The Malta Independent on Sunday
Lest we forget... The Holocaust commemorated
Iwas determined to attend this year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day held on 21st January at San Anton Palace as I did last year, after watching documentaries on television and reading articles, not of the Holocaust but of the present day persecution of Jews, and indeed so many others. There seems to be a global tide of anti-semitism rising once again and one wonders how the warning of history has not been heeded. We now also have to contend with the power of social media to resurrect and disseminate old myths and hatreds. How many more bloodbaths does man need to finally see sense? And we also have to remind ourselves that although the Germans were the biggest sinners there were others who corroborated.
*** The Holocaust event was very well attended. After registration Dr Ruth Farrugia, Director General of the President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, introduced the evening and said that its overarching objectives was to share knowledge about the Holocaust, to keep the memory alive and to highlight the continued relevance of the Holocaust and the lessons learnt. She explained that the main focus this year falls on the many minority groups that were targeted by the Nazi regime, including LGBTIQ people, those with disabilities, and Roma people. Dr Farrugia commented that these communities are still experiencing abuses of their human rights, across the world. “This is why the commemoration of the Holocaust cannot be merely a one off event. It must create in us, the urge and willingness to take effective action in favour of inclusion and respect,” she emphasised.
Education is important and the Foundation has done and continues to reach out to communities on these islands, of the Holocaust and its implications in today’s world. The visits to school undertaken, she said, were a success and they have reached almost 1000 students.
*** In her opening speech our President said that Holocaust survivors, experts in the field and the general public had come together to remember, and most importantly to learn essential lessons from this dark period in the history of humanity. “I will always remember the moving narratives shared by survivors who spoke about their terrible ordeals, so that present and future generations will keep their memory alive and make a commitment never to repeat such atrocities,” she told her audience. Discrimination is the focus of this year’s event. “The world is facing increasing uncertainties and challenges. Some of the same alarm bells are ringing and we cannot be complacent. The rise of radical populism and political extremism; increasing rates of anti-Semitic crimes in Europe; hate crimes against minorities, all over the world and a growing sense of distrust and disillusionment in our global institutions, which united us for decades, is creating an environment of suspicion and social unrest,” Her Excellency pointed out. She said that we must respond to these challenges effectively and proactively, first and foremost, by promoting education and a context of respectful dialogue. She went on to explain how the Foundation is making a contribution to achieve these efforts.
*** In his Keynote speech, Patrick Siegele, Director of the Anne Frank centre in Berlin, whose visit was made possible by the Germany Embassy in Malta, reminded us that Malta has now joined the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance which consists of 31 member countries, each of which seeks to strengthen the moral commitment of societies and to combat the growing Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism.
Inspite of suffering a siege and heavy bombardment by German and Italian forces during World War II Malta was never occupied by the Germany Army and therefore the Jewish population of Malta was safe. I found it interesting that Malta was able to offer refuge to a few German-Jewish families because it was one of the few countries that did not ask for visas during the 30s. (Surnames such as Aroyo, Haro, Lowinger, Reginiano and Cohen immediately come to mind.)
Mr Siegele went on to outline the roots of the Holocaust which finally exterminated 6 million Jews – two-thirds of the entire Jewish population in Europe. “Among these were 1.5 million children”, among them Anne Frank, famous for her diary. “She would have reached the age of 90 in June of this year.”
He said that the aim of his organisation is to remember Anne Frank and her diary with exhibitions, and an array of educational programmes in Germany as well as abroad. “We offer children and young people opportunities to examine history and connect it to the world in which they live today. By doing so, they learn how to take social responsibility, and how to cherish and defend freedom, equal rights, and democracy.”
The speaker then went on to give the audience an outline of the life of Anne Frank and how she died. *** Otto Frank was the only survivor in his family. He found out how his wife Edith had died from a survivor who had been in the same barracks. However, he did not know what had happened to his daughters, Anne and Margot. “Every day, he went to Amsterdam Central Station, hoping to find them among the travellers returning from the concentration camps, and like many other survivors he placed an ad in the newspaper, hoping for news.” He finally found out that his daughters had been imprisoned at Bergen-Belsen and that they died of typhus.
A friend had kept Anne’s diary and when she heard the terrible news she handed it to Otto. In 1947, he made the decision to publish the diary.
*** In spite of Germany surrendering in 1945 and the concentration camps liberated, thousands of people, like Otto Frank were still suffering. “The situation was especially painful for Jewish prisoners. Most of them had lost everything including their national identities. In response to this situation, the Allies set up Camps for Displaced Persons. Up to 10 million Jewish and non-Jewish refugees, many from Eastern Europe were held in these camps in Germany, Austria and Italy. Because Antisemitism had not vanished with the defeat of Nazi Germany and was widespread even among other Displaced Persons populations, the UN later created special camps for Jewish prisoners, where they tried somehow to start new lives but always under the cloud of uncertainty, and always with the question of where they would find a new home.” It was only with the establishment of the State of Israel that these Displaced Persons fi- nally settled down. More than 650,000 refugees emigrated to Israel by 1950. And the US finally opened its doors to more than 400,000 Displaced Persons, about 140,000 of which were European Jews.”
*** Otto Frank dedicated his whole life to the legacy of his daughter Anne. As she had written in April 1944: “I don’t want to have lived in vain like most people. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death.” Otto’s goal was that this wish of his daughter should come true.
But, Mr Siegele pointed out, “to keep her memory alive was much harder than it might seem today. Otto had to go to court several times against people who declared that the diary was a forgery, that he had made everything up to make money. There were Antisemites and right wing extremists who claimed that Anne never was in Auschwitz... the impact of the injustices that the Nazi regime visited upon its victims has lingered to this day.”
Mr Siegele went on to give examples of the suffering of homosexuals, European Sinti and Roma, the mentally or physically ill. “The history of the Holocaust shows us where prejudice, where discrimination, where Antisemitism and Racism can lead... A recent study shows how serious the situation has once again become for Europe’s Jews; 90 per cent of Jews in nine countries observe that Antisemitism is on the rise; and 34% avoid visiting Jewish events or sites because they do not feel safe as Jews... around 1,500 offenses against Jews are counted in Germany alone every year. The number is on the rise.”
He ended with a quote by Primo Levi: “....It happened, therefore it can happen again: this is the core of what we have to say. It can happen, and it can happen everywhere.”
A young boy in the audience piped up that perhaps we should start off by addressing bullying in the schools. Indeed.
We left after the discussion, with much food for thought.
The President of Malta Dr Ruth Farrugia PFWS Director Keynote speaker: Patrick Siegele – Director of the Anne Frank Centre in Berlin Panel: German Ambassador; Patrick Siegele; Dr Maria Pisani – Representative of the Platform of Human Rights Organisations in Malta (PHROM); Amy Camilleri Zahra, Assistant Lecturer, University of Malta; Lis Elsby, Representative of the YadVashem International School for Holocaust Studies Moderator: Pyt Farrugia
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