dirkdeklein

  • The Zhengding Missionary Murder—also known as the Chengtingfu Massacre—refers to the violent abduction and killing of nine Catholic missionaries on October 9, 1937, in Zhengding (then often transliterated as Chengtingfu), Hebei Province. Occurring in the chaotic early months of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), this tragedy sits at a painful intersection of religious humanitarianism, imperial…

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  • Claire Monis (1922–1967) lived a life that wove together art, defiance, and endurance. A French singer and actress from a Jewish family, she was both a member of the French Resistance and a survivor of Auschwitz, where she was forced to perform in the Women’s Orchestra. Her story illustrates how music could serve as both…

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  • I often hear people say ‘that teenagers never had it as hard as they do now’. In a time where my generation failed to equip these teenagers with the resilience to deal with adversity, it is the absolute wrong message to sent out. In this post there will be small bios of teenagers who were…

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  • During my interview with Liz Elsby, Holocaust Educator at Yad Vashem: World Holocaust Center, Jerusalem, we discussed freelance illustration, design and art direction. We also talked a bit about her work with Yad Vashem, but mainly about the current situation in Israel and her experience.

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  • I watched “Guardians of the Galaxy-Volume 3” last night, and this song was featured prominently in one of the scenes in the movie. I had forgotten what great song it is. “We Care a Lot” is a song by American rock band Faith No More. There are three versions of the song, all of which…

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  • The title is taken from a  letter written by Marcel Nadjari ,a Jewish-Greek survivor of the Auschwitz-Birkenau. Marcel  was a member of the Sonderkommando in Birkenau from May 1944 to November 1944. The letter is an eye witness account of his experiences as a Sonderkommando in Auschwitz Birkenau. He had the task of of removing…

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  • Earth-the final frontier.

    Space-tourism is the buzzword nowadays. It seems like some of earth richest men are desperately trying to leave this planet. I have no issues with space travel, far from it, if I would be offered a place on one of those rockets. I would grab that chance with both hands and feet. But I do…

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  • Music is not just a few notes strung together to create a tune, often accompanied by lyrics. Music is much more then that. It is therapy. It gives hope where there is despair. It gives joy where there is grief. It can transport you back to the days of yore, when time was complicated. It…

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  • The career of Michael Lee Aday aka Meat Loaf, has been a turbulent one, to used an understatement. It went from filling huge stadiums with adore fans, to barely getting people to see him perform in small community halls in Ireland, and back to stadiums. His most iconic song though has to be “Paradise by…

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  • 1096 Days since Oct 7 2023

    1096 Days of Darkness It’s been 1096—two years of nights that never end.The sun still rises,but for too many, it doesn’t shine. October 7—a date carved into hearts,a wound that doesn’t close.The world moved on,but the screams still echoin homes that stand half-empty,in chairs that stay untouched at the table. Children still waketo the sound…

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