World War 2
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A photograph like the one above is nearly as disturbing to me as an image of piles of dead bodies. It is not the image but the knowledge of what happened to most—if not all—of the people in the picture. The majority looking into the camera lens were young, healthy people, still in the prime…
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The number of Jews murdered during the Holocaust is estimated at six million. I have often argued that this number is higher. I have no data to back this up, but if you read the testimony of Hans Levy, you can’t help but wonder. Did they include the number of suicides in that number of…
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These are just some of my favourite World War II movies, in no particular order. Tora Tora ToraThe photo above is a still from the 1970 movie Tora Tora Tora. The 1970 war epic received widespread praise from both critics and film fans for its detailed depiction of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack. Universally considered…
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Jerry Himmelfarb was a GI from Buffalo, New York. He wrote this letter to his Rabbi about his experiences. It is one of the most powerful testimonies I have ever read. Jerry, serving with the U.S. Army in Germany, wrote to Rev. Harry H. Kaufman, Cantor of Temple Beth El, telling of what the J.D.C.…
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All of those men who liberated the camps throughout Europe never lost the memories of what they witnessed. Below are just some of their accounts. The Dachau concentration camp was liberated on April 29, 1945. Hilbert Margol (pictured above) and his twin brother, Howard. Two Jewish American soldiers were there and documented the tragedy. Hilbert…
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This is one of those amazing stories of resilience and perseverance. Odette Sansom, aka Odette Churchill and Odette Hallowes, code name Lise, was an agent for the United Kingdom’s clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France during World War II. She was born on 28 April 1912 in Amiens, France. She met an Englishman, Roy…
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A young lady who survived the atomic bomb in Nagasaki, August 1945 RMS Queen Elizabeth returning with 15,000 Soldiers to New York at the end of World War II, 1945. The Ship was not overcrowded, the soldiers simply ran onto the deck as they arrived. A soldier sharing his lunch with a goat in Saipan,…
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The last few weeks I had the privilege, to have been been invited to several on line presentations, organised by the Ghetto Fighters’ House. The last two presentations were about the art of David Friedman and were presented by David’s daughter Miriam. I am also privileged to know Miriam. David Friedmann (David Friedman, Dav. Friedmann)…
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It is impossible to remember all six million+ Jewish victims of the Holocaust individually. However, it is important whenever it is possible to remember one individual to do so. Because they weren’t born to be victims, they were born to lead a life like anyone else. They were all human beings, with the same needs,…
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Sometimes I come across photographs which are so vivid that they seem like they are not photos—but realistic. And then, knowing what the fate is of those in the picture, I feel like just giving them a hug and telling them everything will be fine. I also know that couldn’t be further from the truth.…
History of Sorts 