The Last Survivors

Additional thoughts from Leo Rechter that appeared in the May issue of NAHOS newsletter:

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The distinguished scholar Michael Berenbaum wrote an essay in the ‘Forward.com’ April 24^th issue in which he gives credit to the contributions of survivors. [Link to article]

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We are grateful to Professor Berenbaum for his moving essay and his recognition. We hope other non-survivors will concur with his findings about our contributions.

There was only one sentence that we were wondering about. After the statement: “All too soon, there would be no survivors” professor Berenbaum reports: “The membership of every institution acknowledged the problem and dreaded that moment.”

Forgive us, professor Berenbaum if we question the all-encompassing reach of that statement. “Every (?) institution” and “dreaded” (?).

Undoubtedly, most museums and memorials will deplore the loss of valuable input, but the sentiment among the survivor population is that most American Jewish non-survivors organizations are not overly concerned with the fate of Holocaust survivors.

They were not overly concerned when we first came to these shores (especially in the larger cities); they do not seem concerned with the current obscenely high level of poverty among survivors; they are not concerned that the rights of survivors - of deciding over their rightful restitutions - are being usurped by the Claims Conference’.

The USHM Museum is not concerned that most survivors will have passed from this world before the Museum will have put valuable information about the fate of their murdered relatives on the Internet; the large Jewish Foundations who give away sizable funds to all kinds of fashionable causes while ignoring the plight of destitute survivors who cannot afford their medications, seem also not concerned.

Let’s face it: There are numerous Survivor voices who refused to be treated like sheep; who object to have non-survivors decide over their fate and their restitution-funds; who resent seeing the deprivation of many of their fellow survivors. Their voices have been and are a constant irritation to the conscience of the “machers” of many Jewish institutions. They do not actually wish the passing of the last survivors, but – judging by the belief of most survivors -- it is unlikely that they would “dread the moment.”