By Sara Hamaoui
In-the-Aretz Correspondent
Photo Credits: Amanda Israel-Sultan
On Thursday February 15, the students of Marianopolis had the honour of attending a talk given by two Holocaust survivors, Andy and Mera. This opportunity was made possible by the L’Chaim club, a student run club which promotes Judaism on campus. The two survivors spoke to a class of about 40 people, all of whom willing to lend an ear and a heart to the experiences of those who suffered at the hands of antisemitism.
Mera started by telling the students about her life in Eastern Europe during the Holocaust. She explained that, in order to survive, her parents had to hide out in Russian synagogues, constantly moving, never staying in one place for too long. After a while, because they lacked Russian citizenship, her entire family was sent to a labour camp in Siberia. The conditions there were terrible, leading to her brother passing away from starvation and her father falling into a coma.
After the war, they were released and transported to Germany in cattle cars, treated like animals the entire way there. Germany was not much better, with food rationed and shelter rare. Finally, after more years of suffering, Mera and her family boarded a boat for North America.
Next, Andy shared his story. Born in Hungary in 1939, he was subjected to antisemitism for his entire life. In 1944, his father was taken by Nazis and incarcerated in Ukraine for the crime of being a Jew. 5 year old Andy and his mother, along with much of their family, ended up being transported to the ghettos. Almost immediately, Andy’s Aunt was taken by the Nazis, and that was the last time any of them saw her. Conditions in the ghetto were horrid, with dirty soup, bread, and water being the only available food. Finally, they were liberated, and Andy was faced with the illusion of freedom.
The next day, Andy’s mother was shot in the market, and he was left alone once again. Because of the ghetto, Andy became ill, and ended up spending the next few months in a sanitarium with tuberculosis and meningitis, between life and death. After battling this alone for months, his father returned from Ukraine and miraculously found him. His father had lived through indescribable traumas in prison, watching people die almost every day.
After returning to Hungary, Andy’s father married a Jewish woman who had been experimented on by the Nazis, leaving her unable to bear children. She adopted Andy, and, after a few more years of conditions endured under the communist regime, the three of them made their way to Canada.
Many years later, Mera and Andy found each other, and 60 years after that they are still happily married. With 3 kids and 6 grandchildren, they are living the life that they never thought they could, making sure they never move backwards, only forwards.
Exposed to tremendous accounts of a life of Jewish endurance, the students in the room felt empowered. Listening to stories of survival and perseverance from Jews of a previous generation left its mark on everyone in the room, especially in the throes of the current rising antisemitism currently sweeping across campuses.
One of the students, seeking guidance, asked the survivors if their life experiences had given them any insight or opinions on Israel. Specifically, the student wanted to know if they thought that, as Jews, it was important to keep the land of Israel in Jewish hands.
Without hesitation, Mera started explaining to the students just how important she thought it was.
“Israel has to continue. No Israel, Jews would not be anywhere. This ‘never again’, we are seeing it repeat itself”.
Many people believe that antisemitism and anti-zionism are not the same. These people are wrong. In every single generation, there have been Jews who have attempted to make a community outside of Israel. And in every generation, they have failed. After thousands of years of genocides, blood libels, pogroms, and so much more, Jews have nowhere left to go. The only place that they are guaranteed safety is in Israel.
Survivors of the worst tragedy in Jewish history have stated this very clearly. They have experienced vicious antisemitism firsthand, and they know that Israel is the only solution.
Intent on making us understand, Andy started to explain.
“We cannot fight anymore”, he said. “It’s up to you to fight for your Judaism. Talk to your friends, Jews and non-Jews. Help them understand that the news is fake, bang it into their heads. They try to talk about what’s going on now, and it’s all BS. They try to say that what I went through is a lie. It’s not a lie. I did it. I can’t do it anymore. I’m 85. It’s up to you.”
For every person that accuses Israel of genocide, there is a Jew that knows the truth. After thousands of years of persecution, it is time for the Jewish community to return to their homeland.
It is time for them to fight for what is theirs.
The Holocaust resulted in the loss of 6 million Jews, and we will not lose any more.
It is time for Never Again to be the truth.
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