Remembering those who Died in the Holocaust – and the Heroes of the Holocaust

April 15, 2010 · Filed Under Baum's Blog 

This past Sunday was Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day.  Last Friday night at our streaming Shabbat service, Rabbi Barr and I talked about the Holocaust.

Instead of focusing on the terrible events of that period, we talked about the heroes of the period.  We talked about Irena Sendler, who saved over 2,500 children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto.  Irena was a remarkable woman whose story went largely untold for decades.  Fortunately, a group of  students from Kansas learned about this Polish Catholic woman who saved Jewish children and decided to learn about and share her story.  They have created a play about Irena’s life, called “Life in a Jar.”

Another remarkable – and even less well-known – person is Jeanne Oussoren-Treffers.  Rabbi Barr learned of her story several years ago from a congregant who was saved by Jeanne.  During the Holocaust, Jeanne worked in a resistance group helping Jews find hiding places and then make their way into Switzerland.  Rabbi Barr spoke in Rotterdam for the presentation in which Jeanne was honored by Yad Vashem and given the title “Righteous Among the Nations.”  To see the pdf of the document honoring Jeanne, click here.

On his trip to Israel a few weeks ago, Rabbi Barr photographed Jeanne’s name along with other heroes – those righteous among the nations.

There is no way to explain the Holocaust other than to say it was terrible.  And yet, we can focus on some of the actions of heroes – people who were in a horrible situation and risked their own lives to save others.  May we go from strength to strength.


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