Memory is about choice. We can choose to remember the past in ways that provoke pain and stir our anger, or we can remember in ways that help us create the kind of world in which we most want to live. Nowhere is this choice more important than in connection to the Holocaust. And never has it been more important than now, because we are the first generation that will live without the presence of those who can tell us in their own words what they have seen with their own eyes. These 71 first-hand stories from survivors teach us to choose to remember for life. Their words are not about hatred and death, but about ethics, decency and love. The stories are arranged to accompany the weekly Torah readings and many of the Jewish holidays, but they are just as meaningful when read on their own, in any sequence. The themes -- journey, identity, resistance, community, refuge, righteousness, and many more -- are universal, but the people are real. And their lessons about how to live more fully the life we are given shine through those dark years. |