Holocaust
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The title of this blog could be from any fictitious novel. A children’s book or even a fairy tale, but it actually describes a bizarre reality which caused so much destruction. The story of Hitler’s naturalization process resembles something of a farce. On April 7 1925 he had given up his Austrian citizenship, it was…
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Sometimes, you come across stories and are amazed that they are not widely known. We all have heard about Oskar Schindler because of Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List.” Still, Otto Weidt’s story is probably just as amazing. It is a story that is close to me because I am half blind and will likely become utterly…
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A truly remarkable story of love and survival. In the late 1930s, Anka Bergman was a lively law student living in the Czechoslovakian capital, Prague. “I wanted company and boyfriends and to enjoy myself. I didn’t know that Hitler was coming, but I filled my time with only cinemas and theatres and concerts and parties,”…
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War brings out the best and the worst out of people, that is just a fact. It is easy to acknowledge the good but there is often a struggle acknowledging the bad, even to the extent of trying to completely erase it from history. When it comes to the Holocaust there is no question about…
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++++++++++++WARNING: CONTAINS A GRAPHIC IMAGE++++++++++++ I am always surprised by why some well-educated people are capable of the most heinous acts. Otto Ohlendorf came from humble beginnings but showed academic aptitude. He attended the Gymnasium in Hildesheim, which meant an excellent opportunity in education, preparing him for university. Otto then studied law at two fine…
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The After-School Youth Care (BJZ) was one of the many departments of the Jewish Council. For Jewish children, the BJZ provided a welcome distraction from the worries of everyday life. Despite the limited and barely usable premises, the BJZ aimed to create a relaxed atmosphere. Jewish youth leaders engaged the children in activities such as…
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On the morning of August 4, 1944, Otto Frank was helping Peter van Pels with his language lessons, while Edith Frank remained in her room. That same morning, police officers arrived at Prinsengracht 263 in Amsterdam. They proceeded to the first-floor office, where the helpers of those in hiding were working. The officers questioned Victor…
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This blog is not to pass judgment; it is meant to illustrate how evil the Nazis, and particularly Mengele, were. They forced doctors to do things they would usually not even contemplate, and it put them in impossible positions. Berthold Epstein: Berthold Epstein (1890–1962) was a remarkable Czech pediatrician whose life was marked by groundbreaking…
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It was Billy Joel’s 74th birthday on 9 May, and I was thinking about writing a piece about his musical history, going back to the times when he joined a band called “Echoes,” at age 16 to the times when he joined the bands “The Hassles” and “Atilla.” Then I came across a story which…
History of Sorts 
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