There are two ways of dealing with a tragedy, in my opinion. We either stick our heads in the sand until it (or the discussion of it) passes or we can choose to address it and begin to understand its deeper meaning.
When dealing with the systematic extermination of the Jews and other groups singled out for removal and ultimately death, I would like to think that we will always find room to discuss one of history’s darkest hours openly. It's important that each generation provides an opportunity to share these stories in the hopes of not repeating them.
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Kindertransport – a mission where more than 10,000 young Jewish children were safely evacuated from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia through the kindness of people who decided it was better to risk their lives to save a child than watch them perish from indifference in the moments before the beginning of World War II -- GVSU will host a series of events, including a powerful play of the same name as the mission.
While based on fact, the play Kindertransport was written by Diane Samuels and first performed in London in 1993. The drama centers on the story of a single fictional child, Eva, who makes her way though the maze of passages to her safety in Great Britain.
The play is shared through a series of flashbacks and is constructed from a series of first-hand accounts and interviews with children and those who helped them make their journey to safety.
“My father (of blessed memory) and I were talking one day, and the Holocaust came up in conversation,” says director and GVSU Professor of Theatre Karen Libman of her father, who has been in America for generations. “While he did not lose anyone in the war, he was certain that the Holocaust would happen again. Anti-Semitism, after all, did not begin with the Holocaust, and has certainly not ended there. So whenever I think that we should move on from this horror -- not forget, mind you, but move on -- I remember that conversation with my father. It chills me.”
A talk by Kindertransport survivor John H. Rosen commenced on Nov. 5. In addition, the historical exhibition, “The Kindertransport Journey,” will be on display in the Exhibition Space in the Atrium level of the Mary Idema Pew Library Nov. 1-24. This exhibition is made possible by Grand Valley’s Jewish Student Organization, Hillel, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs and includes works from the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, New York. The exhibition is free.
Admission: $12 adults, $10 faculty, staff, alumni, and seniors, and $6 all students
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