United Nations voted to partition Palestine between Arabs and Jews which in May of 1948 led to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1947 just one year prior to Israel becoming a state our illegal Voyage from hland to Palestine was planned and danger once again loomed over us and because parents at that time were not permitted to accompany their
027children my mother managed to make arrangements for a family of three to immigrate to the United States and thanks to the Holland America line we were able to use the tickets which had been purchased 10 years earlier we arrived in Hoboken New Jersey April 23rd 1948 by coincidence exactly 3 years to the day of our Liberation it was a Jewish relief organization Hebrew immigration Aid Society that found a home for us in Peoria Illinois I had never heard of Illinois definitely not Poria and there at the age of 13 I once again started life aew in a Strange Land and again learning a new language my third new language in less than three years first Dutch then Hebrew and now English and because of my inability to speak English I at the age of 13
028was placed in the fourth grade with niney olds although both my brother and I worked long hours after school to help our mom pay bills I nevertheless found time I actually made time to take extra courses during the year ATT 10 summer school and by working very hard in my studies I was able to be graduated from Peoria Central High School 5 years later at age 18 ranking eth in a class of 267 students it was two months after high school graduation that I was married to Nathaniel lazan who I had met at the age of 16 in Peoria in the synagogue and we're so grateful so very grateful to have celebrated our 71st wedding anniversary this past August and uh you might be interested to know that Nathalia was a US Air Force pilot
029and of course it's very disciplined and very conscientious I am grateful I am very grateful that I survived healthy in Body Mind and Spirit and that together with my husband I'm able to perpetuate my Heritage with a wonderful family we have three grown children all three are happily married and I've given us nine beautiful grandchildren and 13 magnificent great grandchildren amazing amazing and in March of 1996 my memor for perfect Pebbles co-authored by lla Pearl was published by Green Willow division of hara Collins it is now in its 34th printing in hardback and um then a few years ago Papa decided to publish a 20th anniversary edition that this is it I don't know if you can see this I really don't don't bother even looking at because I don't like the cover anyway it's
030it's this Bob r that really bothers me but Harper was in charge and that's it um Scholastic Book Club has made it available since 1999 it's been published and translated into he into um German and into Dutch and French also and yadvashem the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem published it in Hebrew I don't know if you can see this this is my image when I was 7 years old and if you like you may all read it in Japanese maybe there's someone in your school who can do just that but above all I am so grateful that the story is in book form so that it can be passed on to Future generations and I'm thrilled that a documentary has been made entitled Marian's Triumph with the actress Deborah Messing as the narrator so you see
031that despite all the terrible things that happened to me as a child my life today is full and rewarding although I've spoken to Upward of two and a half million students and adults over these past 25 years or so it still has not become easy however I do realize the importance of sharing that period of our history with you simply because in a few short years we will not be here any longer to give a firstand account yours is the very last generation that will hear these stories first hand and I therefore ask you to please please share my story or any of the Holocaust stories that you read and hear about share them with your friends share them with your relatives and someday someday share them with your children and yes even with your
032grandchildren when we are not here any longer it is you who will have to bear witness as difficult as it is the horror of the Holocaust must be taught must be studied and kept alive only then can regard guard it from ever happening again this this is the very yellow star that I was forced to wear it says UDA which in German means Jew it was just another way to denigrate us to isolate us and to set us apart from the rest of society this represents the Star of David a beautiful meaningful Jewish symbol but the Nazis made it so very ugly each of us each and everyone of us must do everything in our power to prevent such hatred such destruction and such Terror from reoccurring and we can begin by having love respect
033and compassion towards one another regardless of the religious belief regardless of the color of our skin regardless of the national origin this respect towards one another must begin in our homes around the kitchen table the dining room table Wherever We Gather as a family we the adults must pass it on our places of business you the students in your classrooms in the halls of your schools communities towns cities and only if there's respect and compassion towards one another in the countries can we expect to have peace in the world we must begin with you the students we must begin with our children let us treat people as individuals let us look for similar ities and respect the differences let us build Bridges and reach out towards one another and we must be true to ourselves
034and not blindly follow a leader without thinking ahead and searching our hearts and our minds as to what the consequences might be it is not cool to follow just anyone's lead without first checking to see what his or her true intentions are please please remember these messages share them with your friends who are unable to be with us this morning share them remember them but above all let us all live by them we all aware or we should be that six million Jewish people were murdered during the Holocaust 6 million your state of Massachusetts has a population of approximately 7 million can you possibly imagine almost the entire population of Massachusetts wiped out the 6 million also represent onethird of the entire prew walwood I Jewish population among them were one and a half million
035children children just like you we also need to remember that there were 5 million non-jews who lost their lives among them were the righteous Gentiles as we refer to them very special people non-jews who jeopardized their lives to save Jewish families that would hide them in the attics that would hide them in the basement Farmers would hide them out in the bonds they were hidden in convents and when these good people were caught doing what they felt was the right thing to do they also were deported to concentration camps and in many cases lost their lives and that brings me to another the message we must never generalize and judge an entire group by the actions of some within that group these are all Universal messages messages that each and every one of us is
036familiar with but need to be reminded of over and over again and this certainly was a good opportunity to do so these messages are the lessons learned from that dark period of our history and certainly apply to today World situation and definitely to our own individual lives by listening I hope that you prevent our past from becoming your future okay I now need to share something with you about an extraordinary lady one minute okay this I don't know if you can see this clearly this was my mother at age 104 mom passed away six weeks short of 105 an amazing magnificent beautiful lady there were two things that my mother demanded of my brother and me when we first came to America number one learn English learn it quickly number two work as hard as
037you can at school and at work in order to succeed you need to know that my mom was 40 years old when we came to America knew absolutely no English learned to read write and speak a magnificent English amazing when Mom was still with us we were five generations of women and I referred to that as survival and continuity and it certainly was that she was a fabulous mother-in-law to Nathaniel and he was an outstanding son-in-law to my mom my brother Albert passed away a few years ago dealt with this alog together differently than I he did not talk about it as freely as you heard it from me this morning was happily married lived in California but by choice did not bring children into this world had a very difficult time with organized religion
038all of that made me very sad but I didn't fault Albert we have to remember he was 2 years older than I am was with my father in the men section and I'm convinced that he saw and experience things that I did not God puts us on this Earth gives us a beautiful mind it is this mind that allows us to choose right from wrong good from Evil therefore men did this towards one another but did he have to make it so bitterly cold when we were standing out there on the pel all day I have a direct line I ask loads of questions don't get too many answers but that's okay Faith I will always have after all here I am three children nine grandchildren 13 great grandchildren from whom Generations will be forthcoming
039he made sure that enough of us survived so that we will always be here I am proud of my faith as I'm certain you're part of your faith and of your heritage but please please let us all remember to respect the right of others to their belief be kind and good and respectful and compassionate towards one another that is the basis for peace had there been respect and compassion towards one another some 75 80 years ago I would not be here this morning with you to share that dark period of our history 911 would not have occurred Afghanistan Iraq Libya the Ukraine the Middle East all these countries that are in such turmoil would be peaceful countries for its people be kind and good and respectful towards one another please it is such a simple
040message and yet so difficult to achieve there is very little that we can do against the negativity in our world but how we treat behave and reach out towards one another that is entirely up to us did I ever find my four Pebbles frequently Asked question I always find my four Pebbles I made it my business to find them when I search for them and I I I would always put them in a safe place the next time I search for them I couldn't find that third one or that fourth one well I knew exactly where to go and pick them up maybe that was cheating but it was my game and guess who made the wols you need to know that I was only about 9 or 10 years old when things were it's
041absolutely worst we had nothing to occupy our time with constructively no paper no pencils no books certainly no games so I was lucky at such an imaginative mind my imaginative games were always based on a positive attitude I would search for a piece of glass or piece of a mirror whatever I could find on that dirt ground in bag and Belton and when the sun would shine that little piece of glass would cast a reflection onto the ground and that little Wiggly reflection it became my pet as long as the sun would shine I would have my pet and my pet would never ever die I would also imagine that one day I once again would have my three bees and these three bees represent our everyday Comforts and Necessities that we all take so
042much for granted first be represented AED I knew that someday I once again would have my very own bed with the real mattress clean sheets and enough blankets to keep me warm second represented a bath warm water soap clean towels and with that would come toothpaste and a toothbrush of course and the third be was bread I knew that someday I once again would have enough bread so that I would never again go hungry these imaginative games if you will they were my survival techniques they were my survival skills do you know that we all have survival techniques and skills within us when the need AR we just have to search for them find them and be sure that we put them to work no one is spared adversity no one is spared hardship we
043all have to overcome obstacles at one time or another but with perseverance with determination with faith and above all hope one can overcome just about anything and everything above all never ever give up hope it is not so much what happens to a person it's how we deal with a situation that makes the difference I came to America and I got acquainted with potato chips and whoever was eating them with dipping something white and creamy I didn't know from dips so I thought it was mayonnaise well I couldn't wait to get my own big bag of potato chips and my own jar of mayonnaise and did that do a job on me I very quickly became a big 13-year-old and remember there I was with these little nyear olds you know that could have made
044plenty fun of me I look differently than they did certainly acted differently than they did but I need you to know that they were so good to me helped me with my homework included me in their games I hope that when a new student comes into your class your school or community that you too help him or her to adjust to a new situation put yourself in his or her place how you might feel if you're placed in a strange or new environment be good and kind and respectful towards one another and you the students at the um dmouth and axbridge high schools you are so fortunate to be receiving a good education in beautiful environments with dedicated teachers do not take your educational opportunities for granted make the most of it give your studies
045an extra measure of hard work you will never ever regret it nathani is from New York he went to Bradley University in Peoria lucky me he went home on vacations and way back then in the 1950s long distant telephone calls were very expensive remember there were no computers or texting or any of that technology but with a three cent stamp and there really was such a thing as a three cent stamp we would write to one another every single day major major problems in his letters to me he would add five words there were more than five words Nathaniel only five man only five but there were more than five but whatever he asked me to define those words and put them into a sentence that's a lot of nerve with all I had to
046do but I knew he meant to help me with my English and I guess it did work so Nathaniel once again I thank you once again I say you're quite welcome okay talking about a dictionary my father always carried did I mention the use a dictionary yes I did did I mention I use a dictionary right and I I would use a diction when I I wrote my reply to Nathaniel I would always have a dictionary by my side and only when I was satisfied with the way the letter was written would I dare mail it to him but talking about a dictionary my father always carried a little chunky German English dictionary with him and he would study the vocabulary in secret whenever possible always with the hope that someday he would reach America
047when we came to the United States back in 1948 and approached New York har we were told the night before that if we wanted to see the Statue of Liberty we needed to be on deck bright and early the next morning well you can be sure that each and every one of us was on Deck to greet and be greeted by that magnificent symbol of Freedom the freedom that had been denied us for so many years and when that tall figure of that long for symbol appeared I became too choked up to talk so many emotion seized me at once joy and gratitude bitterness for the cruelty we and so many others had suffered and deep deep sadness that my father would never know that we have reached America at last and when we cross
048the thing let me have this and when we crossed the verizo bridge the VIS very brid here in New York connects the bur of Staten Island with that of Brookton and when we cross that bridge I will always cray my neck to see the Statue of Liberty to me it is one of the most magnificent beautiful sites we returned to Germany on various occasions the very first time was back in 1995 it was the 50th anniversary of our Liberation and we visited my father's grave and the reason my father and about 60 other have a private resting place in that farm village where we were liberated was because they died after some of the chaos had subsided those who died early on were all buried in Mass Graves we also went to B and Bon
049and B and Bon looks nothing the way I remembered it had been burned down under the direction of President Eisenhower who was then the commander of the Allied Forces and um so today be and Bon looks like a green grass shrubs trees really not bad looking at all except except for the Mounds everywhere Mounds with plags that read here lie a thousand here lie 2500 these are the mass Graves of our people we also went to my former hometown of Hoya near hanova and they were greeted by public officials who over and over and apologized and then there was one young couple born after the war who took us to the Jewish cemetery which has been in terrible disarray had not been cared for since 1938 took us to our family plot and there among
050the toppled over Stones was a brand new shiny Granite footstone with the inscription in memory of the desecrated plot of the Blumenthal family who 1894 to 1938 placed there by this non Jewish young couple unbeknownst to us a most beautiful generous kind gesture never thought that I would refer to non-jewish Germans in such glowing terms it's people like these that Renew on faith in humanity and have become dear dear friends of ours and whenever we return I speak in schools University churches do so in German and tremendously well Reed but oh so difficult for today's young people to hear after all it happened in their country by their own people their own grandparents and great grandparent generation it's a huge huge burden for these young people and unfortunately it will be their burden for generations
051to come and then we returned back in 2010 because a brand new public high school was named in my honor in my former Hometown so now we have the maram blal Oba in Hoya tremendous celebration and very courageous for this little town to redress what happened so many years ago in the midst and the night before the celebration we commemorated the night of broken glass on the site where our synagogue man stood yes difficult trips but no regrets having returned I do want to add that Germany is doing everything in its power to continually remind their people as to what happened so many years ago for one thing it is mandatory for the subject to be taught in their schools and it's against the law to deny that the Holocaust has happened and then they
052came up with something that's called anpin a stum block you don't stumble over it it's a metal plag that's deeply embedded in the sidewalk in front of the home where a person once lived and never returned and on that plaque is engraved his or her name date of birth where when and how he or she died a tremendous tribute to the person who never returned um okay I will take some of your questions please and um and then we're go on from there okay Mr Higgins hi Mar we'd like you to hear our Applause first thank you thank you thank you you were a wonderful audience I could see you all and you were wonderful audience I wish I could have been with you in person maybe next time okay and happy birthday Marian oh
053that's tomorrow right happy birthday yeah thank you thank you it's only a number okay we just have a couple of questions Maran that will that will uh give you uh that were solicited by our students so here's the first question what's your advice to the younger Generations in terms of remembering the Holocaust oh okay you all heard the question and you heard the answer while I was speaking right to Remember to Remember and to remember and never to forget and to please please be respectful towards one another be kind towards one another that is the basis for peace such a simple message and yet so difficult to achieve there's so little we can do against all this negativity in our world but but again how we treat and behave towards one another that's entirely up
054to us so be good towards one another pass it information on to those who were not participating this morning's presentation and visit be good towards one another please Mar here's another one um how would children cared for in the camps were parents able to care for their own children or is it the responsibility of guards of guards you're telling me Gods would take care of the children they were the gods only wanted to get rid of us that that no no and parents did the best they could there were it was one particular family who would take children in and and take them in the best that they could and sort of watched over them not that they could give them anything more to eat or or ease their pain but uh there was there's
055some families who helped and protected children who were left parentless uh the best they could yeah Maran just one more question for you um this is a kind of a long one but the Austrian psychologist and Holocaust Survivor Victor Frankle once wrote The Last of one's freedoms is to choose one's attitude in any given circumstance What attitude toward life and others did you have that helped you survive through your experiences well I was extremely fortunate to have always been with my mother who has a very positive attitude has a wonderful um her fortitude and her her thinking and her hope she never gave up hope and she instilled that positive thinking onto me I was very fortunate not all children have that so it I tribute my mother for my survival 100% And for my
056way of uh dealing with the situation and never to give in never to give up never to give up hope ever that is the basis for survival really if you give in then you may as well give up and that's the end of it do I still speak those languages exp a I speak a little bit of Dutch I name I speak some speak an excellent German and I do speak some English um I'm often asked whether I have a tattoo on my arm I do not that was done in aitz only you need to know that there were hundreds of camps major camps sub camps but it was in aitz only where they burned that number on innocent men women and children for no reason other than to torment them to inflict additional pain
057and to dehumanize them it's a mentality none of us will ever ever understand um we're so grateful Mr Higgin for having this opportunity and to speak with your students and with the students of the uh axbridge High School and uh this would not have been possible without this technology and talking about technology please you guys use it for good only use this technology for good only do not disparage others do not intimidate others do not embarrass your friends and please don't believe everything you see on the internet and on the what is this thing called social media don't believe everything there's so much misinformation out there use your own bright Brilliant Minds before you make decisions and before you lead anyone's thinking or anyone's uh uh way of life use your own be good and
058kind and respectful towards one another please and unfortunately those out there who deny that the Holocaust has happened they have their own agenda you know it did happen you heard it first s pass it [Music] on to others and never forget to be kind and good towards one another please okay I would like to share a song with you not to worry I won't sing Mr Hagen are we able to to play that okay Miss we are we are I just have I just have to move my cable over and there's going to be about a 10c delay okay just I'll just introduce it it's a song that's written by John Hall from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and it's sung by an 11y old girl by the name of lyric listen to the lyrics hopefully you can
059watch the lyrics you'll find them very meaningful okay only two minutes of your time [Music] in my hand some made of granite some of sand found in this dark and desolate land for perfect pebbles in my hand mother Comforts Albert and me Father Shields Us From Misery no par love can ever be ra they sad and for God the lonely place four perfect appes do I see one for each member of my family I hold them tight I will not cry all will live no one will [Music] die if I should lose my precious stones my secret hiding place will Ral more perfect Pebbles far beneath these bercks made of wood and steel for perfect pebles do I see mother father Albert and me I count them over one by one I fall fast asleep
060my work is no [Laughter] [Music] thank you thank you again everyone Mr Higgins Mr Shay Dr Ruben many many thanks for having given me the opportunity to be with you this morning and I wish each and everyone of you a joy Joy's holiday Joy's Christmas happy Hanukah and a uh wonderful healthy peaceful 2025 to each and everyone of of you enjoy your vacations and consider yourself hugged okay consider yourself hugged Say Say Goodbye thanks bye okay thank you thank youday oh yes happy birthday [Music] thank you thank you thank you you all consider yourself hugged okay wonderful stay well and enjoy your vacation and have a wonderful wonderful 2025 for you and your families okay thank you so much e