Blog Post #4 - Sylvie

Before I read Night, before I went to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, before I watched One Survivor Remembers, and before I learned that 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust, I could never have imagined mankind cabable of such a horrendous act. I experienced such a whirlwind of emotions as I read Night; Wiesel’s book made me feel so much sadness, but I also felt empowered. Reading Night made me question what I would have done if I was living during the time of the Holocaust. Would I have been as brave? Would I have survived. I can not even begin to fathom the tremendous amount of strength it took for the Jews to fight back and keep the will to survive. Knowing that people have gone through such loss and hardship, I feel as if I can do anything. In one of the most powerful statements from Night, Wiesel writes, “Yet another last night. The last night at home, the last night in the ghetto, the last night on the train, the last night in Buna.” I find this statement to be so significant because the Holocaust is never-ending; we must never forget, and holding the victims and survivors in our thoughts is ever so important. Life is Beautiful is a wonderful example of why we must never forget. The main character Guido fights for his son’s life until the very end of his own. I was so moved by the amount of devotion Guido held to protect his son, and I believe that we all possess the same devotion for our loved ones. The day our class left for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, I felt anxious about seeing the inevitable. Walking through the hallway of shoes made my stomach drop; I could not help imagining whom the black pair of sandals belonged to, or the brown leather boots. I do not think I will ever forget the moment my eyes landed on the sign that once hung above thousands of Jews at the gate of Auschwitz. I will also never forget my overall experience of learning about the Holocaust, and if there is one aspect of this whole journey that will always stay with me, it is that we must never forget.