I did not survive – I was murdered at Auschwitz.
My name is Yechiel Michoel Friedman. I was "murdered" at Auschwitz. I did not die at Auschwitz. I was "murdered" at Auschwitz.
None of you know me. None of the people in this room have ever met me; not even my own grandson, Ben Brafman, who many of you know, has ever met me. I have authorized my grandson to speak for me, because although I was murdered, I was not silenced. You must be reminded of my life and of my murder – not my death – my murder. The murder of my family – of your family – of so many families...
This is my story – a true story. A sad, horrific story.
My story, like so many of your stories, has a wonderful beginning, a very terrible middle and a tragic, horrible end that Baruch Hashem was not really the end, because although I and part of my family were brutalized and murdered, a part of my family miraculously survived – and because some did survive, my grandson is here to speak for me, to tell you "my" story, his grandfather's story, my life story and my death story. The story of a life that was brutally taken from me, from my beautiful wife, Malka, my beautiful, sweet daughter, Sima, her young, handsome husband, Yaakov and their baby, my granddaughter, my "first" granddaughter, Chaya Sarah, my little Chaya Sarah, who at two years old was ripped screaming from her mother's arms and thrown into an oven at Auschwitz as if she did not matter.
I speak to tell you that my little Chayala did matter, we all mattered.
Nazi killers murdered my Chayala and 1.5 million other Jewish children.
Chaya Sarah was the only grandchild I ever knew and I loved her as only a grandfather can love a grandchild and Nazi killers murdered her, my Chayala and 1.5 million other Jewish children. They took our nachas – our life and our joy and our hope. They took our babies and turned them into ashes.
Today, I speak to you as a neshama, as a soul from heaven, where I and millions of my brothers and sisters sit in a special place of honor reserved for us, for those you call Kedoshim – holy ones – whose lives were taken only because we were Jews, brutally taken less than 70 years ago, when a whole country became dominated by savages, while a civilized world stood by and through its silence, said that it was "okay to smash the head of a two year old child and then, while she was still alive, throw her screaming in terror into a burning oven, that it was okay to gas and cremate – to murder her parents and grandparents." A civilized, cultured nation did this and a civilized world watched it happening and did nothing to stop our slaughter.
The world heard our screams but did not care, the world smelled our burning flesh but turned away – the world heard my Chayala screaming for her mother and did nothing, because Chayala was a Jewish child and at that time – the systematic murder of Jewish children – undertaken in an efficient, organized manner by monsters in government-issued uniforms -was okay. Indeed, it was encouraged, applauded. The murderers were honored with medals, applauded as heroes for killing our children – for killing my grandchild.
Smoke and Gas
How did this happen to us? When did our world turn so bitter and dark?
I remember our life before Auschwitz, a good life, a quiet, pious life, centered around my family, my wife, Malka, our daughters, Sima, Ruchele, Hencha, Hinda, my sweet little boy, Meir, Sima's husband, Yaakov, and their baby, my zeis little Chayala.
We lived in a small town in Czechoslovakia, Kiviash, right near the Hungarian border. I was a learned man, a Hebrew teacher. Our family was a good family. We were poor, but respected. We were honest, kind, sweet people who lived among other respected, soft-spoken, wonderful families. We had no enemies.
I never even raised my voice in anger, never, until that day in Auschwitz, when they murdered my grandchild, then the world heard me, but did not listen, when they tried so hard to destroy my family. I screamed so loud, I cried so hard and long, but the murder continued. The smoke and gas roared and now I am still angry. Now, I raise my voice again, not to complain, but so that you will remember – so that you can wake up, because what happened to my family can happen again, it is happening again!
Today, less than 70 years later, monsters are again threatening and murdering Jewish families, murdering our beautiful children – just last month in Israel, in Itamar, the Fogel family was massacred and again, beautiful, little, innocent children were butchered because they were Jews.
Udi and Ruth Fogel murdered because they were Jews! Their children, Yoav, age 11, Elad, age 4 and Hadas, age 3 months – slaughtered!! Their throats slit while they slept in their own beds.
You must know the terror, not only to make you sad and angry, but to make you vigilant.
So I need to tell you about my own murder. I need to relive for you my horror, my terrible loss, so that you will understand and remember, so that you will feel the Shoah – what the world refers to as the Holocaust. It needs to be real for those of you who were not there. It is more than a word – Shoah. You must know the terror, not only to make you sad and angry, but to make you vigilant.
If I upset you tonight, good! If my frankness and the terrifying description of brutal murder gives you nightmares tonight – good. I want you to be afraid and sad and angry and bitter and aware – but I also want you to be proud, because the end of my own story, although sad, was not the end.
Be comforted in the knowledge that "they did not win." The Nazi murderers killed me and millions of Jews like me, but they did not win. They did not murder my whole family, or your whole family. The murderers and their army of monsters did not murder the Jewish people, they did not end Klal Yisrael – they made us stronger.
Alive Today
Jews are alive today. Israel is strong today, my family, your families, are here today, and we must keep reminding the world about our parents, grandparents, great grandparents and the children, who were gassed and cremated.
My family is alive today to help you understand the quality of hate that can allow a country to burn and gas and bludgeon newborns, infants and toddlers; to machine gun them and throw them into mass graves or onto trucks and then while still alive, toss them into large ovens, or used while conscious and awake – for vicious, cruel medical experiments.
So many children, small Kinderlach screaming for their Mommy and Tattie, for Bobbie and Zayde – can you hear them? Their screaming is so loud – I can still hear my Chayala, 70 years later. Can you hear them? Can you hear your family members? The families you never got to meet or know. Can you hear their screams?
When you are in bed waiting to fall asleep, listen hard. If you try, you will hear them in your head and in your heart.
Listen and you will also hear 12-year-old Tamar Fogel who, returning to her home in Itamar, after an Oneg Shabbat Friday night, only a few weeks ago, found her parents murdered, her three month old baby sister, Hadas, with her throat slit. Can you hear Tamar screaming? All of us, all the way up here in Heaven heard her screams; you should be able to hear her just across the ocean, her screams for her family, for every Jew whose child – whose life has been viciously taken just because they were Jewish.
It is almost impossible to imagine so much murder and torture and starvation, but you must.
The difficulty in speaking about such horror and about so much grief is that it is so hard. It is almost impossible for the mind to process so much terrible information, it is almost impossible to make someone understand something so bad, it is hard to even imagine so much murder and torture and starvation, but you must.
I will help you. I am going to be graphic and brutal, because it is the only way to make you get it, for you to really understand what it means when we say Holocaust – or Shoah – or talk about 6 million kedoshim.
I am standing in the gas chamber naked with hundreds of innocent Jews. My wife, Malka, whose terrified eyes were already dead, is next door holding our daughter, Sima. Sima's husband, Yaakov, is with me. We have already watched our Chayala cremated. We are already dead – the gas will just kill us again.
We know we are not in a shower. We know we are in a gas chamber. We know we are going to die and we all know that we did nothing wrong and we also know that a civilized world did this to us, that a civilized world abandoned us.
We are afraid to die, of the brutal, choking, burning death that is upon us, but we are so much more afraid that nobody will ever know that we lived, that nobody will ever know that we were a good family; that we had beautiful, good children and that we had a beautiful grandchild. I was so afraid that nobody would ever know; that nobody in my family or in anyone else's family would survive; that the "final solution" was really going to be final. Let me tell you something....
You think you know about prayer – you think you know about faith because you are religious or because you pray every day?
Let me tell you about real prayer, about real belief – in my gas chamber, as gas filled our lungs, as flames burned off our skin, we screamed "Ani Maamin,” we believe in you Hashem.
With our dying breath we screamed, "Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokenu Hashem Echad" – my last words screamed through gas filled lungs, as I died, so afraid that my entire family had been, or soon would be, murdered.
What wrenching sadness, what anger rose in my heart and raged through my mind – I pleaded to Hashem, not to be spared, but for nekama, for revenge! How, when, who would ever make this right, or get even for us, who would be alive to say Kaddish for us – to light a candle on our Yahrzeit – no graves, no headstones – no one alive to mourn our death – to even know of our life.
Well, I am not here tonight in person. Yechiel Michoel Friedman was murdered at Auschwitz, but we were not all murdered that day, or the next day and some of my children, some of your children did survive and today, our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren and now even our great-great-grandchildren are alive. We live in the United States and all over the world as proud Jews, and we have the Land of Israel – do you hear that, Nazi murderers? We have Israel, a nation built by survivors. We have a Jewish army and a Jewish state. Our people are strong. We have powerful, eloquent voices demanding to be heard.
My daughters, Hencha and Hinda, who were tortured for years, did not die and my daughter, Ruchele, who at age 15 escaped to America, married Shlomo Brafman, who also escaped – they did not die and their children and my grandchildren and great-grandchildren are growing up as Shomer Shabbos Jews and tonight, my grandson is speaking for me in a shul with 1,000 proud, strong Jews who came to remember all of us tonight.
I do not have my life, but I have my revenge.
So I do not have my life, but I have my revenge. In fact, my little boy, Meir, who they tried so hard to murder, he lived too. At age 16, he weighed 45 lbs. when found alive in a pile of corpses at Auschwitz.
When liberated, he went to Israel, to Israel, where for 50 years he was a soldier in Tzahal – Israel's army. A Jewish hero, he fought for 50 years in Israel's army. My son, my Kaddish, he did not die in Auschwitz either. How proud I was to watch as he put on the uniform of an Israeli soldier to fight for our country, a Jewish community.
They Will Not Win
I am very sad and very angry and bitter that I did not get to enjoy the world of nachas that was mine, a world of nachas and pride and Yddishkeit that I had a right to live through and enjoy.
The Nazis hurt me beyond words, but they did not win.
Ladies and gentlemen, they only win if you forget – or now, if you allow the world to deny. They only win if we do not cry real tears when we hear about the slaughter of the Fogel family in Itamar.
They only win if you cannot hear my Chayala screaming or feel the terror of Tamar Fogel, or her grandparents who must now face a quality of grief so savage that it is hard for you to grasp.
Trust me – I know about the murder of a child and a grandchild and how that impacts on everything else. How everything else is forever shrouded in death and overwhelming sadness. The Fogel family will never recover but they cannot be forgotten.
Here we are in a beautiful shul, with so many Jews. Good Jews. Strong, proud people who have not forgotten us, me, my family, your families – the parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, the children, the grandchildren – the babies who were murdered and gassed and buried alive.
It is okay to cry for what we lost, for what was taken from you, for the lives lost, the nachas of family we were deprived of.
Cry for us. We cry for you too, for what you lost, for the family you never met, for the millions of good, sweet Jews who did not live – for the students who never finished their studies, for the scientists and artists and musicians and teachers and Rebbes who never got the chance to excel, to perform, to teach, to cure, to live.
It's okay to cry for the children who never got to play, or sing, or laugh, who were put to death with such violence, with so much hatred that I cannot describe it in words as for certain levels of grief, there are no words. It is so bad that it cannot even be imagined by any decent human being, impossible to process rationally.
But you must, because today, people are already questioning whether the Holocaust really happened. World leaders and scholars are already denying the Holocaust; they are challenging even the integrity of a handful of survivors, the eyewitnesses who are still alive, those who saw the horror with their own eyes. Even these heroic survivors are being doubted and am so afraid that in coming years, vicious, anti-Semitic revisionists will tamper with history and the truth and we cannot – you cannot allow that to happen ever – never...
If our memory is really to be for a blessing, then you must remember.
I had a granddaughter, a charming, beautiful little baby girl named Chaya Sarah and she was murdered in front of my eyes and although her neshama, her soul, is in heaven with me, her memory must be emblazoned in your hearts forever.
If our memory is really to be for a blessing, for our neshamos to really have the aliyah you ask for, an aliyah we have earned and paid so dearly for, then you must remember.
You must make certain that your children and their children understand what happened to their family, to your family, to all of our families, or it will happen again.
You think it cannot happen again? Why? Because you have good lives – you live in civilized times? We had a good life – we lived in civilized times. We were happy and complacent, but we were not vigilant and we walked right into a Holocaust.
Our neighbors, an entire nation of ordinary men and women of intelligence and breeding and culture turned into monstrous, murderous animals who withdrew from humanity and imposed a level of brutality on us that cannot now be described and could not then, ever have been predicted – but that is exactly what happened.
It was even worse than the worst true story that any survivor can report, because the brain is not capable of capturing so much grief without exploding, so even those who survived, who saw it all, cannot fully capture the full horrific ordeal, the vicious detail.
Only a victim like me, only someone who did not survive, can tell you the whole, bad, ugly, demented, terrible truth about our murder, of 6 million murders.
That, my friends, is why I chose to speak to you through my grandson from my seat in heaven and although Hashem does not permit me to tell you "why" these terrible things happened, I am commanded to discuss "what" happened.
To tell you "what" happened with clarity and force, so that hopefully some people in this room will never doubt the Shoah and you will take it upon yourself to confront anyone who dares to deny it and make them hear my story – your story, the sad but true stories of our families, whom we too often refer to as the "6 Million," but rarely if ever refer use their names.
We have names. Our lives were taken, but they cannot take our names.
My name is Yechiel Mechoel Friedman. I was murdered at Auschwitz with my wife, Malka and my daughter, Sima, her husband, Yaakov Weiss and my granddaughter, Chaya Sarah.
Can you see them? I see them and I also see Tamar Fogel and the bodies of her family being carried through Itamar for burial; not 70 years ago – last month. People with names and lives taken in the dark – only because they were Jews.
My name is Yechiel Michoel Friedman. I was murdered in Auschwitz. Don't you ever forget me.
(117) Rut Zayat, November 22, 2020 4:03 AM
Awesomeee!!!
This article describes a real event that happened when I was still in the heaven, but.... I am proud to remember this, and put myself in the place where unfortunately many Jews were.
(116) Alice levy, November 11, 2020 5:09 AM
OMG incredible , its the best article i had ever read , awesome.....
(115) Stephen Finstein, January 26, 2020 10:59 PM
Beyond Moving
I;ve read many stories. They all bring tears to my eyes. This one floods my eyes. Thanks for speaking for your zayde.
(114) Paula, August 12, 2019 5:05 PM
Powerful, unforgettable.
What an amazing article. One of the most powerful, unforgettable pieces I've ever read. I will remember it always.
(113) Lillian Zinn, February 18, 2019 6:35 PM
The story is oe that should be told over & over again so as not to forget
The beginning and the end of this story is powerful. The middle is repetitive and takes away the strength the message. because it gets to be "I,ve herd this 2 paragraphs ago" Having said that, It is a story that MUST BE TOLD OVER & OVER AGAIN. away the strength and makes it
(112) louis, February 8, 2019 6:05 PM
there are many many books and films and documentaries of the Holocaust and the horrific tragedies committed by the Nazi regime.
I don't see how anyone can forget
(111) Diane Milecki, February 8, 2019 1:14 AM
We will Not Forget
What an engrossing but utterly heartbreaking story. I am a Catholic woman living in the US who has a deep love and admiration for Jewish people everywhere. Thank God our President feels the same. We must try to try reason with Jews here to vote Republican. Obama hates Jews as do many Liberals. God bless Israel. US Jews- vote the way you live - Conservatively.
(110) Raquel Vera grunwald, February 7, 2019 3:36 PM
Heart wrenching piece. I didn't know lawyers had hearts I do..as does my daughter's husband and Anat. Her husband Adam was asst to the great RBG. Another open hearted saint. .
How to comment...? Our tears and sobs are the answer...and Am Yisrael Chai And we will continue to be the good for world.. And example of what a Jew can be. Your sister mAlkie will remember me. I remember her with much affection Raisel Neiman ztl and I would hang together... Sometimes. mAlkie is was so soft-spoken and fine. Hope she is well.
(109) Zhanna, December 19, 2018 11:58 AM
An all-time low for humanity
That paragraph about the students who never got to finish studying, the children who never got to play broke me. All those lives lost, who knows the difference they could have made in the world, the love and light they could have shared - all gone far too early and cruelly. I’m a Christian girl, but I stand together with the Jews and Israel against hate. I’m a history student and I teach my younger siblings back home the good and the tragic, not to disturb them but so that we all learn never to look the other way when people are persecuted or in trouble. I will remember! God bless the Jewish people. Love.
(108) Anonymous, July 22, 2018 1:40 PM
I weep
Thank you. I promise I won't forget.
(107) Simone Miller, September 4, 2017 3:25 PM
I will never forget. My heart cries for those who were murdered.
(106) Rich Feldstein, May 8, 2016 4:20 AM
Terrorists by any other name...
EVERYONE should remember.
(105) Krista Chennault, April 1, 2016 11:26 PM
There are certainly a lot of details like that to take into consideration. That is a great point to bring up. I offer the thoughts above as general inspiration but clearly there are questions like the one you bring up where the most important thing will be working in honest good faith. I don?t know if best practices have emerged around things like that, but I am sure that your job is clearly identified as a fair game. Both boys and girls feel the impact of just a moment’s pleasure, for the rest of their lives.
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(104) Arnold Goldman, August 28, 2015 4:41 PM
I knew them.
I am 95 years old,I spent time in Kivjazd,my mother was from there,my grandparents lived 3 houses from the Friedman family, Malka and my mother were friends.
(103) sonia, April 16, 2015 7:44 PM
the Holocaust should never be forgotten
My grandfather,grandmother,great grandmother& greatgrandfather were taken to the concentration camp as well as other relatives. My grandfather was first arrested on the street coming home. He was taken to Bergen Bagen.I had found his name on the registers and what they took from him.And found nothing more on him or any one else. My grandmother sent my mother and her sisters and brothers into a convent under a different name for protection before she was taken. As far as we can find out only my grandmother survived the camp. It's painful to hear what went on and I get angry because of what was done to so many innocent people. We need to keep the memory alive so that the memory of what happened will not be forgotten and to remember all those who died so cruelly. We can not let them be forgotten. And also as a reminder that this could very well happen again. When we made a trip back to Germany with my mother before she could tolerate the trip we went to bergan badden, to lay flowers for family lost, it was extremely emotional.
(102) Mark Snyder, April 16, 2015 5:46 PM
So Important to Remember: Never Again!
Attorney Brafman, thanks so much for being a conduit to your grandfather, and the millions of other victims of Nazi atrocities. I try every day through my writing to remind people that this could happen again. In fact, it IS happening. The Islamic State and the Muslim followers of the Jew-hating, Israel-hating teachings are running rampant through Europe and are starting to run amok here, as well. Good people need to stand up, and shout out--NEVER AGAIN!
Mark Snyder
@mediaman2009
(101) Debbie Callahan, August 31, 2014 11:25 AM
One of the most powerful articles I have ever read
I have been studying and teaching the Holocaust for years. In recent years, I have made it my life's mission to write the stories of survivors, victims, and liberators to keep their stories alive and to fight denial. Recently, I published my first book "Lest We Forget: Lessons from Survivors of the Holocaust" in an effort to prevent this in the future. WIth all of that being said, I have never read anything as powerful on the subject as your article.
Thank you for speaking for your grandfather and for so many others. Hundreds of my own family members were killed in Auschwitz and Sobibor, and as I read your article, I heard their voices, and was reminded of the serious mission I have to fulfill. I was allowed to be born only because of my third great grandfather's early vision to leave Amsterdam and come to the US. The descendants of his brother and sisters did not survive. I must tell the tale, and speak for them and others, as you have for your grandfather.
I praise you for this amazing work, and I have shared it in every way I know how. Thank you for being the voice of so many, and speaking so boldly. As much discomfort as it may cause for readers, it is needed to stir up the apathetic and prevent bystanders in the future.
(100) Brigitte Pedersen, May 6, 2014 6:13 PM
My grandfather survived Auschwitz and his numbers as well are tattooed on his forearm but he tried to cover them with a picture of something else - sad that through the picture, you can still see those horrendous numbers... He had never talked about it to ANYONE, to the point I never even knew until I got older and my ex-fiance noticed the numbers and said something to me... I asked my grandfather and he talks to me about it when I ask him and speaks freely but only to me... This story made me cry many times over, it is written to get you right in the heart and that's a good thing because it is in being reminded that we NEVER forget what happened and stay strong with one another and may we always pass down through the generations our history so that no one may ever forget!
(99) Wendy Brudner Lurie, April 28, 2014 5:34 PM
With tears in my eyes and an ache in my heart I read this story. It is imperative that not only today's generation but the generations to come are reminded about the horror one insane man caused not only to the Jews but to the world. To a normal, sane person reading what was done to adults, children, toddlers and babies is beyond realization but we still know it is true. This truth must always be told not only to those who are Jewish but to all people, no matter their religion, race or creed. This happened to a Jewish group of humans but never forget it could have happened to anyone. The reason it was Jews that suffered through this time in history is because this animal, who destroyed the lives of so many millions, hated Jews...it could have been any other group of people but it was Jews that he targeted. For this to never happen again, to anyone, we must never forget...never stop telling the stories of destruction....never stop telling how this insane man could not totally destroy the Jews...how after facing and living through HELL the Jewish people continued to survive and because of their strength Israel exists today and will always exist. Bless the millions who lost their lives and bless those who survived.
(98) Anonymous, April 27, 2014 10:40 PM
murdered at
brutal
inconciebable
REAL. IT HAPPENED.
AS YOU SAY, HUMANITY HAS TO BE AWARE... VIGILANT....BEYOND IMAGINATION. PURE CRUELTY AND SICKNESS THAT CAN EMERGE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD..... IF THE THE SEED OF EVIL GREW THEN , IT CAN GROW AGAIN . THERE´S HUMAN GREATNESS AND HUMAN WEACKNESS THAT WE HAVE TO CORRECT AND TAKE CARE OF, EVERY MOMENT . WE´LL NEVER FORGETT
(97) Randi Ellen Zeff, April 27, 2014 3:40 PM
Murdered at Auschwitz
I can't even begin to tell you what that story meant to me, I cried, I have always believed it can happen again, right here, we must always remember, I might not be the most religious Jew but as I have grown older, I have become a proud Jew, especially because I have had to practice to teach my children, the result, my daughter got married, had 4 children, changed her religion, took my oldest grandchild that was brought into this world as a Jew and named for my husband, her father and baptized herself, him and the other 3 kids, does it matter, yes it does. After my husband died when my son was 14 he had no use for religion, I asked him to please get Bar-Mitzvahed for me, at 17 he finally did, for me, my daughter was also Bat-Mitzvahed, she was very religious, I don't know what happened, I am very sure my son will not marry a Jewish girl and I am very sure he will not have Jewish kids. My brother married a girl that was not Jewish, his daughter is not but he will NEVER change his religion and his beautiful wife at least tried to teach his daughter what she knows. I realize being a Jew anywhere you live is frightening, always was, there are sick people out there but I am so proud, Israel still has one of the strongest armies and I will tell you if I could do my life over again, I would be there helping, as a teenager, who thinks of such things, I thought of fun. Yes, the story made me cry, to have anyone of my 4 grandchildren or my children taken from me, to watch my own children die, no parent should have to see that. The Holocust did happen, I have a girlfriend whose mother has numbers tattooed on her arm, not what I would pick and up until recently there were people that lived to tell and now there is you, it is important that you keep telling this story. I am 57, I was NEVER taught about it in school, my daughter taught me more then anyone else. I am so sorry for your loss, may your Grandfather's name be for a blessing.
mark, May 13, 2014 8:54 PM
common occurrence in America
I think that what happened in your family is a common occurrence in America for many Jewish families. Growing up in a Jewish neighborhood it is even common to hear of families whose parents where holocaust survivors who marry out of the religion and whose children practice a different faith. Someone the environment in U.S can be very toxic and you can absorb all kinds of strange things that effect a destiny that was strong for 2,000 years in the most adverse conditions. All of a sudden in the affluence of post WWII America it sadly disappears within a generation. Why? It is a very good question. I have no answer. It appears children who go to a Jewish day school have a better chance.
(96) Sarah, April 27, 2014 8:20 AM
Memory and Alertness
Nobody is gone until we forget him.We remember not only by mourning OUR relatives but also by bringing ALL Shoah victims voices to life - through our voice.We have an honor and an obligation:to speak FOR them and ABOUT them and be alert for any person or any ideology trying to blur or challenge their memory in any context.
(95) Susan W. Oliver, April 25, 2014 4:11 PM
My grandparents died in Auschwitz. I t too shall never forget. I have tears in my eyes reading this letter. Baruch HaShem our people lives! We are strong! The "Shoah" will never happen again! We have blessed Israel! We have each other. Amen!
(94) Stewart Bakalchuck, April 25, 2014 4:55 AM
Never again
With tears in my eyes, I promise never to forget what the world did to my extended Jewish family. And I promise that in my lifetime we will never let it happen again.
(93) Anonymous, April 24, 2014 3:08 PM
All too Often
In today's world, all too often many forget or choose to forget the war/They are too busy trying to make $$.
Yes it is great to be able to support your family, but at what cost?
1963 in Virginia, (a southern state that had a hate for Jewish , Black and others) my mother raised over $3,500,000 for Israel. Quite an accomplishment in those days. I am still proud of her work .We NEVER WILL FORGET!
(92) Miles, April 24, 2014 9:06 AM
We Jews must mourn ALL lives brutally lost thru time
We Jews must mourn the lost lives of ALL those who suffered thru history especially by the hands of hatred and darkness. We are not the only people who have suffered. Compassion and vigilance for the Yiddin .must be extended to all brothers and sisters across borders whom have suffered a wretched fate similar to ours. Praise the Holy One! It does not come to pass but by His decree.
(91) Shaindy, April 24, 2014 1:33 AM
A genious of an article...it has brought to the surface the bloodculrdling screams of my grandmother holding her baby, with six of my mothers other siblings cling to her skirts as they were gassed in Aushwitz...the murderers stole more than their lives...they stole my personal heritage as well..thank you for reinstating that in our memories...
(90) Anonymous, April 23, 2014 10:05 PM
Thank you
Thank you so much for your amazing piece. I have always cringed when people refer to those who "perished" in the war, those who "died." They did not "perish," they did not "die." They were burnt alive, beheaded, tortured, tormented......what was done to you and to your family, to all families, cannot be sanitized cannot be said gracefully. The world MUST KNOW what REALLY happened so we can NEVER FORGET, so we can NEVER HAVE ANOTHER TRULY sound sleep.
Thank you again.....and again...for all of us.
(89) Alan Goldman, April 23, 2014 10:00 PM
I wish everyone would read this.
I am an old retired trial lawyer and rarely think too much of things other lawyers write. But Mr. Brafman humbles me. I have been trying to say what he has said since it happened and have not been able to. Thank you Mr. Brafman for so eloquently and honestly expressing what many of us feel.
(88) Shayndi Rachel, April 23, 2014 8:28 PM
As a daughter of Auschwitz survivors, your article touched very painful memories about my parents, both single survivors of once big and thriving Families in Eastern Europe.. Though the mankind didn't change much, but for the last 66 years, the Jewish People have a sovereign State, a country well capable to defend its land and the Jewish People anywhere around the world...We will never again be anybody's "scape goats"...
(87) Tiferet, April 23, 2014 5:55 PM
It is the time to come, to return to Eretz Yisroel.
Rav Chaim Sotoveitchik said that after America the Torah will come back to Eretz Yisroel. Wake up. Come back. Bring back the Torah. We have been, for some time, rebuilding Yerushaliim. It says (in a commentary in my Tehillim book), that Jerusalem will be rebuilt from the outside and as we go towards Jerusalem there will be towers. This is happening. Wake up , come back. Tifferet...............
(86) Jay Sigel, April 23, 2014 4:02 PM
trying to understand the Holocaust
On so many levels, it is difficult to comprehend how the Holocaust could have happened and even why G-d let it happen. Would the State of Israel exist today without the Holocaust and was its creation worth 6 million soles? I think I understood a little bit better when I visited the National Holocaust Museum in DC with my mother, who is a Holocaust survivor. At the museum you can see the locations of the hundreds of Nazi concentration camps. Running those camps took a huge amount of resources, resources that didn't get used in fighting the Allies. That and the scientists they chased out who participated in Oakridge and other war efforts helped the Allies win. I don't understand why we revere Roosevelt. He was no friend of the Jews and paid for his "sins of omission" at the end. He was not allowed to see the final Allied victory, but Truman, an obvious friend of the Jews, did. Truman would go on to be the first to recognize the State of Israel. I highly recommend a trip to the museum if you've never been there and be prepared for the last room, which has a simple eternal flame - it's gut wrenching.
(85) Laura, April 23, 2014 2:19 PM
Thank you
Thank you for sharing your family's horrible truth with the world. May we all learn to be kind and respect others with dignity. We were all put here to help and love one another.
(84) Joe Barrella, April 23, 2014 1:32 PM
mankind has not learned it's lesson
I read this story with a lot of sadness. I wasn't born until after the war. I lived in Boro Park, Brooklyn a very Jewish neighborhood. I had Jewish friends. On Friday night, I would assist my neighbors in some things that they could not do. (I'm Christian) I was accepted as a person and a friend. We all accepted each other. Growing up I was well aware of the holocaust. I could never understand man's hatred of mankind. What adds to the sadness is that mankind has not changed. Mankind has not learned its lesson from the past. Mankind is doing it all over again. I raised my three children to accept people for who they are regardless of their race, color or religion. They do the same with their children. I agree, education is important and the parents must lead by example. It seems that mankind has forgotten God.
(83) Katherine Jobe, April 22, 2014 4:48 PM
Can't even get the words out that explains what the heart feels. These words written by Mr. Brafman should be seen on front page of every newspaper that is in circulation. Heartbreaking is an understatement.
(82) Anonymous, April 7, 2013 3:57 PM
thankyou is not enough
in light of this unique, meaningful, stunningly written piece, we should all do more, and better, at being Jews and making the world the best we can for Torah. This is what WE can give back. This article should be sent to everyone possible. if you have email, then send it to your contacts, if you don't, then print it and give it to a few people.
(81) moshe eleazar, July 9, 2012 4:11 PM
The Shema will echo through time forever. Believe this.
It is our duty to those lost to raise our voices Our Israel-hating Jew hating contemporary civilisations will carry their blind hatred to their graves. Our angry voices MUST drown theirs out.
(80) H.E.Brown, June 20, 2012 3:13 AM
The Murders
THE JUDGMENT OF GOD IS COMING , WHO WILL RENDER TO EVERY MAN AND WOMEN ACCORDING TO THEIR DEEDS.
(79) charlotte southren, June 19, 2012 8:52 PM
education is the key....
First of all i wish to say that i am deeply deeply moved by everyone's stories from the survivors. I have met two survivors so far in Beth Shalom in the UK. They have moved me to great length's just like this story. I will never forget the many many books i have read written by survivors and the sites i have seen. As a Religious studies student at University, I had never heard of the Holocaust and i am only 26. It wasn't until i took a Judaism lecture that it was mentioned. I was shocked to learn that the Education on WW2 was more about victory over the war and not about the Holocaust. I do know that the education is high schools is improving on the Holocaust but the Teens aren't seeing the bigger picture. I have heard some anti-semetic saying in secondary schools but the kids didn't even know why they were in trouble for saying things. I find today's society shy away from problems like this. In Rwanda, Genocide is happening and we turn a blind eye, and in Israel...we will NEVER forget the Holocaust and i will always make it my duty to explain to people about it. I have found a new hatred toward the Germans and i don't think it is healthy. I think hating is the worst thing one can do as it leads to things like the Holocaust although human nature is to hate. This story will be retold by many people. I am to use this in my final Dissertation and i intend to make the point you have made. Thank you for this sad sad story and God Bless you all. R.I.P. to all the Holocaust victims. xx
(78) Sarah, April 19, 2012 9:37 PM
The Germans know
I lived in Germany for two years from 1965-1967. I was 20 years old when I was there. I lived with a German family for awhile, and I met many German people who talked of what happened to the Jews, who tried to make apologies. What about all of the people today whose grandparents talked about the atrocities? They know. And they must be reminded to never forget, reminded to tell their stories, their family stories of knowing what happened.
(77) tanya fanshteyn, April 19, 2012 2:18 PM
never forget and never let it happen again
I can't stop the tears after reading this. I have three little boys and could never bare losing anyone
(76) Alex Halpern, April 19, 2012 6:18 AM
We will never forget.
A big part of my family was also murdered in Warsaw, Belzec, Taganrog and other places in Poland and Russia. We will never forget or forgive.
(75) Anonymous, April 19, 2012 3:25 AM
I'm sorry
I only just learned what my great grandaddy, and great great uncle had done. I just learned from him when I asked him about it when we started learning the Holocaust in english. I haven't spoken to him since. I never will again, to know what he has done to those people, to Mr. Friedman, to his children and grandaughter, to his wife. I don't think that he is a good man anymore. I thought of him as my rock as I lost those I loved, when he shed tears to what horrific things my brother had done, and those lives we lost in our family, when he killed those people. I have friends who are Jewish, and I love them, my best friend is Jewish, and she plays duets with me in orchestra, when she heard who my great grandaddy was, she stopped talking to me, no matter how often I told her that I no longer talk to him, how I never will again, because he was murdered just two nights ago, by the people he deemed his friends. I didn't shed a tear. I didn't help with funeral plans. I didn't do anything but watch as my father and grandmother rushed around the house, I didn't do anything when my mother took me with her to go shopping for our funeral wear. But what I did do, was tell my mother I'll be at my friends house until they get back. That I would never go, not even to support my grandfather and grandmother. I can't even stand to look at pictures of the house in Germany, because when I do, all that I think is, could that have been that little girls home? Could it have been her childs? Or her grandchilds? Could she have been spared? Along with the Fogels? Could all those people have been spared? Had Hitler stayed in prison for the rest of his life? Could those innocent people have lived and passed on stories? Could they have been traveling the world, and enjoying school? what I mean to say is, I'm sorry.
Anonymous, April 19, 2012 10:31 AM
Thank you for writing this. It is very strengthening. You should know that it's not you're fault who your great grandfather and great great uncle were, as long as you don't agree with them. Which you don't.
Anonymous, April 19, 2012 7:47 PM
It is not for you to say sorry.
My family lived in Kiev. Some died in Babi Yar but most were killed fighting. I am glad that you feel the way you do but it is not your responsibility to say that you are sorry but your grandfathers. And it is not our right to accept that apology. Those who have the right are not here to do that.A lot of those who murdered were never persecuted to any extend of the law. I am sorry to say that in Germany people had very little will do what is right, most citizens did not really want the trials. And nothing is really changed, the Jews are still being murdered and the rest of the world just pays lip service to how bad it really is. The Jews believe that all people can be good and decent. May be it starts with someone like you who refuses to except excuses no matter where they come from.
Chana, April 20, 2012 3:44 AM
Who are you that you need to remain anonymous if you were that sorry you would not hide. Always remember that the reason why you are here is because of what your family did, murdering innocent Jewish people, men, women, and children. I will never forget nor will I ever forgive.
Kathy, June 21, 2012 3:10 PM
Anonymous - here's how to help
You did not ask to have these heinous relatives - it is not your fault. Your words are powerful - tell your story often, to as many Gentiles as you can. Volunteer in your local Holocaust Memorial Day observance if there is one. Work against anti-semitism. Donate to Jewish causes. in our religion, we must help repair the world. Your effort will help.
(74) Ahava Cohen, April 19, 2012 3:19 AM
Yechiel Michoel Friedman. I will never forget you.
(73) Sarah, April 18, 2012 11:19 PM
thank you
Thank you for reposting this article. As I read about Chaya Sarah I think of the several two year olds I know including my grandson. The grief is indescribable. But I am also likewise grieved to realize the destruction of Jewish children continues, finance by the government of Israel for almost any mother who wants her child aborted. As long as any Jewish child dies, no matter at whose hand, those murdered in the Shoah are dishonored. Death of any Jew, even an unnamed one, is heartbreaking and we all are guilty and responsible if we turn a blind eye. Should Israel finish by choice what Hitler started?
(72) Anonymous, April 18, 2012 10:48 PM
Tremendous!
(71) miriam nockenofsky, April 18, 2012 8:00 PM
heartrending!!!
this article is unbelievable and beautiful!!!
(70) Jeannine Taylor, April 18, 2012 7:26 PM
That was so true
God is surely going to take care of the people's that hurt and murdered the APPLE of HIS EYE
(69) Andreas Tsilis, April 18, 2012 7:12 PM
Death is a Master from Germany
Every January 27th I remind of germanys memorial day for the Ausschwitz Victims. It is my birthday. Let us fight for freedom and justice and peace everywhere, so this could never happened again.
(68) Anonymous, April 18, 2012 7:03 PM
we will not forget
.. and an additional 6 million lives taken as well.... May the one who makes peace in thy heavens, grant peace to earth and all mankind, and let us say AMEN
Richard, June 22, 2012 2:58 AM
10 million dead
10 million died in that holocaust. The 4 million non Jews should also be remembered.
(67) YaelPerlman, April 18, 2012 5:00 PM
powerful
Thank you Mr. Brafman for your powerful and true words. I felt the pain and horror through your vivid descriptions. I believe strongly in the need to ensure that we never forget and remain vigilant for the sake of our people in the past and our future.
(66) b claveloux, April 18, 2012 3:17 PM
thank you
for sharing this. Hearing you helps me when I think I am the only one in the world I inhabit that knows, that never forgets and that fears for the future. I was a child when my mother made me watch the films of the murders and I hated her for it at the time. I now feel that I am a witness and shall never forget or allow others to minimize.
(65) Rachel, April 18, 2012 8:57 AM
You will never be forgotten
Mr. Friedman, I am sorry beyond words for the horror and pain you suffered. The people who murdered you and your family are like the devil in hell. That's where they all are now getting their just punishment from a Holy and Righteous God. While you and your family are safe in heaven with your Heavenly Father,who loves you with an everlasting love,away from those wicked,evil people they can never hurt you and your precious loved ones ever again. Only evil personified could throw a baby into a furnace. I have cried endless tears thinking about the pain and horror your family, and other Jewish people suffered during the Holocaust. It hurts so bad to think much of the world stood by ,and did nothing to stop this evil. I know this doesn't do any good now,but please know the Jewish people are not alone, and that there are still many righteous souls Jewish and gentile who stand up for Israel. Everyone who is on the side of goodness, truth, love, mercy and decency is on the side of Israel and the Jewish people.
(64) Chana, April 18, 2012 3:38 AM
Beautifully said!
This is a beautifully written speech and I hope that all those people to whom the Holocaust does not mean "much" and who say: "Oh yes, that happened AGES ago......didn't it? Why are we still talking and thinking about it?" To all those who were safely walking the streets of safe America when World War II was raging in Europe and the Nazis were killing us off one by one and to some of those people (yes, Jewish people!) who told me that they "do not know MUCH about the Holocaust" because they did not have family back in Europe during World War II, so therefore why talk and think about it?" To those who feel that attending public rememberances (the ones where we have the opportunity to read out aloud the names of family members who were murdered) is a "waste of time", to all those I would like to say: Listen and listen well, consider yourself very, very lucky that you and your families remained intact in a safe country. I myself belong to one of those "lucky"groups but we did not come away unscathed! At 6 yrs. old I was a skeleton, I had weak bones and bad teeth and my hair fell out by the handfulls ;my family and I were in hiding for a good 5 yrs. in Europe. We were frightened beyond imagination, wondering when it would be "our turn" to be rounded up, discovered, betrayed or turned out by our benefactors, who provided us with a place to hide risking their own lives for us! We were lucky beyond belief and we are very grateful. But, it is our duty to say Kaddish for all those who were murdered and to remember that they lived and that they did not have the opportunity to shine in brilliance. The people I remember were brilliant, intelligent and destined for greatness. They were brilliant musicians, scholars, who studied hard at University and who had chosen careers in medicine and science, only to be arrested, stuffed into cattle cars and exterminated in Auschwitz II (Birkenau). I will never forget them, never.........
(63) Rita, April 16, 2012 4:55 AM
Brilliantly written
I was 13 or so when I started to read about the Holocaust. I don't care how old I get to be, when I read these types of testimonies I just weep. I know that as Benjamin wrote this, he had to weep too, You can't write this well, this explicit and eloquently without shedding tears. Love and prayers to you.
(62) Selma Soss, April 16, 2012 3:49 AM
Don't You Ever Forget Me
Very moving, unforgettable. Thank you.
(61) dennis, September 1, 2011 4:39 PM
miracle
your testimony was most heart warming , thank you you for taking us there in the theater,s of our mind , its was so powerful , my heart bleeds as i could only imagine if it had a been my , wife , my daughter, my family , but i finally realize it was part of my human race family , and never shoul be forgotten , thank you for the sacrifices you and you family have made to make us as people to realize how bless we really are may gods blessing be upon you thank you
(60) Gail Ellen Sherman, August 14, 2011 12:45 PM
Thank you, from those of us that live and carry their names.
Mr.Brafman wrote from the heart and his words painted pictures and thoughts in ones mind.I consider myself blessed that I am named for my great grandmothers. One died here in America and one was murdered in Hitler's Hell.We that are named for our murdered families grew up with the strength that Israel lives and thus we live as well. This will to live is what motivates our will to keep Israel alive.My generation will Never Forget and we will forever be Zionists without an apology to the world !
ladydi, August 22, 2011 8:07 PM
Powerful words!!! I've read so many books from survivors of the halocaust but his words touched my heart moreso....... sending you and all the others lost hugs and kisses......you are not forgotten!!!!
(59) Ella, August 12, 2011 2:04 AM
Thank you
Thank you for profoundly making his story come alive in our hearts.
(58) Melody A. Spurlin, July 23, 2011 8:08 AM
Just as we never forget 9-11, I will never forget the 6,000,000. Ever.
I found Friedman Hirsch's Auschwitz German Koncentrationslager card on footnote.com where lots of important documents may be viewed for a free trial, then paid membership. I am so glad that I found it because it caused me to read his pleas and demands that the world never forget what Hitler and his cronies did and the rest of the world allowed to happen by negligence, standing there just watching innocently enough they thought. Don't ever just stand there again World!
(57) R.K. Sharma, June 18, 2011 7:04 AM
touching
i'm truely sad for what Yechiel Mechoel Friedman suffered. you should encourage that such stuffs get translated in other languages also.
(56) Vicki Wells, June 17, 2011 3:04 AM
You will never be forgotten and any one who thinks this didnot happen doesnt believe in the truth.
(55) Nasir Farooqi, June 16, 2011 9:36 PM
Support of Great Israel and the Jewish people
Thank you for this essay ,You are awarded fpr telling the truth.Me and my family have not forgotten you and your family ,We pray of you and support of Great Israel and the Jewish People.No more words I have for tell.
(54) Teddy, June 16, 2011 5:26 PM
theodrosbe@yahoo.co.uk
I will never forget you!
(53) Anonymous, June 16, 2011 2:44 PM
never forgotten
well they will never be forgotten, and to think that some people think that it didn't happen then they need to watch the archive on the most brutal an horrific war ever. why , because they are and where the devils soldiers. god will an is prevailing. good always over takes the bad. reading the story just made me weep i have seen only on tv documentries on the massacres just cant get over just waste by the devils soldiers. god be with you an god bless.
(52) megan vanheerden,, June 16, 2011 6:46 AM
I will never forget you, or your family,
It took me a long time to comment about this letter, it truly touched my heart. i cannot even comprehend the suffering, and the injustice, that was done to so many innocent, GOD loving people,Yechiel Michoel Friedman , and sweet little Chaya Sarah, i will never forget you, REST WITH GOD.
(51) Uli Weiss, June 16, 2011 5:17 AM
Guilt and Responsibility
Thank you for this essay, Ben ! As a German citizen born 20 after end of the war, by parents, who themselves were born within months of each other around the beginning of the 2nd world war, I could possibly turn my head the other way, and say: "Nothing to do with me. I was not there." However, the "grace of a later birth" did not deprive me of tremendous scars of brain washing my generation with ..., not the guilt, but our responsibility. As adolescents, we never understood the difference: Guilt ? Responsibility ? Guilty are those, who committed these atrocious mass crimes, who contributed, who did nothing in their personal or official power to prevent them. So, the later, younger generation cannot be guilty. Responsibility is understanding the lessons from these millionfold atrocities, preventing them from happening again, at home, and in other places of the world. To some extent the younger German generation was made responsible by paying montary restitution through taxes, which were converted into subsidies for the support of Israel and the Jewish people. The beast of persecuting scapegoats is latent in every nation, every ethnicity, every culture, as we know. And that's why we always need to educate and practice essential values of humanity, to watch out and to interfere with all reasonable means to prevent it from happening again. Never again! Everybody's responsibility.
(50) Wendy, June 16, 2011 4:53 AM
I pray for you daily
I have not forgotten you, Yechiel Michoel Friedman! I have not forgotten you, your family, all the Jews murdered in the Holocaust or the Jews of Israel. I pray for your people, daily. May the United States stand firm and support Israel and God's chosen people. You are the children of Abram and no, I will not forget you.
(49) Sam Haddock, June 16, 2011 4:34 AM
Sad, but not forgotten.
I remember reading where Eizenhower told the troops to be sure to take alot of pictures because the world won't believe this really happened in 50 years! I lived in a Jewish foster home in St. Paul, (1964) and both the couple had tattoos on their forearms from a concentration camp. I saw pics, heard the horrible stories that still brings tears when I think of them, and I have shared those stories many times over the years. I still have the file and I will be happy to share it with anyone who wants to see it. It's very troubling, but we MUST remember and honor those lives lost to hatred and bigotry. BeenThere@clearwire.net The Jews have survived and will continue to survive but NEVER will you see a Jewish mother strap a bomb on her kids' chest and send him into a restrurant or airport to kill. NEVER! I keep Israel in my prayers always. God bless Israel.
(48) Anonymous, June 16, 2011 4:18 AM
I will never forget!
May God bless and protect Israel while preparing for the days to come!
(47) Kindra Gillis, June 16, 2011 2:21 AM
It is too much to know
It is hard to believe that anyone human is denying the holocaust this happen before my birth yet I feel pain for all the families who have suffered. I do not like all our government is saying about borders and states now. There is no reason that you should continue to suffer and I at 61 would take up arms to help and I am a good shot if it would saved a young person for I have live a good life not a rick live but a loving Christian life knowing the love of Gos. We all have to answer to God and I just can't believe Hitler and his cronies will be part of our paradise. Peace and love from the USA Kindra Gillis
(46) creed0849, June 16, 2011 2:09 AM
Never Again
We who are not Jews Must Speak for those who died in the Holocaust, We must speak for Israel, when others do not. As human beings we must teach, speak or do whatever we can so the Holocaust is NEVER forgotten. For those who cry out from beyond the grave we must demand justice and safety for Israel and for the people who live there. We must not fail the Jewish people again.
(45) Judith Guerra, June 16, 2011 2:07 AM
Least we forget
Lets keep the stories, the names, the cruelty endured fresh and alive in the hearts and minds of caring people, least we forget and History will repeat itself, not only for Jews, but for all mankind. Shalom!
(44) DANA SAFFRON, June 16, 2011 12:22 AM
heartbreaking - thank you
Everyone should post this and forward this to as many people as possible. I sit here in tears asking you to please do so.
(43) B.J. GODLESKI, June 16, 2011 12:20 AM
i VISITED AUSCHWITZ APRIL , 2010
I WILL NEVER FORGET VISITING AUSCHWITZ, THE HORRORS AND UNIMAGINEABLE ATROCITIES I HEARD ABOUT AND WITNESSED VIA PICTURES AND THE EVIDENCE ROOMS, THE CREMATORIUMS, THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE STARVATION, EXPERIMENTS ENDLESS HORRORS WILL BE IN MY MIND FOREVER. AND TO KNOW THIS WAS ONLY ONE OF MANY TORTURE CAMPS JUST IS BEYOND COMPREHENSION. SUCH WONDERFUL, INTELLIGENT PEOPLE ANILATED FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN THE INSANITY AND EVIL OF THE RULER HITLER, AND HIS FOLLOWERS.
(42) Denise Hullum, June 15, 2011 11:49 PM
Thank you
Thank you for sharing your story of our history. May God continue to remind us of who we are and what we are and where we are going no matter the road. This story touched my soul and blessed my heart to fight a good fight with faith in our God who will deliver Isreal including me because of what His word says..It will never come back void for He sends reminders generation after generatioin after generation that we don't die..We multiply. May the Lord continue to bless you and keep your family.
(41) Maria Levine, June 15, 2011 11:28 PM
An ABSOLUT MUST to read and never ever to forget.
The whole entire world must read this testimony. Powerful beyond life or dead. Yes they are 6 million Jews, they are 6 millions names. Thank you.
(40) karen, June 15, 2011 11:24 PM
I am deeply touched, touched to my soul. This story makes me cry and although I am not Jewish, I can as a human being feel great sadness for the loss of so many wonderful people. As a mother, I can not even imagine having my babies ripped from my arms! Dear God! Please realize that good people, not people who pretend they are not prejudiced hear and feel! I've always felt Hitler and his followers have a special place in hell, where they will burn for eternity, without the release of death!
(39) Betty Belcher, June 15, 2011 11:14 PM
WE ARE FIGHTING
We are fighting our admin. We are crying out, and we wont stop, until DC hears our voices and knows that we STAND WITH ISREAL
(38) Anonymous, June 15, 2011 11:13 PM
My comment
was very long. Did not intend it to be. This article is very well written. I hope it helps wake just enough people up to see what is happening in our world.
(37) Karen Hennessy, June 15, 2011 10:59 PM
I will remember!!!
(36) Ady, June 7, 2011 6:14 AM
I to can relate to this speech / article !
It is always very sad to hear of the past Holocaust and I am deeply moved by all that transpired during that evil time. I to lost a large part of my family during that era, but yet our line and heritage survive to continue to strive to make this world a better place and to glorify HASHEM, our G-D.
(35) PATRICIA JONES, June 7, 2011 12:53 AM
MURDERED AT AUSCHWITZ
SAD - SO SAD - BUT FROM THE ASHES ROSE THE PHOENIX - THE JEWS AND ISRAEL WILL PREVAIL AND AS THEIR FRIENDS, WE WILL STAY VIGILANT ON THEIR BEHALF. GOD BE WITH YECHEL MICHOEL FRIEDMAN'S FAMILY. MAY THESE CRIMES NEVER BE FORGOTTEN AND MAY THE PERPETRATORS OF THESE CRIMES NEVER KNOW PEACE! SHALOM.
(34) Dolly Ross, June 4, 2011 5:59 PM
My cousin, Lydia, survived, her father, wife & young brother were separated from her, went to the gas chamber .. She has alzheimers now, and doesn't speak in English anymore, Only POLISH ..
I truly appreciate what my dearest cousin, Bevely did, by sending me this ***heartwrenching*** horror story, about about Yechiel Michoel Friedman ... Something that will remain, vigilant ... for the remainder of my life .. now, going on 85 years young ... That's all I have to say. Thank you very much.
(33) Tanya, June 2, 2011 8:53 AM
Twinning with a Holocaust victim
Thank you for this article , which serves as a reality check, but also, inspiration to do, what I can to assure this never happens again and to also uphold the memory of those brutalised and murdered by these savages. As a third generation of a mixed marriage and a soon to be Jew by choice, I view myself as a "generational Baal Teshuva" like the many Bat / Bar Mitzvah children I see - twinning with a Holocaust victim... I too hope to do the same, as a token of rememberance.... My vision of definace, is to oneday BH, is to participate in the March of the living, with six children.... one to represent each of the six million murdered! Beyond survive.... we as a people must thirve !
(32) Menachem Brami, June 2, 2011 8:24 AM
At last a compeling account! of the Shoah!
There is nothing to add or retract, it was wonderfully written (and I am sure) delivered. the account is so compeling and vivid, that I could not help but recall the last time I read something as well written and so True about the Murder, one at the time, of 6.000.000 of us only Elie Wiesel has made me feel as close to the reality and the relevance of the Shoah for those of us who where not even born then But now, Mr Brafman has succeded in adding another dimention to the memory of all our lost ones.Just Imagine What could have been achieved for the advancement of humanity If......
(31) Anonymous, June 2, 2011 12:11 AM
I think this speach is amzaing!
(30) Mark, June 1, 2011 7:27 PM
1939 vs 2011
If you think it can never happen again... think again. In 1939 the whole world knew of our suffering and did nothing, completely oblivious. In 2011 the world is not oblivious -- it is overtly and openly anti-Semitic. Think again...
(29) Anonymous, May 31, 2011 8:54 PM
It Must Never Happen Again
Remembering the holocaust is vital, but so too, is ensuring we have the tools to prevent another one. One of the first things Hitler did after assuming power was to institute gun registration. Then, as has happened every time this has been used, registration was followed by confiscation, under the guise of "public safety and crime control". And there Mr. Hitler had it; an unarmed, helpless citizenry, completely defenseless in the face of Nazi brutality. You've all just read the horrors that came next. Schindler's List is a wonderful, inspiring film which tells a portion of the story very well. But the film is not historically correct, and Mr. Spielberg, himself a Jew, knows better and is thus intellectually dishonest. It is well known that Oskar Schindler managed to provide his workers with a minimal number of guns which they used to help save themselves. This fact is extremely important and should certainly have been included in the film, but was not. Why? Because Mr. Spielberg, astoundingly, has chosen to deny fact and cast his lot with the Liberal and Hollywood mantra that says "guns are evil". That Spielberg would take this side over that of his Jewish people, and over historical fact, is senseless, tragic, and is the exact kind of thinking that may well lead to another holocaust. And all who share this warped version of history are helping each day to bring the next one closer to reality. Armed people are citizens, disarmed people are only helpless subjects. Remember, yes, but also prepare yourselves and remain vigilant.
Anonymous, June 1, 2011 7:09 PM
But how?
The only way to prepare ourselves is through Torah study and performance of mitzvot
Tanya, June 2, 2011 8:44 AM
It must never happen again
"Armed people are citizens, disarmed people are only helpless subjects" Very valid point - legitimate - weapon ownership should be permitted, banning weapons, disarms law abiding citizens and does nothing to prevent violence and crime which is invariably conducted by people who illegally own weapons. I suspect banning gun ownership and or making it extremely difficult to ban weapons is disarming the maroiy of law abiding citizens in SA and like the autor of the comment suggested leaves us, as helpless subjects, vulnerable to assualt, pilferage, rape etc We live in a society where ciminals have more *rights* than law abiding citizens - BIZARRE !
(28) Anonymous, May 31, 2011 8:07 PM
Never Again
It is difficult to comment on such a holy and moving description of unholy and evil destruction of human life - of creatures of God. God cries - I cry - Never Again.
(27) Malka, May 31, 2011 5:51 PM
05/31/2011 Dear friends, what changed? Where is the world,when young students are being killed on buses, kindergardens in cities bombarded by rockets? What is the world telling us, give back, make peace, everything is going to be alright? Will we ever learn that there is no one, nothing that protect us, but the holy Torah, Mitzvoth and Avinu beShamaijim. We are expendable. The world doesn't care. We are the ones who can change our fate, change our destiny. Israel, The government has to realize and accept you cannot make peace and give in to monsters. The government of America must understand that the Islamic nation will never accept and allow Israel to live in peace. Yes, what happen before can happen again, with one difference, we have a place, a home to run too. With Brachoth for Yeshuoth, arrival of Moshiach Zidkenu bimhera be karov. Malkie
(26) Anonymous, May 31, 2011 6:01 AM
Wow!
Thanks so much for writing such a powerful piece. May your grandfather not only keep having naches from you and your whole family, but from all the ppl such as myself, that in the effert of never forgetting him will take action and keep reminding everyone else also. Thank you, and may HaShem keep safe and bless you, your family, and all Jews in all corners of the world. Enough is enough! Moshiach now!!
(25) David B., May 31, 2011 12:52 AM
remember???
How can "We" ever forget???
(24) Gail Hochberg, May 30, 2011 9:26 PM
Touching and True
Ben, I thought this was a wonderful way of bringing to life your grandfather's story. It angers me when I hear about people who deny the whole existence of this horrible tragedy of history.
(23) kathy, May 30, 2011 8:17 PM
I read this article aloud to myself and it was very difficult. In Shindler's List even Steven Spielberg said that there is no way to really any way to show the actual horror and he is correct. This article, however, does. In its way, especially read aloud, I felt that sorrow, fear, loathing, deadliness and could see what the nazi's did to Chaya Sarah and all of these people. If we remember and keep alive their departed lives we can remember. I let this article resound in my room and cried. REMEMBER, etched on every stone bought at the Shoah Museam in D.C. is an excellent entity to carry around in your pocket. It is flat, I chose green and I look at it every day. Go to the Shoah Museum nearest you and buy one. It will make a huge difference in your life.
(22) Brenda Doubet, May 30, 2011 8:10 PM
May we Never forget!
(21) Frederich, May 30, 2011 2:40 AM
REMEMBER AND SPEAK UP, THESE MURDERERS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN COWARDS AND THEY WILL ALWAYS BE. IF NECESSARY DO NOT BE AFRAID TO FIGHT BACK. IN THIS DEADLY WORLD AS THE DEADLINESS INCREASES DO NOT FEAR... FIGHT BACK! ALWAYS REMEMBER, REMEMBER, REMEMBER!!!!!!!!!!
(20) Janis Keller, May 30, 2011 2:30 AM
I could never forget the Holocaust
I will always remember the Holocaust. My father had a big book that was full of pictures of what Hitler did to the Jews. My father, who longed to fight Hitler in WWII but couldn't, would look at these pictures and weep. Daddy always told us the story of the Holocaust and told us never to forget it. Never forget it. We are not Jews. My parents friends also grieved over these Jews who were slaughtered like pigs. I never knew anyone who hated a Jew, as a matter of fact. I was taught that Jews bring us the best businesses and they are smarter and better neighbors. Nothing negative. So, Grandfather was wrong when he said noone cared. A lot of people not only cared, but prayed for this terrible, wickedness to end. This wasn't just tragic, it was impossibly tragic. A heart could break over it.
(19) ROCHEL B., May 30, 2011 12:42 AM
THERE MUST BE FAMILIES WHICH WERE TRULY WIPED OUT,WITH NONE REMAINING. MAY I SUGGEST A CAMPAIGN WHERE A PERSON WOULD LIGHT A YARHTZEIT CANDLE ONE DAY A YEAR FOR THOSE WHO DIED ON THAT DAY IN THE SHOAH WITH NO ONE LEFT TO SAY KADDISH? I WILL KEEP A LIST OF DATES. CAN SOMEONE SUGGEST HOW TO BROADCAST THIS IDEA? DOES THE IDEA HAVE MERIT? THANK YOU.
Freddy, May 31, 2011 7:33 AM
Remembering those who died
In Israel, it was decided that remembering and Kaddish will be said for all who died during the Shoah and for whom we don't know the exact date of death and there is no burial place.....it is the Yom HaShoah... the Day of the Shoah...it is good on that day to light a memorial candle.
(18) emma serota, May 30, 2011 12:41 AM
i wish thi letter will go to barak abama, to hillary clinton, to nicola sarcosy and other rulers who ignor the threat coming from our enemies,for whom oil is more important than our blood, shame on them!
Dave, May 31, 2011 8:59 PM
Shame Indeed
And those very people you mention also seek, through various gun control schemes, to deny each of us the chance to defend ourselves when tyranny threatens again.
(17) Warren Langman, May 29, 2011 11:19 PM
Lest we forget
The chilling truth,remember also Daniel Pearl,when will it end.
(16) Anonymous, May 29, 2011 9:33 PM
Awesome
That was an extremely powerful speech!
(15) Elizabeth Thomson, May 29, 2011 9:17 PM
I have always been a supporter of the Jewish people & though I was a young child when this was happening I have read much & been haunted with the horror of it all, Elizabeth
(14) Rebecca, May 29, 2011 8:37 PM
Will someone please tell Netanyahu this is the very reason we can't afford a "two state solution" which would mean a "final solution" for Israel. Is anyone listening? It was these Arabs that were complicit with Hitler in attempting to annihilate the Jewish Nation. It is these Arabs today who are the current Nazis of our generation. We must not give up even one inch of our God given Homeland! May God give the Jewish people world over the clarity to see the truth!
(13) Emiy, May 29, 2011 8:22 PM
forget?
I will never forget. Wonderfull written. Painful to read, but not as painful as those who experienced it. God Bless Them all.
(12) Anonymous, May 29, 2011 7:35 PM
So moving
Very powerful article - I hope it gets widely distributed.
(11) yehudit, May 29, 2011 7:05 PM
dont forget who you are, do something to remember
This is an incredibly powerful piece that MUST rouse our desire to actually LIVE AS AND BE JEWS!!!!!!!! These saints died because they were Jews. The Nazi's did not have a physical victory but they WILL win if we allow them to witness a spiritual Holocaust, perpetrated by none other than OURSELVES. WAKE UP, JEWISH SOULS!!!! If we all start returning, just a little, to our Jewish roots, Torah and traditions, each in our own way, time and rhythm, the magnitude of the outcome is unfathomable....
(10) Bonnie Farkas, May 29, 2011 6:58 PM
powerful
A powerful message. While reading this, I think of my two half-sisters,z"l, who I never knew, and my father's first wife,z"l. I am about to become a grandmother- my father of blessed memory's first great-grandchild. No, the Nazis did not win! Am Yisroel Chai!
(9) Gregory K. Tobkes, May 29, 2011 5:54 PM
Powerful
Poignant reminder to all people of good will why Israel must exist.Not just for we Jews but for the world to realize what was almost annihilated and what a devastated place it would be today without the spirit of Jewish survival!
(8) Otis R. Needleman, May 29, 2011 5:11 PM
Powerful!
Keep your powder dry, folks, and do what you must to survive, because Obama has thrown Israel under his bus.
Anonymous, May 30, 2011 2:58 AM
It's not up to Obama
Obama doesn't exactly maintain authority over Israel now. After the speech Benjamin Netanyahu gave the joint session of Congress, Congress is in his hip pocket, not to mention every other American's. The American citizens are the ones who send money to Israel and visit Israel and who pray for Israel in their churches. Since when did an Obama have precedence over God? No. The Prime Minister knew what he was doing, and he was endearing himself to us. Oh, if only he might be our president!
(7) Jerry Meents, May 29, 2011 4:53 PM
Yechiel Michoel Friedman
I for one will never never forget you and all the other 6 millions, including my family and friends, who were murdered in Sobibor and Auschwitz.
(6) ruth housman, May 29, 2011 4:10 PM
worse than the stuff of nightmares
It is hard to read this, and it is true, all of it. For my sister, it's impossible to read anything related to the Holocaust, or watch movies of violence of any kind. I often wonder, Was she, there? I read books and I do watch, but I don't do this regularly because it's too horrible, something that is part of all of our lives, being Jews, and part of a collective memory. I wonder too, was I there? I am talking about reincarnation, about the journey of soul. I do remember a picture in New York, at the Arts Museum showing the souls of people emergent from those chimneys of destruction. They circled and came back. Thee is no way I have ever been able to divorce G_d from what took place. And there were miracles. People who did survive, and people who found each other after, whose stories seemed incredible. Chance or, Providence? These questions have bothered me my whole life. I do not comprehend how a G_d of love, could possibly stand by, and so for me, there has to be another story running, as difficult as it is to write this, and to contemplate whAt it might be. We talk about a Jewish Messiah, and all religions it seems have some notion of a time of Peace on Earth, or many. It is a dream for sure. IF this were to happen, then we would be plunged into a deterministic universe, because it would have to be HASHEM making good on such a promise. And then that might just throw a new light, on the unthinkable. For us all there is Jerusalem and, The Wailing Wall. I go there every single day, in my thoughts.
Bev, May 29, 2011 7:07 PM
From Ashes to Healing by Rabbi Yonassan Gershom...
this piece makes me think...if we are on the other side for about half the time we were here in our last incarnation, a lot of children who were murdered in The Shoah could have come back in the 1940s and 1950s...but what if there were not enough Jewish wombs to bear them that volume of murdered souls?
(5) b. kline, May 29, 2011 3:21 PM
we will always be
Walt Disney was an antisemite! - His best film though was Fantasia, in it was the Sorcerer's Apprentice, Micky Mouse, so what! you are thinking, but think again, remember the broom scene, where each time the broom carried water, it became too much so Micky tried to supress the brooms and on they kept coming, just like the Jews. There will always be Jews, no matter how many governments or despots try to dispose of us and they will always carry gifts, feeding this world with sustenance, whether science, technology, medicine and the arts. Yes, even water, the de-salination techniques to assist in arid lands. On we march, get knocked back but keep coming. We can't help but remember the stricken families who have been lost to ignorance but there will always be one who Hashem will let carry the torch.
(4) Chaya Tova, May 29, 2011 2:56 PM
I will never forget.
Mr. Brafman has done his job...there are tears in my eyes...and I will never forget.
(3) Bob, May 29, 2011 2:53 PM
Memorial Day USA
It is Memorial Ay weekend in the USA During this time we honor those who seved in Armed forces of the US. With that said concerning the Holocost You nay feel that the world was standing by doing nothing . That is a myopic view of the Histoery of that horible time in history. Milloins were invloved in the conflict to destroy the Nazi war machine and take down The Leader of the Leaders of the Nazi PGovernment. Apart from the the milatary campaigns, Here in the us The civilian populatiomn were making extreme sacrafice to support the war effort/ There were many more things that could have and should have been done But the suggestion yhat the world only stood by and watch the Suggestion 'The world heard our screams but did not care, the world smelled our burning flesh but turned away - the world heard my Chayala screaming for her mother and did nothing, because Chayala was a Jewish child and at that time - the systematic murder of Jewish children - undertaken in an efficient, organized manner by monsters in government-issued uniforms -was okay. Indeed, it was encouraged, applauded. The murderers were honored with medals, applauded as heroes for killing our children - for killing my grandchild. No the world heard The USA heard at sent its finest young men to the battlefields This Memorial ay weekend in the US And we are honorning our Men and women who went to those Battlefieds to STOP the Holocost ...
cr, May 30, 2011 8:42 AM
Society as a whole, the world over, did not hear.
America did not get involved until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. And US armed forces had clear information about the train tracks leading to Auschwitz but order were not to bomb the tracks - a simple move which could have slowed down the horrific pace of murder. I don't mean to say that all individuals were callous. There are gentiles who endangered and even sacrificed their lives to protect Jews. But as a society, most of the world received a HUGE failing grade.
Anonymous, May 30, 2011 6:25 PM
I'm sure you are a decent man but you should read some history
Excerpt from the description of the Bermuda Conference, 1943, where the Allies met to discuss how to help the Jews in Europe: "The British government responded by proposing to the U.S. State Department that the Allied countries hold a conference to discuss whether some of the refugees who had reached neutral countries could be evacuated to safe havens. But the Foreign Office had one fear: their plan to rescue Jews might be too successful. In a memo the Foreign Office pointed out there were some "complicating factors": "There is a possibility that the Germans or their satellites may change over from the policy of extermination to one of extrusion, and aim as they did before the war at embarrassing other countries by flooding them with alien immigrants." The conference ended with the decision to do nothing. Canada had a policy of "None is too many" in accepting Jews, so I think that the result speaks for itself.
(2) WARREN BELLOCK, May 29, 2011 1:16 PM
I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER
"NEVER AGAIN" AND "NEVER FORGET"
(1) Sonia, May 29, 2011 8:41 AM
Have Jews learned the lesson?
I wonder if Jews - this generation, the generation that brought them up, schooled in Liberalism/Leftist/Socialist ideologies - who do not put Israel and love for the Jewish people first - and vote and support politicians accordingly listen to the cries of our children murdered because they are Jews. The Jews that dedicate to validation, empowerment of politicians to determine domestic and foreign policies antithetical to the interests of the survival of the Jewish State of Israel? You might want to question why the disconnect? Jews distanced from Judaism distance also from the collective memory of our people. Instead falter and fall into traps of illusion set by enemies of our people. Why so mesmerized by ideologies that specifically have in the past caused Jews - always a first target - untold misery. Communism, Socialism, radical political alignments orchestrations that invariably, repeatedly leave millions of human beings dead in their pursuit of singular power. Until such divide among our own is healed - truly healed - the Shoah and the victims, the martyrs, the babies and the children and those who would have come from them - destroyed by the National Socialists - the Nazis - who were democratically elected - are not remembered and the anguish and agony of its victims - unheard. How do we bring the lost among us back from their illusions? And if not - how do we strengthen ourselves to allow the narrative that is of the Torah, the map of life, our soul, our spirit, our connection to the greater good prevail? And if not now - when?