Lessons Learned from the Holocaust
Megan Sheely
September 16, 2001

The Holocaust of World War II is known as the one of the world’s darkest hours. The reality of the situation can never truly be realized until one speaks with a survivor or reads a true story of survival. Unfortunately, we thought that tragedies, such as the Holocaust, were over and sadly, they are not. Last Tuesday, September 11, can not and should not be compared to the Holocaust, but it bares some frightening similarities, such as the great loss of innocent lives.

As Rubin Sztajer informed us, we should not link the two together because it would be disrespecting the victims of each separate tragedy. We should think about the similarities, such as the mass amount of lives lost and the malice that was deeply seated in the perpetrators. Then we should remember, maybe more importantly, the differences; the people targeted and the fact that only one attack on the nation happened. There were many people killed in the Holocaust, too many people. It is disheartening to learn that the United States knew about the loss of innocent lives, and did nothing. While people were suffering, the citizens of our country sat around and did not help them, until very late in the war.

The victims and survivors of the Holocaust were very brave people. One must be brave in order to risk his life, his religion, and anything he has ever known in order to possibly spare his family’s lives. People were afraid, as they should have been. Not knowing what is going to happen to you and your loved ones is very frightening. It can bring grown men to tears. Being uprooted and taken to a place you’ve never seen or even heard of before is hard enough. Add physical, emotional and mental abuse to that and you are left with a deadly combination. It can amaze one after learning of all of the hardships the victims were put through, and then meeting a true survivor.

Rubin Sztajer is a true hero. He may not have saved any lives or stopped any more horrible things from happening, but he is delivering a message of peace. By telling his story, he can possibly prevent anymore devastating events from occurring in the United States. Tuesday’s events were truly unbelievable, but after one thinks about the lives lost and the damage done to our cities, it becomes surreal. Then, after thinking about the Holocaust and remembering how these people were treated, the only thing left to do is cry. Cry for those who have lost family in the Holocaust, cry for those who survived, cry for those who lost their lives at the brink of true liberation.

I feel very deeply for the victims of both the Holocaust and the World Trade Center/Pentagon attacks. There are no words that can truly describe the impact that both have had on our lives. Hopefully, society will learn from the horror of the Holocaust and not repeat it in the future. To replace the cries of help from both the families and rescue workers, we as Americans can send monetary, food, and blood donations to both New York and Washington D.C. Helping others will ameliorate the feeling of insignificance that some of us are feeling. We should also try to return to our normal lives, proving to the terrorists that our spirits were not broken, nor will they be any time soon.