On this Yom Hashoa, Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Young Israel of Forest Hills synagogue held a memorial to the 6 million victims of the Holocaust. Those gathered listened to a side of the Holocaust less frequently told: the resilience, ambition, humor, and strength of the men, women and children who survived.
In attendance was journalist and photographer B.A. Van Sise whose book “Invited to Life: Finding Hope After the Holocaust” presents a series of portraits and short stories that elucidates the power of the human spirit. As Van Sise experienced in one hundred interviews with survivors across America, the notion of Holocaust survivors as weak and sullen is a misconception.
Vernon Mosheim, a survivor, spoke to those gathered. He arrived in New York as a young child after the war and built a family and life here as an international businessman. Vernon’s career took him all around the world. It was not until the 1980s that he could bear returning to the German town of his upbringing. Vernon told us he could not feel hate for the young generation of Germans who had different ideas than the parents who were members of the Nazi party.
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Vernon warned today’s resurgence of antisemitism in America from right-wing white supremacist groups to its manifestations in our popular culture necessitates action, especially from young people to subdue its virulent spread. As time goes on, passing down the stories of survivors to the next generation is all the more imperative. Community engagement fosters hope and understanding in a moment when it is sorely needed. May we always be upstanders against antisemitism and racism in all its forms.