A powerful dialogue between children of perpetrators of the Holocaust and children of survivors.
Published:
Monday, September 21, 2009
Hear related audio on this topic.
Pain, but not the same
It is incredible that these people have to live with the pain of knowing that they are descendants of these evil people. I know personally that it is inconceivable that my own grandparents survived what they did. But to call those two pains the same is untrue. My pain has to do with what my nation has been undergoing for two millennium. The children of Nazis have completely different things to deal with. There are pain on both sides, but the pain is so different.
Each generation is responsible for its own sins.
To (31) Chana, I think the descendents of Nazis should be completely informed of what went on in those days, and what their anscestors did or didn´t do, but even though they should be ashamed of what their family members did, should they be ashamed of THEMSELVES? Most were not even born in those days, and only heard about it later. What can they do about it? If I spit in the face of a great-grandchild of a Nazi, have I made the world a better place? Maybe that person is just as disgusted with Nazis as I am! When most Jews are asked what they first think of when they hear the word "Germans", many say, "Nazis". They would be surprised to see how few Nazi sympathisers there really are in Germany! (The rest of Europe has far more). The ones that are Neo-Nazis are that way because of their own inferiority complexes and fear of foreigners. They make the headlines in the papers, and the rest of the world thinks Germany is nothing but unrepentant Nazis. Nothing could be further than the truth. I would like to hear the experiences of Jewish people who have visited Germany in this time. Were they confronted with anti-semitism? I could imagine it much more in France or Hungary. Give the Germans of today a break. Nobody does as good research and documentaries about the Holocaust as they do. The only remarks I have heard that are negative are from the ones who resent Germany still paying for the Holocaust. One one side, it´s not a thing you can just drop and forget, but the younger generation asks why they should still have to pay (in taxes) for something that happened way before they were born.
A legacy's burden
It's difficult at times to be the child of a survivor - even harder to imagine being a child of a perpetrator. The actions of their family should not a burden for them to carry, but I understand how they feel - I would probably feel the same way. This is an opportunity to create awareness and remembrance. Carry forth a legacy of what to never do again.
I was married to one of Hitler's children
I believe that the designation "Hitler's Children" was a description of the children born to Jewish women prisoners and Nazi officers that were later put up for adoption by German Officers providing they were blond and blue eyed. My wife of many years was such a child and she suffered emotional and mental problems upon learning of this. I possess Nazi documentation of this process and adoption certificate bearing the symbols and swastika confirming this.