Tag: holocaust

Sir Nicholas Winton, a Hero for the Ages

October 23, 2024
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Once upon a time, circa 2008, I was lucky to be invited by a friend to visit her in Paris.  My stay there coincided with the visit of one of those rare individuals who –in his unassuming way- was a giant of his era. He made an incredible contribution to mankind and is known as the British Schindler.

Sir Nicholas Winton, “Nicky” to his friends, was in France for a special program on anti-Semitism.  He hailed from Maidenhead (UK), was a lover of gardens, a gentle, kind, no-nonsense man who stressed that he was not a diplomat.

His story is one for the ages. In 1939, as an English stockbroker, Sir Nicholas Winton  spent some time in Prague and he became a “living angel” by rescuing 669 Czech children from their doomed fate in the Nazi death camps. Most of the saved children never saw their parents again. These unfortunate souls perished in the German Nazi concentration camps.

Nicholas Winton’s feat was unrecognized for more than 50 years, and most of the children he saved were totally unaware who their savior had been.  His story came to light when his wife Greta, rummaging through their attic, found an old leather briefcase that contained lists of the children and letters from their parents.  

Sir Nicholas’ perspicacity made him aware that something was terribly wrong. Unlike so many others, he was courageous enough to do something to right what was so terribly wrong at the time.  Because he was born of Jewish parents who later converted to Christianity, he was not recognized as one of the Righteous Gentiles at Yad Vashem.

The impact of Sir Nicholas’ remarkable achievement was so striking that there has even been a movie made of him, One Life, with Anthony Hopkins playing him. There also is a children’s book written and illustrated by Peter Sís called Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued. Below are 3 videos that tell his poignant story better than me.

I had the privilege, honor, and great fortune to meet a living legend, who lived to be 106 years and died in 2015.  I spent a few times with Sir Nicholas and heard the harrowing experiences from the man himself. He had a sparkle in his eye and a most beautiful smile. I think of him often, and how it is so true that one person can make an enormous difference.

Sir Nicholas Winton never thought what he did was outstanding. It was just the right thing to do.

 

Terezin: The Paradise Ghetto

October 3, 2024

PROLOGUE: Because I thrive on music and philosophy and an insatiable curiosity (my own Balm of Gilead), and am trying to make sense of the river of life, I discovered a little slice of what I wrote in my now defunct blog on July 19, 2010, which I thought I would share. Am re-constructing my blog, which used to be a repository of things that maybe some of my friends and family and colleagues would have found of interest. So, here it goes, with a couple of updates:

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What a lovely way to perpetuate the legacy of a young musician and composer, Gideon Klein, whose life was destroyed in the German concentration camps of World War II. Thrice he wrote in a letter smuggled out of Auschwitz, “Don’t Forget About Me.” How many of us have had this thought?

Birkenau, or Auschwitz II, is where all the Jews from the Terezin Ghetto were sent. Terezin is also known for the devastating loss of children… Among the many who perished in Auschwitz and other extermination camps after having “transited” in Terezin was Peter Ginz, an 11-year old boy, who drew his vision of travel in space in the early 1940’s. Ironically, his drawing survived him; it eventually ended up in the national museum in Israel.

It was a replica of this particular drawing that Ilan Ramon, the Israeli astronaut who died in the Columbia shuttle accident, took with him on his fateful journey. More than 50 years after this boy’s life was snuffed, this replica was destroyed in an overwhelmingly dramatic accident, a terribly sad tribute to the boy’s violent death! Amazingly, the shuttle flight happened on February 1, 2003: Peter Ginz would have celebrated his 75th birthday.

If you like to go down rabbit holes like I do, here is a great read on Gideon Klein.

Below is a short video from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that attests that despite his short life, Gideon Klein was never forgotten. Watch this special short story – it is so poignant:.

“Terezin’s Musical Legacy: A recent Prague Spring concert honored musicians and artists in the Terezin concentration camp who died in the Holocaust. Terezin Music Foundation founder Mark Ludwig pays special homage to composer Gideon Klein, who died aged 26.”