Today's Oprah: The Holocaust
I watched the late showing of the Oprah Winfrey show today at 7pm. I don't think I've ever cried for an hour straight before this. She went to Auschwitz with holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. It's hard to imagine that it's been 61 years since this horiffic event took place. And I learned something today that I never knew before: the allies (Russia, Great Britain, America, Australia, etc) KNEW, as early as 1942, what the Nazis plans were. And they did NOTHING! Absolutely NOTHING to stop it! Over 5 million people died. 5 MILLION PEOPLE! And the children, they threw them straight into the fire - ALIVE! I guess this all kinda hits home for me. Let me explain. I am not Jewish. I am Catholic. BUT, genetically, I am also jewish. My great-grandmother, Sarah and her whole family, was Jewish. She converted to Christianity in order to marry her Irish-Catholic (soon-to-be)husband. So only my little part of the family is Catholic. Everyone else, is Jewish. Sarah lived with my Mom and my grandparents when my mom was growing up. She told no one she was jewish. And when she converted to Christianity, her father disowned her. Although she may have talked to her mother every once and a while. But she never told anyone she was jewish. We had always thought she was "Dutch Reform". About 2 years ago, I decided to look into the family history. Low and behold - I FOUND A COUSIN! Living in London, England. He had no idea that we even existed - as he never knew what happened to the part of the family that lived in America. Anyway, last year he came to New York, and we got to meet him. Me and my Mom went into the city to have dinner with him.
Anyway, I found out that I had family members who died in Auschwitz. I was told that my relatives were hiding on the same block as Anne Frank and her family. When the Nazis came for Anne Frank, they also found and took my family members. The following members of my family died in Auschwitz:
Elisabeth Diamant - born June 3, 1915 - died November 13, 1943 in Auschwitz
Levie Diamant - born March 4 1885 - died September 24, 1942 in Auschwitz
Isaac Diamant (& his wife Betje van Bazel)- born? but died September 10, 1943 in Auschwitz. Their child also died in Auschwitz:
Eliazer Isaak Diamant - born November 22, 1926 - died August 17, 1942 Auschwitz.
Marcus Diamant - born June 11, 1877 - died September 24 - Auschwitz
Wolf Diamant - born October 7, 1884 - died August 31, 1942 - Auschwitz
Child of Eliazer Diamant & Mietje Drukker:
Isaac Diamant - died September 10, 1943 - Auschwitz
Jeanette Diamant - born 1897 - died February 19, 1943 - Auschwitz
Louise Diamant (husband Josef Polak) - born 1908 - died 1942 - Auschwitz
Louise's child: Louis Polak - died 1942 - Auschwitz
Child of Jeanette Diamant (mentioned just above): Lea De Wit - born December 31, 1929 - died February 19, 1943 - Auschwitz (Only 14 years old)
You can assume that the spouses of the above mentioned people also died.
There are a lot of people in my family tree who died between 1942-1945. There are also some who we simply do not know when they died - or what happened to them. But we have a good idea -if their family was taken to the death camp, obviously they were too.
For all of us who live now:
WE CAN NEVER FORGET. WE MUST REMEMBER SO THIS NEVER, EVER HAPPENS AGAIN!
Anyway, I found out that I had family members who died in Auschwitz. I was told that my relatives were hiding on the same block as Anne Frank and her family. When the Nazis came for Anne Frank, they also found and took my family members. The following members of my family died in Auschwitz:
Elisabeth Diamant - born June 3, 1915 - died November 13, 1943 in Auschwitz
Levie Diamant - born March 4 1885 - died September 24, 1942 in Auschwitz
Isaac Diamant (& his wife Betje van Bazel)- born? but died September 10, 1943 in Auschwitz. Their child also died in Auschwitz:
Eliazer Isaak Diamant - born November 22, 1926 - died August 17, 1942 Auschwitz.
Marcus Diamant - born June 11, 1877 - died September 24 - Auschwitz
Wolf Diamant - born October 7, 1884 - died August 31, 1942 - Auschwitz
Child of Eliazer Diamant & Mietje Drukker:
Isaac Diamant - died September 10, 1943 - Auschwitz
Jeanette Diamant - born 1897 - died February 19, 1943 - Auschwitz
Louise Diamant (husband Josef Polak) - born 1908 - died 1942 - Auschwitz
Louise's child: Louis Polak - died 1942 - Auschwitz
Child of Jeanette Diamant (mentioned just above): Lea De Wit - born December 31, 1929 - died February 19, 1943 - Auschwitz (Only 14 years old)
You can assume that the spouses of the above mentioned people also died.
There are a lot of people in my family tree who died between 1942-1945. There are also some who we simply do not know when they died - or what happened to them. But we have a good idea -if their family was taken to the death camp, obviously they were too.
For all of us who live now:
WE CAN NEVER FORGET. WE MUST REMEMBER SO THIS NEVER, EVER HAPPENS AGAIN!