Do Not Forget

[bainbrig]

The so-called 'Bride of Belsen' has died at 95.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44423303

Gena Turgel dedicated her life to telling and retelling her story over and over again, to young people. Her aim was to stop us forgetting the Holocaust.

So few left now to carry on that work, but it is still so vital.

BB

[dannyk13]

Should be included as part of the history curriculum in secondary schools,

[Mamyalynne]

I cannot improve on what is said in the article - "A shining light has gone out today and will never be replaced."

People like her lit the way so we could see forward but we must never forget what went before.

[marval]

I agree, we should never forget.
May she rest in peace.

[dannyk13]

I remember visiting the Belsen camp in the 1950's.I don't think I will ever forget seeing the burial mounds containing thousands of bodies.

[kvalidir]

RIP lovely lady. I really wish we would address this better, it is being forgotten and it's imperative that it isn't. This is old research but I'm reasonably sure things haven't improved in the 9 years since, and yes it should be taught in senior schools without a doubt :( https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/4957314/Auschwitz-is-a-beer-schoolchildren-tell-researchers.html

[Lie-in King]

Thank you bainbrig.

May she rest in peace.

[Playbill]

'So few left now to carry on that work, but it is still so vital.'

I heard a talk by her and a talk by another survivor. When you hear what happened from the actual victims, it is a miracle ANY survived.

[bookbinder]

I do not comprehend how and why some people can say, "The Holocaust never happened. It's all invented," in the face of truthful testimony such as Gena Turgel gave. She was there, she saw it!

[murraymints]

indeed...we should never forget

[NoMercy]

She was a remarkable lady. May she rest in peace.

I agree that the holocaust should be taught as part of the National Curriculum.

[rowanwitch]

It's like Stalin's Labour camps in Siberia, and the massacre of Polish soldiers and others who fought them. I can recommend a book by the daughter of a survivor, she is actually an ABer but I can't remember how to spell her user name.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Midnight-Train-Siberia-Teresa-Radomska/dp/1909544760

[hereIam]

She can rest easy now, her work on earth is done. RIP x

[rowanwitch]

Don't worry about the name. It is not the name she is usually known by.

[mushroom25]

the Nazi administrative machine was quite good at documenting its activity, and in the matter of the final solution was no different. the result was an archive of millions of documents, that were made available to research by the german authorities in the last ten years.
https://www.its-arolsen.org/en/

[bainbrig]

No rowanwitch, it's NOT like "Stalin's Labour camps in Siberia, and the massacre of Polish soldiers and others who fought them". These were vile acts, without a doubt, but not in the same league as the planned, organised genocide of the Jews (and others) by the Nazis.

[naomi24]

For anyone who doubts the holocaust (and there are very many of them) a visit to any of the memorial centres around the world is educational, in particular Yad Vashem in Israel.

http://www.yadvashem.org/

[Deskdiary]

I haven't been to Belsen, but have been to Aushwitz and I was completely humbled. Even typing this is making the hairs on the back of my neck tingle.

It was utterly heart breaking, which is one of the reasons I find the casual (and sometimes not so casual) anti-Semitism that appears to be rife at the moment an utter disgrace, and those that doubt the holocaust should be thoroughly ashamed. I'm glad there's some coy tries that have made the holocaust denial a crime. When in Krakow i stay in Kazimierz where the ghetto and the pogrom was and on some buildings you can still see bullet holes.

Basically anybody who is an anti-semite either doesn't know the history or if they do and they still are, is an utter and total a.rsehole.

[Deskdiary]

'Coy tries'

Bloody predictive text.

I meant countries.

[bainbrig]

Important points, deskdiary. Being a critic of Israel’s policy towards the Palestinians does NOT make you anti-semitic, nor does it make you a Holocaust-denier.

[Deskdiary]

I entirely agree Brainbrig. The Israelis haven't covered themselves in glory over Palestine, although this probably isn't a thread to debate this because in my view the Palestinians are far from being blameless as well, but as far as this thread is concerned what happened to the Jews by the Nazis should go down in history as the most shameful episode in the time humans have been on this planet.

I also completely agree with dannyk13 - learning about the holocaust should be a compulsory part of the curriculum so our children understand the wickedness that humans can inflict on each other.

It was, and will always remain so, a disgraceful period in history and should never be forgotten.

I would urge everybody to visit a former concentration camp - it really puts things into perspective.