On Sunday, Jan. 28, the University of Connecticut Hillel hosted a trip to Boston to hear from a Holocaust survivor and receive a tour of the New England Holocaust Memorial. Attendees left UConn at 9 a.m. and were met upon arrival by their tour guide, Mona, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors. She was born in a displaced persons camp — a place for Holocaust survivors without homes to return to after they were freed by the Allies.
The memorial featured six towers that represent several things regarding the Holocaust, such as the six million Jews murdered, the six major concentration camps and the six curved branches on a menorah (not a Hanukkah menorah). The memorial also always has steam coming up from the towers, which represents the smoke from the gas chambers. The memorial represents the stories of Boston Holocaust survivors. There were six million markings on the towers, representing the six million Jewish lives lost. Inside the towers, as you walk through, there are quotes and stories from survivors. There are plaques that remind us that the Nazis intended to destroy the Jewish people, to the point that nobody would even remember they existed, but here the memorial stands. It is just one of the many memorials honoring the lives lost. The memorial is seemingly in the middle of everything, symbolizing how while many people went about their lives as usual, millions were being murdered. At the end of the memorial tour, there is a plaque that tells visitors they have to stick up for everybody, not only once they are in danger. “Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up,” reads a quote from Martin Niemöller. Visitors are also reminded that it is their responsibility to talk about what happened in order to prevent it from ever happening again. One of the plaques reads “The memory of the Holocaust is the legacy and responsibility of all humanity.” To emphasize this, we are reminded that the Holocaust didn’t just begin with mass murder, but with words.
Attendees then went to Quincy Market for lunch before going to Boston University’s Hillel to hear from Janet Applefield, another Holocaust survivor. Applefield, né Gustava Singer, is a Holocaust survivor that was born in Poland in 1935. She went over her experience during the war. She was also curious as to how anti–semitism is now, from the perspective of college students. She talked about how she was able to better blend in as Aryan due to having blonde hair and blue eyes, which helped her survive. She lost all of her family but her father in the war, whom she was luckily reunited with after he was freed. She and her father were able to come to America, which was only possible if you had a sponsor to take on the financial burden. She emphasized the importance of continuing to have these conversations to ensure that something like the Holocaust can never happen again.
We live in a time where most Holocaust survivors have passed away, meaning we are likely the last generation to hear from survivors directly. Despite many survivors still sharing their stories, we still see many people denying that the Holocaust ever took place.
With antisemitic incidents at a 337% increase, it’s incredibly important to continue open conversations about it. It’s also our responsibility as the last generation to hear from Holocaust survivors to learn from them so that we may teach future generations about what they endured. This trip was very important and provided students with an opportunity that won’t be forgotten. Staff members Jared White and Jake Niefeld were also there to debrief after the trip, as it isn’t an easy subject to hear about. Overall, it was a very informative and important trip.