EVA TANNENBAUM CUMMINS: MY HERO

When asked by her teacher, Jo Cripps, to write an essay on her hero, Maya didn't choose a media figure, or a relative, or even a person out of history. She chose Eva Tannenbaum Cummins, a Holocaust survivor who spoke to her class earlier in the year. Eva is a member of the Holocaust Center's speakers bureau.

EVA TANNENBAUM CUMMINS: MY HERO
By Maya P., student at Pinehurst School, Seattle

"Can any of this happen here? That’s something that’s up to each and every one of us."
--Eva

Eva Tannenbaum Cummins was born in Berlin, Germany, in1922. She had a life like all the other children at that time. She had everything a little girl could dream of. She had a loving family and a good education.

And then everything changed. Events forced her to flee from Berlin, days before Hitler started World War II. Eva left her friends, her home, and everything she knew.

In January of 1933, Hitler took power in Germany. Eva's remarkable, intelligent father came home early one day and told his family his shocking news. He’d gotten fired from his newspaper job because he was Jewish.

When Eva was in fifth grade, the school principal brought together all the Jewish students in school. The principal explained to Eva and her friends that even though they were wonderful students, Nazi laws now required all Jews to leave public schools.

Eva and her mother escaped from Germany August of 1939, two weeks before Hitler attacked Poland. They arrived in Seattle with $20. They stayed with Eva’s mother's cousin. Eva went to Broadway High School, and her mother cleaned houses. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and started World War II.

Now, Eva is telling her story to children all around Seattle and beyond. She is dramatizing her life with a play she wrote. She is devoted to her work, and she is one of the few lucky people who actually love their job. Eva is fully committed to her work with us students, and she is very brave.

Eva has been brave all her life, even during deep hardship. Today, at age 89, Eva is going strong.

With so much negativity in the world, I think it’s time that some of the nice people here got some attention instead. Eva definitely grabbed our attention with her play. But most of all, she was kind. To me and all the others. She loves us, and we learn from her and love her back. That is why she is my hero.

Photo: Eva with students at Highline Community College in 2009.

Making the world a better place

Holocaust Survivors Argue Against Donation

Holocaust survivors in Florida have successfully lobbied against the acceptance of a donation from the American subsidiary of the French National Railroad (SNCF). The donation of $80,000 was to be used to teach Florida students about the role of France in the Holocaust. Regional survivors urged the state's educational commissioner to reject the donation on the grounds that the railroad has not taken full responsibility for it's role in the deaths of 76,000 French Jews. For its part, the SNCF has issued an apology, however it also maintains the the trains had been commandeered by the Nazis.

Link:

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/12/15/3090768/holocaust-survivors-force-nazi-collaborator-french-railroad-to-back-down

Tensions Rise Between France and Turkey Over Genocide Issue

Tensions between Turkey and France are growing as the French parliament prepares to vote on a resolution that would penalize the denial of the Armenian genocide. If passed, the resolution would prompt France to block Turkey's membership bid to the European Union unless Turkey formally recognizes its role in the deaths of some 1.5 million Armenians. Turkey has denied any role in the deaths.

Link:

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-265644-turkish-reaction-piles-up-against-sarkozy-ahead-of-genocide-denial-vote.html

Here is a link to some information on the Armenian genocide:

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/turkey/armenian_genocide/index.html

German Right-wing Group Under Increased Public Scrutiny

German politicians are attempting to ban the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) after finding possible links between former NPD leader Ralf Wohlleben with the neo-Nazi terror cell known as the Zwickau cell. The allegations connect the NPD and Wohlleben with the murders of nine people of foreign origin and a police officer.

While past attempts to ban the NPD have failed, many believe the arrest of Wohlleben is the opportunity German officials have been waiting for to finally ban the party.

Link:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,801312,00.html

The discovery of the Zwickau cell and the arrest of Wohlleben have put a microscope on Germany’s far-right movement, and it appears that the groups are better armed than originally thought. According to Der Spiegel authorities confiscated 811 weapons from right-wing groups from 2008-2010.

Link: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,800815,00.html

With My Own Eyes - DVD

300 classrooms around the state of Washington will use the Holocaust Center's new short documentary this year.

Want a free copy? Email us! (Please include your mailing address.)

Using the film in the classroom - We have two teacher trainings coming up at which we will be offering a session on how to use the film with your students.

• Bellevue on January 20


• Bellingham on February 17

More information can be found on our website at www.wsherc.org/news.

David Duke Held in Germany

Former Ku Klux Klan leader and Louisiana politician David Duke was arrested in Cologne, Germany last week prior to a speaking engagement with a right-wing extremist group. Duke’s detention appears to be linked to a 2009 incident in the Czech Republic where he was detained and subsequently expelled from the country on suspicion of Holocaust denial.

Duke is not new to Holocaust denial. The Huffington Post points to “a 2006 appearance at a Holocaust denial conference in Tehran, Iran. The conference featured numerous speeches denouncing the Holocaust as a "myth." At the conference, Duke voiced support for discredited, fringe scholars imprisoned in Europe for denying the use of gas chambers against Jews during the Holocaust.”

Links:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/david-duke-arrested-in-germany_n_1119010.html

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/12/04/3090552/david-duke-arrested-at-german-neo-nazi-event

Survivor speaks to homeless youth in Seattle

Speakers Bureau member Josh G. spoke to a group of individuals at Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets, an organization that provides support and services to homeless youth in the Seattle area. They aim to help youth transition from life on the streets to leading productive lives in the community.

Josh's story of survival during the Holocaust seemed to resonate with the audience, who could relate to some of his experiences. Among the important messages Josh story offered was the fact that he was able to remain resilient in the face of incredible adversity. After struggling to survive for years, Josh arrived in the United States after the war at age 16, with no possessions and no formal education to his name. Yet somehow he was able to graduate from high school, acquire a degree in psychology, and graduate from a Masters program in social work and administration.

Josh was born in Poland, where he experienced first-hand the fury of the Nazi regime. At the age of three, his grandfather, the village’s chief rabbi, was hung in the middle of town. Josh’s family decided to go into hiding to protect themselves from the Nazi regime. Josh’s father worked in his family's long-established lumber business and had many connections, which they used to go into hiding.

Posing as Christian Poles, they evaded capture and made their way to Siberia. Here, they came under the protection of the Soviet Army. Though they escaped immediate danger, life in Siberia was harsh. They faced the bitter cold and the threat of starvation. Eventually, they moved onward to Tashkent in Uzbekistan, where they spent the remainder of the war.

After the war, they returned to Poland, only to have the government officials reject them. Instead, they were sent to a displaced persons camp in Berlin. Throughout their time in Siberia, Uzbekistan, and Berlin, Josh’s family suffered under primitive conditions. Finally, the immigrated to the United States.

Gortler told the group that he was so used to having to scrounge for dirty water or melted snow, that he was overcome when he saw a full, clean basin of flowing water in the United States. He put his whole face in it and drank deeply, only afterward discovering it was a urinal.

Josh said he kept his story to himself for many years. It was only a decade ago, when he read about people who deny the Holocaust ever happened, that he knew he must tell his story and keep the memory and lessons of the Holocaust alive. He has been a dedicated member of the Center's Speakers Bureau for many years.