holocaust

In the Nazi concentration camps of World War II, Jewish prisoners forged significant bonds and created ephemeral documents of their torturous experiences through song. Yale University's Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies has produced an album, in collaboration with musicologist and musician D. Zisl Slepovitch, to honor the significance of these works: "Where Is Our Homeland?: Songs from Testimonies in the Fortunoff Video Archive, Volume 1."

Have you ever read a memoir that you couldn't put down? They are rare, but I've found one: A World Erased: A Grandson's Search for His Family's Holocaust Secrets. Author Noah Lederman (we've shared his book, Traveling the Cambodian Genocide, here) delves into his family's past - both in the United States, and at different concentration camps and towns in Europe.

Unobstructed freedom, as I see it, is our right and our privilege to be who we are, to live and to breathe without fear of our lives or our breath being taken away.

This past year, I lost my ability to breathe while visiting El De Haus, a four-story brick building that was under construction in Cologne, Germany in 1935 when it was taken over by the Gestapo.

I had friends in high school that traveled to Eastern Europe, family who emigrated, and a history shared with millions. It’s been a place ‘on my list’ for the longest time, so when the opportunity arose, we jumped on it. Tenth graders in New York schools learn about life in Eastern Europe during, before, and after the Holocaust. Eleventh graders touch on life and politics, but focus more on America’s entrance into World War II. But for many of us, where our hands and feet wander is what we remember.