The second time that our class met this semester, I gained a newfound perspective of the Holocaust because of the discussion we had with Dr. Ed Klugman. Hearing from an individual who experienced first-hand the traumas of Nazi Germany of World War II allowed me to become even more engaged and intrigued. I believe that hearing the primary recollection of events from an individual makes it so much more realistic, and it can truly "hit home." The dissuasion with Ed went in several directions, but overall his attitude and presence was overwhelming. After class, I called my mom and could not stop raving about this older gentleman who I could have listened to for hours. Despite Ed's tendency to go off on tangent's or only partially answer some questions, I felt that this visit gave everyone in the class a greater appreciation for all of the individuals who suffered during the Holocaust. Ed's experience with the Kindertransport can be considered less traumatic than other survivors' stories; however, hearing this man speak about his extended family and the shame he felt because he is Jewish made this piece of history come alive in my eyes.
In preparation for this second class, reading Sterling's article on the Kindertransport and Davidson's compilation of Boston survivor stories allowed me to gain a better understanding of how different each individual's story is. It was fascinating reading the Davidson text and then watching the film, because I felt that a lot of the stories had very strong similarities, yet each story was unique to the survivor. I feel that when learning about the Holocaust, usual classes and courses tend to focus on one common story or experience that a mass amount of people suffered. In reading these texts, it made clear and obvious to me that there is not one generalization for the experiences of Holocaust survivors. Every individual has his/her own story which has been shaped and altered by each step to their survival.
This class helped me realize several things that were specifically interesting about Ed's story. I felt that his experience of feeling ashamed to be a Jew was particularly intriguing. As Ed discussed several key points of his experience he would reference different ways that he would try to hide his Judaism. For example, when coming to America after the war had ended he worked incredibly hard to hide is German accent. He not only did not want people knowing he was Jewish, but he also did not want people knowing he was German. He wanted to hide all associations with Germany and his past. It was as if Ed was seeking a fresh start in a new country, where he could become the man that he dreamed of being when he still lived in Europe.
What I found to be the most interesting part about Ed's discussion was how he presented his love and passion for helping others. In one of the readings for the following week, it discussed how second generation survivors, and the 1.5 generation (child survivors), often times seek professions that help others because of their own experiences or upbringing as a result of the Holocaust. This concept definitely applies to Ed's story. He is well into his eighties, yet he continues to peruse new and exciting projects that work towards bettering the community and bringing people together. I loved hearing about his current work and what he finds pleasure in. I find it fascinating that after everything Holocaust survivors and their families have been through, they can still manage to be successfully positive individuals of society. I could never imagine enduring the same sort of trauma... Knowing myself, I am not sure if I could find happiness in the world after experiencing something such as the Holocaust. From reading some of the stories in Davidson, it was clear that some of the survivors struggled with finding a purpose after the war. But it was finding that purpose that made them keep going and pushing forward, past all of the hate and evil that stirred during Hitler's reign.
After this second class, I was left with a lot of thoughts and questions. I would have loved hearing a bit more from Ed, specifically talking about his family's journey throughout the Holocaust. He discussed his own journey with the Kindertransport, but I am still curious about his parents' survival and how they were able to come to America as well. I would also like to know more about Ed's revival of Judaism. On the timeline that he had given us detailing his life, it had a section entitled "The Healing Process." I would have liked to hear more about what he specifically did to gain a connection with his religion after such a long period of time, and if he still continues his Judaic practice today or has developed other spiritual answers.
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