Well... the semester is finally winding down and I am one semester away from the end of my undergraduate career. I have had a lot of amazing opportunities and exciting adventures over the past couple of years here at Loyola but I will forever remember this internship. It definitely lands in my top 10 greatest memories.
Words cannot describe the things I have learned and taken from this internship. I have grown so much over the last four months just from gaining knowledge passed along to me by my supervisors and all those involved in the fine tuning of the museums daily life. I wish everyone the best and I look forward to traveling back to visit as soon as possible.
If anyone out there is reading this I hope if your a history lover you look into this opportunity with the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center because it is truly an experience of a lifetime.
Bon Voyage all! See you on the flip side =)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
December 6, 2011
On Sunday I had the pleasure of meeting Beverly Patt the author of Best Friends Forever: A WWII Scrapbook. Her book follows the lives of two little girls, Dottie and Louise, whose lives change drastically after Dottie and her family are taken away to a Japanese Internment Camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The book is a record of letters and pictures from both Dottie and Louise as their friendship remained intact while Dottie and her family were away. As a scrapbook it gives the reader an opportunity to read and visualize at the same time.
Although the book is based on fictional characters it is inspired by real events, places, people, and artifacts. As a young girl Beverly's mother spoke of a family that just up and disappeared from the neighborhood and it wasn't until she was in her adult years that Beverly realized that the family had in fact been transported to an internment camp. Having little knowledge of what this actually involved she began her research and eventually it evolved into this book.
Beverly put a lot of time into researching not only books and the internet but individuals who had been in internment camps or the families of these people. She was determined to make sure that the artifacts used were as true to the real thing as possible so that this book would not only be educational and light hearted for readers of all ages but a true testament to the past.
The book and author are truly amazing. I throughly enjoyed reading it because it gives you just enough background and history as well as the perfect amount of visual to keep you turning for more. If your looking for a book that gives you a mild peek into the experiences of internees in these camps this book is a wonderful introduction.
http://www.beverlypatt.com/read_me.html
Although the book is based on fictional characters it is inspired by real events, places, people, and artifacts. As a young girl Beverly's mother spoke of a family that just up and disappeared from the neighborhood and it wasn't until she was in her adult years that Beverly realized that the family had in fact been transported to an internment camp. Having little knowledge of what this actually involved she began her research and eventually it evolved into this book.
Beverly put a lot of time into researching not only books and the internet but individuals who had been in internment camps or the families of these people. She was determined to make sure that the artifacts used were as true to the real thing as possible so that this book would not only be educational and light hearted for readers of all ages but a true testament to the past.
The book and author are truly amazing. I throughly enjoyed reading it because it gives you just enough background and history as well as the perfect amount of visual to keep you turning for more. If your looking for a book that gives you a mild peek into the experiences of internees in these camps this book is a wonderful introduction.
http://www.beverlypatt.com/read_me.html
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
John Macsai
November 18th, 2011
John Macsai, one of many survivors that speak at the museum, is a labor camp survivor from Hungary.Unlike many of the survivors I have come in contact with, John was a matured young man when he first became effected by the Nazi regime. At the age of 18 John was already through his elementary and high school years and preparing to enter the world as a grown, educated man. Growing up he doesn't remember there being a lot of openly expressed anti-Semitism. Over time the laws made it more difficult for members of the Jewish communities. They couldn't become members of parliament, they weren't allowed into the army but were placed in labor units, and they couldn't own their own business without first acquiring a christian business partner.
By January 1944 the war was in full swing but John and his family believed they would survive until after the war. Jewish families in the countryside of Hungary were completely wiped out around them but they kept their optimism.
On a Sunday in March 1944 the Germany army arrived in Budapest, where John and his family lived, and took control of the entire city. All Jews were forced to turn in any motor vehicles in their possession, money and jewelry were turned over to the banks, their homes and any land they owned was taken from them, and they were forced to move out of their apartments. Everyone Jewish individual was recognizable by the Yellow Star of David they now wore and all men 18 years of age and older were sent into labor units.
From Summer to Fall of 1944 John worked in a labor camp alongside his father. The camps in Hungary weren't unbearable as the Germans allowed the Hungarians to control the Jewish population as they pleased.They were fed well and lived moderately comfortable. The men built airports and runways for German transport. At this time the German Airforce was incharge of the labor units, and being that they were much more elite than the SS guards they were also more humane.
From the Fall of 1944 until the end of the war Johns hope for survival began to dwindle. The labor camps were eventually taken over the German armies and they uprooted all the men and moved them the Austria-Hungarian border where their work and living conditions became almost unbearable. The men were forced to sleep in barn stales on hay with no roof covering. The temperature drop during the evenings caused them to awake under a blanket covered with snow. They were only served breakfast and dinner which consisted of coffee, veggies, bread, and horse meat. Each day men were shot publicly for little to no reason.
In January of 1945 Johns father broke his foot during the work day and was later left behind to die when the men were forced to retreat to Austria as the Russians swiftly approached the borders. The Germans forced the men to run and those who couldn't were shot and left to die on the side of the road. This ended up becoming the Death March to Mauthausen.
For five days they were unfed and forced to go through garbage cans to find anything edible. They dug veggies from the passing fields and ate snails for their protein. Upon their arrival to the concentration camp there was no room for them in the bunkers. They were forced to sit in formations in the yard and the SS randomnly shot men from high up in the towers.
They were then transported to a temporary camp where they stayed for three weeks up until liberation. There was no work for them then so they sat around all day without food or water. It was April in the Alps so conditions were brutal.
Americans finally arrived and by this time Frank was down to a mere 95 lbs. He was immediately hospitalized with Tiphus and placed in a recuperation camp for five days. He was then sent home to Budapest where he found that the train station had been bombed to ash forcing him to walk from the city borders to where his family apartment used to be located. Upon his arrival his mother greeted him at the door as she too had survived the war.
John studied Architecture at the University of Budapest. He was one of ten individuals that received a scholarship to travel to the United States to continue his education for outstanding grades. He retired in 1996 and it happily married today with four children and ten grandchildren.
John Macsai, one of many survivors that speak at the museum, is a labor camp survivor from Hungary.Unlike many of the survivors I have come in contact with, John was a matured young man when he first became effected by the Nazi regime. At the age of 18 John was already through his elementary and high school years and preparing to enter the world as a grown, educated man. Growing up he doesn't remember there being a lot of openly expressed anti-Semitism. Over time the laws made it more difficult for members of the Jewish communities. They couldn't become members of parliament, they weren't allowed into the army but were placed in labor units, and they couldn't own their own business without first acquiring a christian business partner.
By January 1944 the war was in full swing but John and his family believed they would survive until after the war. Jewish families in the countryside of Hungary were completely wiped out around them but they kept their optimism.
On a Sunday in March 1944 the Germany army arrived in Budapest, where John and his family lived, and took control of the entire city. All Jews were forced to turn in any motor vehicles in their possession, money and jewelry were turned over to the banks, their homes and any land they owned was taken from them, and they were forced to move out of their apartments. Everyone Jewish individual was recognizable by the Yellow Star of David they now wore and all men 18 years of age and older were sent into labor units.
From Summer to Fall of 1944 John worked in a labor camp alongside his father. The camps in Hungary weren't unbearable as the Germans allowed the Hungarians to control the Jewish population as they pleased.They were fed well and lived moderately comfortable. The men built airports and runways for German transport. At this time the German Airforce was incharge of the labor units, and being that they were much more elite than the SS guards they were also more humane.
From the Fall of 1944 until the end of the war Johns hope for survival began to dwindle. The labor camps were eventually taken over the German armies and they uprooted all the men and moved them the Austria-Hungarian border where their work and living conditions became almost unbearable. The men were forced to sleep in barn stales on hay with no roof covering. The temperature drop during the evenings caused them to awake under a blanket covered with snow. They were only served breakfast and dinner which consisted of coffee, veggies, bread, and horse meat. Each day men were shot publicly for little to no reason.
In January of 1945 Johns father broke his foot during the work day and was later left behind to die when the men were forced to retreat to Austria as the Russians swiftly approached the borders. The Germans forced the men to run and those who couldn't were shot and left to die on the side of the road. This ended up becoming the Death March to Mauthausen.
For five days they were unfed and forced to go through garbage cans to find anything edible. They dug veggies from the passing fields and ate snails for their protein. Upon their arrival to the concentration camp there was no room for them in the bunkers. They were forced to sit in formations in the yard and the SS randomnly shot men from high up in the towers.
They were then transported to a temporary camp where they stayed for three weeks up until liberation. There was no work for them then so they sat around all day without food or water. It was April in the Alps so conditions were brutal.
Americans finally arrived and by this time Frank was down to a mere 95 lbs. He was immediately hospitalized with Tiphus and placed in a recuperation camp for five days. He was then sent home to Budapest where he found that the train station had been bombed to ash forcing him to walk from the city borders to where his family apartment used to be located. Upon his arrival his mother greeted him at the door as she too had survived the war.
John studied Architecture at the University of Budapest. He was one of ten individuals that received a scholarship to travel to the United States to continue his education for outstanding grades. He retired in 1996 and it happily married today with four children and ten grandchildren.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
November 24, 2011
It has been a couple weeks since I had the opportunity to post. I have been documenting all of my survivor encounters and hope to have them all posted next week after the holiday break!
I am getting very excited as the project I am helping to plan is swiftly approaching. December 4th we are hosting an event honoring an authors documented friendship during Japanese-American internment. Scrapbooking Family Memories will give children and adults an opportunity to hear the authors story as well as participate in creating a scrapbook of their own memories.
Beverly Patt was a young girl when her best friend and her family were taken from their homes and placed in an internment camp after the bombing of pearl harbor. She saved notes, pictures, and scraps of memories from their friendship and as an adult turned it into a scrapbook that tells her story. It is a great way to remember the wonderful friendship they shared through the eyes of an innocent child.
Amanda Friedeman, the museums Miller Family Youth Exhibit Educator, and I have been making plans and putting together last minute details to make this event both fun and educational for all ages. Getting children informed and involved at a young age is what the museums youth center is all about. Pictures and Details to come following the event!!
Happy Turkey Day All!
I am getting very excited as the project I am helping to plan is swiftly approaching. December 4th we are hosting an event honoring an authors documented friendship during Japanese-American internment. Scrapbooking Family Memories will give children and adults an opportunity to hear the authors story as well as participate in creating a scrapbook of their own memories.
Beverly Patt was a young girl when her best friend and her family were taken from their homes and placed in an internment camp after the bombing of pearl harbor. She saved notes, pictures, and scraps of memories from their friendship and as an adult turned it into a scrapbook that tells her story. It is a great way to remember the wonderful friendship they shared through the eyes of an innocent child.
Amanda Friedeman, the museums Miller Family Youth Exhibit Educator, and I have been making plans and putting together last minute details to make this event both fun and educational for all ages. Getting children informed and involved at a young age is what the museums youth center is all about. Pictures and Details to come following the event!!
Happy Turkey Day All!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
New Marketing Strategies!
Kudos to Ruth: Edelman Integrated Marketing for the amazing new advertisements throughout the city. So far I have seen two buses and a train displaying our new campaign!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Teaching Trunks
Teaching Trunks may be one of the coolest resources we provide to schools all over the midwest. If a school requests our teaching trunk for a semester regardless of where they are, we will find a way to ship it to them. This week Alexis and I inventoried, stocked, and assembled six trucks. Our trunks range from 5th to 12th grade and the materials vary based upon the schools curriculum. In Illinois, Holocaust Education is a mandatory subject and everyone is required by the state mandate to provide Holocaust Education for their students.
We began the process weeks ago when we found out that we were receiving several more trunks allowing us to provide more schools with this unique teaching experience. Each trunk is donated to the Education Center and a plaque is then cemented to the trunk in honor of the donor/s.
After spending the last month going through our inventory and ordering the books, dvds, and binders we were missing we are now able to get them fully up and running. This past week we put together one 5-6th grade trunk, four 7-8th grade trunks, and one 9-12th grade trunk. Each trunk reflects not only the teachers curriculum but the level of information we feel the students in the age group will be ready to encounter in a classroom.
The materials used in these trunks are ABSOLUTELY incredible. There are so many books I have found and begun reading just from inventorying the trunks. Each school pays a $200 deposit which is returned to them upon the return of the trunk to our facility. Only $200 dollars...I wish we had the resources to provide every school with a trunk because this literature is incredible and every student should be able to partake in this kind of learning experience.
http://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/teaching_trunk_program/59.php
We began the process weeks ago when we found out that we were receiving several more trunks allowing us to provide more schools with this unique teaching experience. Each trunk is donated to the Education Center and a plaque is then cemented to the trunk in honor of the donor/s.
After spending the last month going through our inventory and ordering the books, dvds, and binders we were missing we are now able to get them fully up and running. This past week we put together one 5-6th grade trunk, four 7-8th grade trunks, and one 9-12th grade trunk. Each trunk reflects not only the teachers curriculum but the level of information we feel the students in the age group will be ready to encounter in a classroom.
The materials used in these trunks are ABSOLUTELY incredible. There are so many books I have found and begun reading just from inventorying the trunks. Each school pays a $200 deposit which is returned to them upon the return of the trunk to our facility. Only $200 dollars...I wish we had the resources to provide every school with a trunk because this literature is incredible and every student should be able to partake in this kind of learning experience.
http://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/teaching_trunk_program/59.php
Larry Shelton
Larry was a survivor that I met recently during a speech he was giving at the museum. He was a child saved during WWII by the Kindertransport which included a series of rescue attempts to get children out of Germany and into Great Britain safely. At 89 years old Larry Shelton is one of the most endearing and interesting people I have ever met.
At the age of 8 years old, Larry lived with his family in Germany above his grandmothers hardware store. Larry had a younger brother who was also saved during the kinderstransport rescues. Their family did everything they could to shield the boys from the backlash of Hitler coming into power but once the Jewish community lost all their rights as citizens there was no hiding the plans that were unraveling. Larry and his brother were bullied terribly for being Jewish and eventually were sent to Italy for schooling to help relieve them of the building tensions brought on by Jewish discrimination.
During the time that Larry was studying in Italy, his father was taken to a concentration camp where he eventually found a way out and escaped to Holland.
At 14 Larry was traveling home during Easter break when he was picked up a train station and taken to a prison in Florence, for being a Jewish man. He was jailed for three months during which he was let out for one hour a day and then returned to confinement. After being released in 1938 he reunited with his father and they both returned to Germany where his mother and younger brother were still residing with family.
Kristallnacht was the worst event he experienced during his time left in Germany. Propaganda covered the streets in his town especially the Jewish owned stores. The Germans went through the neighborhood and destroyed everything. During this time his father was sent back to a concentration camp.
The last time Larry saw his mother was the day she dropped him off at the train station in which he was to travel to his new home in England where he lived amongst Quakers free and safe. His brother was also adopted but separately by a family.
Larry's parents were both shot to death and buried in a Ravine; he received this information from the archives in Germany. Although the Nazis wanted to rid themselves of this impure race, they took extensive records of all the individuals they killed.
Years later Larry and his brother found one another and reunited recently when his brother moved to the United States. Larry is married with children including a son who played professional soccer for five years.
At the age of 8 years old, Larry lived with his family in Germany above his grandmothers hardware store. Larry had a younger brother who was also saved during the kinderstransport rescues. Their family did everything they could to shield the boys from the backlash of Hitler coming into power but once the Jewish community lost all their rights as citizens there was no hiding the plans that were unraveling. Larry and his brother were bullied terribly for being Jewish and eventually were sent to Italy for schooling to help relieve them of the building tensions brought on by Jewish discrimination.
During the time that Larry was studying in Italy, his father was taken to a concentration camp where he eventually found a way out and escaped to Holland.
At 14 Larry was traveling home during Easter break when he was picked up a train station and taken to a prison in Florence, for being a Jewish man. He was jailed for three months during which he was let out for one hour a day and then returned to confinement. After being released in 1938 he reunited with his father and they both returned to Germany where his mother and younger brother were still residing with family.
Kristallnacht was the worst event he experienced during his time left in Germany. Propaganda covered the streets in his town especially the Jewish owned stores. The Germans went through the neighborhood and destroyed everything. During this time his father was sent back to a concentration camp.
The last time Larry saw his mother was the day she dropped him off at the train station in which he was to travel to his new home in England where he lived amongst Quakers free and safe. His brother was also adopted but separately by a family.
Larry's parents were both shot to death and buried in a Ravine; he received this information from the archives in Germany. Although the Nazis wanted to rid themselves of this impure race, they took extensive records of all the individuals they killed.
Years later Larry and his brother found one another and reunited recently when his brother moved to the United States. Larry is married with children including a son who played professional soccer for five years.
Monday, October 24, 2011
October 24, 2011
This past week was very busy for all of us at the museum. Thursday we wrapped up our Anti-bullying forum in which the new CEO of Chicago Public Schools spoke, Jean Claude Brizzard, and it was a major success. Friday we had FIVE field trips back to back. Over 250 kids arrived within a 30 minute time period and we interns did an excellent job if I do say so myself. The field trips are now our baby of sorts. We run them from beginning to end and it is quite a feeling of accomplishment when they run smoothly. We each have our somewhat designated roles in handling each field trip. Brinkley enjoys the more technological side of the field trips and working with kids so she mans the check in computers and occasionally tags along on the youth tours when a volunteer is missing. Alexis is our head hancho! She directs us as well as the students and teachers upon entering the building. She makes sure that everyone enters security efficiently as well as marking our completed tasks off the field trip check list. Myself, well I have what I think to be the most exciting part of the field trip process. I typically greet each bus full of students and quickly discuss details with teachers. I really enjoy the face to face interaction. I also gather the docents when their buses are ready to be debriefed and send them out to meet with their students and teachers. Our system works really great and we all work really well together.
This week we have 168 students coming just from one school. Our system is so synchronized and runs so smoothly when the field trips arrive. We had one small mishap with a school on friday but it was a little misunderstanding and we worked together to take care of the issue. We received a really great email complimenting us on a successful day...which is always nice :)!
Later today I am hoping to post again with new pictures from the renovated Miller Youth Exhibit. It is exceptional! Amanda Friedeman is a creative genius and did a fantastic job bringing her vision to life!
This week we have 168 students coming just from one school. Our system is so synchronized and runs so smoothly when the field trips arrive. We had one small mishap with a school on friday but it was a little misunderstanding and we worked together to take care of the issue. We received a really great email complimenting us on a successful day...which is always nice :)!
Later today I am hoping to post again with new pictures from the renovated Miller Youth Exhibit. It is exceptional! Amanda Friedeman is a creative genius and did a fantastic job bringing her vision to life!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Make A Difference! Miller Youth Exhibit "Before" renovation
I finally got clearance from the museum to start using photographs of our exhibits. The relaunch of the Miller Youth Exhibit took place yesterday October 16, 2011. AMAZING turnout from adults and children. There are so many amazing new features but before I introduce you to those I want to give you a look at what the exhibit looked like before the newly introduced pieces...
Upon entering the exhibit these two seating areas are the first feature you encountred. Each computer displays six videos of individuals that were a "witness" during the Holocaust, some survivors. They purpose of these videos is to teach children the right way to approach relationships with other children and that everyone should be treated equally regardless of their background. One of the videos features Fritzie Fritzshall the president of the museum.
The next four pictures are our interactive screens within the exhibt. Each set of five computers serves a different purpose. It allows the children to become a part of different scenarios in which children are being bullied or mistreated. There is also an opportunity for the children to record a video describing a time when they were bullied or witnessed another individual being mistreated. It is a great way for students to maneuver their way through difficult situations and find the best result! 
The next three pictures all surround the rubbing wall actitity. Throughout the exhibt their are words cemented on the walls in which the children can choose words that best describe themselves and then display them on the yellow rubbing wall. These words are mean't to inspire better characteristics and attitudes of the kids.
And last but not least is the new puzzle that the kids put together. It is designed like a lunch table with different scenarios in which the kids are meant to act out to represent how you should and should not treat or react to others.
Upon entering the exhibit these two seating areas are the first feature you encountred. Each computer displays six videos of individuals that were a "witness" during the Holocaust, some survivors. They purpose of these videos is to teach children the right way to approach relationships with other children and that everyone should be treated equally regardless of their background. One of the videos features Fritzie Fritzshall the president of the museum.
The next four pictures are our interactive screens within the exhibt. Each set of five computers serves a different purpose. It allows the children to become a part of different scenarios in which children are being bullied or mistreated. There is also an opportunity for the children to record a video describing a time when they were bullied or witnessed another individual being mistreated. It is a great way for students to maneuver their way through difficult situations and find the best result! 
The next three pictures all surround the rubbing wall actitity. Throughout the exhibt their are words cemented on the walls in which the children can choose words that best describe themselves and then display them on the yellow rubbing wall. These words are mean't to inspire better characteristics and attitudes of the kids.
And last but not least is the new puzzle that the kids put together. It is designed like a lunch table with different scenarios in which the kids are meant to act out to represent how you should and should not treat or react to others.
Monday, October 3, 2011
ILHMEC *Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center*
This time of year is so very exciting at the museum as we are installing two brand new exhibitions. The first, which was completed last week, is the Art of Gaman Exhibit.
http://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/special_exhibitions/21.php
The Art of Gaman is dedicated solely to the rememberance of those individuals, Japanses in decent, that were forced into internment camps during WWII. It is an absolutely beautiful exhibit curated by a women whos family members were contained during the war. Throughout the exhibit there are pieces of art work that range from small hand made pins to very large water color canvas paintings. The exhibit is rather small but it houses 100's of beautiful artifacts!
The other exhibit that we are launching this month, October 16th to be exact, is the Make a Difference: The Miller Family Youth Exhibit. This exhibit is designed for grades 3-8, but I enjoy it just as much as the 3rd graders! The exhibit has been in place for a while but we are now installing the finishing touches to make it spectacular. It is a character building/anti-bullying focused exhibit where kids have an opportunity to learn hands on and visually about the risks of bullying/discrimination against others regardless of the origin.
http://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/make_a_difference__the_miller_family_youth_exhibition/19.php
There are so many great people that get involved here at the museum and help to develop a world renowned institution. Today we had a seminar that I attended for all the volunteers that help to run the tours along with our docents who lead our tours. Many of these people are retired and older individuals who love being involved in what our museum represents. People are mislead by the term "holocaust" and what the word represents on an international level. The museum is representative for all historys holocausts and genocides. It is not strictly a Jewish museum as much of our staff is not either. I have learned while working here that places like the ILHMEC are a major source for further prevention of these grotesque acts against the worlds people!
http://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/special_exhibitions/21.php
The Art of Gaman is dedicated solely to the rememberance of those individuals, Japanses in decent, that were forced into internment camps during WWII. It is an absolutely beautiful exhibit curated by a women whos family members were contained during the war. Throughout the exhibit there are pieces of art work that range from small hand made pins to very large water color canvas paintings. The exhibit is rather small but it houses 100's of beautiful artifacts!
The other exhibit that we are launching this month, October 16th to be exact, is the Make a Difference: The Miller Family Youth Exhibit. This exhibit is designed for grades 3-8, but I enjoy it just as much as the 3rd graders! The exhibit has been in place for a while but we are now installing the finishing touches to make it spectacular. It is a character building/anti-bullying focused exhibit where kids have an opportunity to learn hands on and visually about the risks of bullying/discrimination against others regardless of the origin.
http://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/make_a_difference__the_miller_family_youth_exhibition/19.php
There are so many great people that get involved here at the museum and help to develop a world renowned institution. Today we had a seminar that I attended for all the volunteers that help to run the tours along with our docents who lead our tours. Many of these people are retired and older individuals who love being involved in what our museum represents. People are mislead by the term "holocaust" and what the word represents on an international level. The museum is representative for all historys holocausts and genocides. It is not strictly a Jewish museum as much of our staff is not either. I have learned while working here that places like the ILHMEC are a major source for further prevention of these grotesque acts against the worlds people!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
September 25, 2011
So I hope to be getting some pictures up soon...just waiting on clearance from our Operations Department on what I can post freely!
We had another really great field trip this week. 10 students from Chicago Laboratory came...great kids, teachers, and school all around. They were so interested and prepared to participate with the docent and the speaker. The best part this week again was the speaker!
Ida and Adam!!
Ida watched her mother commit suicide when she was just three years old. Most children do not remember much from their toddler/adolescent years, but Ida remembers. The Nazis had placed them into the ghetto and were separating the mothers from their children in order to move them to a concentration camp. Her mother couldn't handle the idea of being apart from her children and in an act of desperation, took her own life. Her eldest sister and twin brother (Adam), were all she had left in the world. One evening while walking along the outer borders of the ghetto with her aunt a man came along and took Ida. He was a christian man who had befriended her aunt before the war began. He and his wife took her and raised her as their own. Over the years Ida began to hate the Jews just as much as the Germans. She was constantly reminded of the stigma attached to being Jewish and hated her heritage. Being Jewish had ruined her family and her life. When the war finished her father, who had gone away to join the polish army, returned in search for his family and the only one he found was Ida. She refused the stay with her father hating him for forcing her into practicing Jewish traditions. For many years she struggled with accepting her true identity and it wasn't until her family came to the United States that she began to adjust and accept who she truly was. She continued to remain in contact with the family that raised her during the war, flying her "polish mother" as she refers to her, back and forth to visit the United States. Ida grew up, married, and had children of her own but she was always reminded of the hole in her family where her siblings belonged.
In 1991 their was an organized event in NYC for the Hidden Children, any and all who were hidden and saved during the Holocaust. There was a picture of a man on the front page of the article in the news paper that was identical to her father. The man, and all the others featured in the article, were in search of any family that may have survived the war. She got in contact with the man who was certain that they were not related because he never remembered having siblings or who his parents were, etc. They continued to communicate back and forth sending letters and photographs until one day his son recognized himself in a photo, but it wasn't himself that he was looking at, it was his father sitting with his mother, father, eldest sister, and his twin...Ida.
CNN did a live broadcasting of Adam and Ida meeting for the first time in the airport and aired their live interview for the whole world to see. For 53 years they believed that all they had was hope and hope pulled through!!!
Today they both live in the United States and volunteer frequently with the museum. Ida's most important goal is to make sure that once she is gone, a true survivor of the Holocaust, that generations to come will continue to tell her story...because her story is real!
We had another really great field trip this week. 10 students from Chicago Laboratory came...great kids, teachers, and school all around. They were so interested and prepared to participate with the docent and the speaker. The best part this week again was the speaker!
Ida and Adam!!
Ida watched her mother commit suicide when she was just three years old. Most children do not remember much from their toddler/adolescent years, but Ida remembers. The Nazis had placed them into the ghetto and were separating the mothers from their children in order to move them to a concentration camp. Her mother couldn't handle the idea of being apart from her children and in an act of desperation, took her own life. Her eldest sister and twin brother (Adam), were all she had left in the world. One evening while walking along the outer borders of the ghetto with her aunt a man came along and took Ida. He was a christian man who had befriended her aunt before the war began. He and his wife took her and raised her as their own. Over the years Ida began to hate the Jews just as much as the Germans. She was constantly reminded of the stigma attached to being Jewish and hated her heritage. Being Jewish had ruined her family and her life. When the war finished her father, who had gone away to join the polish army, returned in search for his family and the only one he found was Ida. She refused the stay with her father hating him for forcing her into practicing Jewish traditions. For many years she struggled with accepting her true identity and it wasn't until her family came to the United States that she began to adjust and accept who she truly was. She continued to remain in contact with the family that raised her during the war, flying her "polish mother" as she refers to her, back and forth to visit the United States. Ida grew up, married, and had children of her own but she was always reminded of the hole in her family where her siblings belonged.
In 1991 their was an organized event in NYC for the Hidden Children, any and all who were hidden and saved during the Holocaust. There was a picture of a man on the front page of the article in the news paper that was identical to her father. The man, and all the others featured in the article, were in search of any family that may have survived the war. She got in contact with the man who was certain that they were not related because he never remembered having siblings or who his parents were, etc. They continued to communicate back and forth sending letters and photographs until one day his son recognized himself in a photo, but it wasn't himself that he was looking at, it was his father sitting with his mother, father, eldest sister, and his twin...Ida.
CNN did a live broadcasting of Adam and Ida meeting for the first time in the airport and aired their live interview for the whole world to see. For 53 years they believed that all they had was hope and hope pulled through!!!
Today they both live in the United States and volunteer frequently with the museum. Ida's most important goal is to make sure that once she is gone, a true survivor of the Holocaust, that generations to come will continue to tell her story...because her story is real!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Ruth Gilbert
When you think of an individual being a survivor of the Holocaust I would be willing to bet your first thoughts include concentration camps victims, at least that was always my first thought. I never took into consideration that there could be other individuals out there with different stories because we are not taught that anyone survived the Holocaust unless they were saved from a camp or left the country before Hitler's rule took a turn for the malicious. Ruth Gilbert is one of those people we never learned about. A most gracious and elegant Jewish women who for many years hid behind her shame and disgust for her ancestry.
Ruth spoke to our school group two weeks ago about her life before during and after Nazi Germany. She was raised in an upper class family with many beautiful things and opportunities for her life. Without a care in the world as a small child her life was quickly turned upside down when her family was thrown into a Jewish ghetto like so many families were. She went from living the lifestyle of privileged child in her families penthouse apartment to sharing a two room apartment with several families. After many months of watching families come and go, all of which leaving to the same fate (mass murder at a concentration camp) her father finally arranged to have she and her mother snuck out of the ghetto and transported to a family in Poland who would care for them until the war was over. She would soon learn later that her father was murdered during his attempted escape to Russia to join the military.
Over the next several weeks Ruth and her mother pretended to be of polish decent carrying fake passport and ID that of which belonged to a mother and daughter that passed away months earlier. They bounced from family to family in constant fear that they would be discovered and shipped away to a camp to their death. A couple times they came close to capture as families began refusing to help them and others in the communities became suspicious of Ruth herself.
Her mother found work as a live in housekeeper for very wealthy polish families. Only a couple months would pass and they would move on to the next family as her mothers paranoia grew and grew. She even had times of weakness when she thought it may be easier to just turn themselves in because she could not bear the torture of running from the Nazis any longer.
The last family her mother worked for entertained members of the Nazi party on the weekends. They loved to play with Ruth as she was just a little child. One evening one of the soldiers took her upstairs to show her how to use a gun. Ruth not knowing any better found this to be quite comical and entertaining as the soldier fired the gun into the dark night. Her mother however was sure that the rounds she heard were those putting her daughter to death. After this her mother couldn't take anymore and they moved from the home.
Not long after the war had come to an end and Russian soldiers greeted Ruth and her mother with open arms transporting them back to their hometown. Upon arrival they found her aunt and stayed with her for sometime until her mother remarried and the family moved to America. Ruth resented her heritage because for so long she had been convinced that it was something to be ashamed of. Her family moved to Chicago were she adjusted and made a life. She grew up, married, and had children of her own. To her the little girl that faced all those hard times is now someone she doesn't even know. It is as though that person never really existed.
It wasn't until recently that she shared her stories with her sons who are grown with children of their own. She speaks out today because of the importance that this piece of history never be forgotten. Someday the survivors of the Holocaust won't be with us any longer and it is their job to cement into history this momentous event.
Ruth spoke to our school group two weeks ago about her life before during and after Nazi Germany. She was raised in an upper class family with many beautiful things and opportunities for her life. Without a care in the world as a small child her life was quickly turned upside down when her family was thrown into a Jewish ghetto like so many families were. She went from living the lifestyle of privileged child in her families penthouse apartment to sharing a two room apartment with several families. After many months of watching families come and go, all of which leaving to the same fate (mass murder at a concentration camp) her father finally arranged to have she and her mother snuck out of the ghetto and transported to a family in Poland who would care for them until the war was over. She would soon learn later that her father was murdered during his attempted escape to Russia to join the military.
Over the next several weeks Ruth and her mother pretended to be of polish decent carrying fake passport and ID that of which belonged to a mother and daughter that passed away months earlier. They bounced from family to family in constant fear that they would be discovered and shipped away to a camp to their death. A couple times they came close to capture as families began refusing to help them and others in the communities became suspicious of Ruth herself.
Her mother found work as a live in housekeeper for very wealthy polish families. Only a couple months would pass and they would move on to the next family as her mothers paranoia grew and grew. She even had times of weakness when she thought it may be easier to just turn themselves in because she could not bear the torture of running from the Nazis any longer.
The last family her mother worked for entertained members of the Nazi party on the weekends. They loved to play with Ruth as she was just a little child. One evening one of the soldiers took her upstairs to show her how to use a gun. Ruth not knowing any better found this to be quite comical and entertaining as the soldier fired the gun into the dark night. Her mother however was sure that the rounds she heard were those putting her daughter to death. After this her mother couldn't take anymore and they moved from the home.
Not long after the war had come to an end and Russian soldiers greeted Ruth and her mother with open arms transporting them back to their hometown. Upon arrival they found her aunt and stayed with her for sometime until her mother remarried and the family moved to America. Ruth resented her heritage because for so long she had been convinced that it was something to be ashamed of. Her family moved to Chicago were she adjusted and made a life. She grew up, married, and had children of her own. To her the little girl that faced all those hard times is now someone she doesn't even know. It is as though that person never really existed.
It wasn't until recently that she shared her stories with her sons who are grown with children of their own. She speaks out today because of the importance that this piece of history never be forgotten. Someday the survivors of the Holocaust won't be with us any longer and it is their job to cement into history this momentous event.
Friday, September 9, 2011
September 9, 2011
First week in and it went pretty well. The first week there isn't anything really exciting to report for most jobs but the basics. I met all of my bosses and co-workers/fellow interns including many of the docents and volunteers involved in the daily running of the museum. It is amazing to me that only 6...yes SIX people run the entire department in which I work in. They cover all field trips, special events, teacher certifications and educational training. Seminars and open houses for more than 20,000 students and teachers a year. It is incredible. I also will fall amongst the ranks of these extraordinary people. Today was probably the most interesting thus far as my first day I was given the basic quick tour, forced to provide what turned out to be an embarrassing photo for my ID (no one warned me to do my hair), and a security badge that actually makes you feel quite important! Today I got to experience our very first field trip of the school year. 15 students from Naperville High School came to tour the permanent exhibit and had the opportunity to sit down and engage in conversations with an actual Holocaust survivor. Ruth Gilbert. Amazing women with a point of view I had never even considered. Working in the museum is going to be beneficial on so many levels, not just historically speaking. I can't wait to see what the semester unfolds for my journey into the past!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
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