by George J Elbaum
This was my 5th time speaking at the University of San Francisco (USF), a Jesuit Catholic university. Founded in 1855, USF was the city’s first university, and it is the third oldest institution for higher learning in California. Its student body numbers approximately 10,600, with 62% undergraduates and 38% postgraduates, and its faculty numbers approximately 1,200, of which 41% are full-time and 59% are part-time, or adjunct. Religious and spiritual organizations on campus include the Muslim Student Union, the USF chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and the USF Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.
My talk at USF this year was for 40 students in an undergraduate course entitled Holocaust and Genocide, which is one of the selective subjects in USF’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies. It was organized by its teacher Dr. Alexis Herr and arranged by Sadie Simon, Education Program Manager of the JFCS Holocaust Center.
Notes from USF students
A few weeks after my talk to the USF students I received a couple dozen Thank You notes, and as is our custom, my wife Mimi and I read these together after dinner, excerpted the statements that most resonated with us, and these excerpts are shown below.
- The profound experience of being able to hear your first hand account while being able to see your facial expressions is something I will never forget.
- I am filled with deep sorrowful inexpressible feeling because you and all the others had to go through this, but I am also supremely inspired by your courage and honesty. I am honored to have heard you speak.
- As I was watching and listening to you I was very emotional and so inspired by you and the strength you have is truly amazing.
- I’m honored to have met you and listened to your story, a story I wish many other could know to stop hate from spreading.
- Just a part of your story is enough to move someone, but your whole and continuous story is one that I am so grateful to have heard.
- I recall asking you how you felt as an immigrant and how that could have caused conflict in your youthful search for identity, but the way you answered my question and the questions of my peers was so genuine and so human.
- The stories about your mother are ones that have left me in awe of women who experienced such hardships.
- Your courage to share your experiences in Poland is incredibly admirable; I think, no, I’m sure you have touched the hearts, including mine, of students throughout the room.
- I also want to acknowledge your mother and the sacrifices she made. I know that being with her towards the end of her life must have been very difficult.
- I truly wish you the best and I also hope you know your purpose here 😊. Thank you so much for surviving and making it through. I wish you the best in life and that you are with your wife happy and eating some delicious cheesecake 😊
- When you came and talked to us it gave me a reevaluation of how life may vary between people. Your talk certainly helped me see how people may not be in the best places in life but there is always a possibility for hope.
- After reflecting on your talk I realized that being moral during the Holocaust could get you killed. Jews as well as other minority groups were pushed during the Holocaust to such unbearable limits that being moral limited your chances of survival.
- I shared your stories and lessons with my parents. I truly felt the emotion in the way you spoke and in your words. I appreciate your giving me the opportunity to listen.
- I will carry your story with me throughout my life and learn from it. I aspire to be as brave as you were and are, in every aspect of my life.
- Your passion for educating others is something deeply necessary in our contemporary world, to prevent more harm and hate from rising again and again.
- I hope you understand the impact your story has on others, and the fact that you overcame such struggles and continued following the goals that you love – like flying and motorcycling (despite your wife’s objections) – it shows that one’s life does not have to constrain them – the sky’s the limit!
- I know that nothing in my life will compare with what you went through, but it reminded me of my darkest time caused by illness in my family. Because you told your story I feel I can tell mine and maybe someone will listen and learn from it, just like I have from yours.
- Hearing your story was and will always be one of the most valuable moments in my life. I wish more stories like yours were told to young people like me as they have the ability to change lives. Our world is so hateful and many people still carry this harmful hate. Stories like yours encourage strength, education, empathy and love.
- When you spoke to our class it actually happened to be my birthday. As a result of your talk I reflected a lot on my own life which caused me to feel very emotional considering the fact that if you can do anything, then I can do anything also.
- I remember when you came to St. Peter’s school in the Mission when I was in 8th grade, but at that time I didn’t really understand too much about the Holocaust. Now that you came again to USF I was able to better understand and found your experience extra special to me.
- It is very difficult for people to really grasp the pain and torture that came with living during that time. Therefore I really appreciate your bravery and courage in sharing those personal thoughts with us.
- Your view on the world is admirable. I admire how you were able to turn something so sad like hiding in the shed and seeing the Nazi airplane into a career in aviation.
- I am Jewish like you, and hearing your stories along with others I feel more proud of who I am and my heritage.
- I really admire how you spoke of the instances of students who heard you speak and were born into prejudiced families. You are playing such an important role in breaking the cycle of hate and generational prejudice, and your ability to empathize with those students was incredible.
- As a descendant of the Rome (Gypsy) I find it difficult to source narratives with which I can relate or grasp with some sense of understanding of what victims truly went through; yet with your account and passion the story for the first time came alive.
- I really appreciated hearing your story, but I was especially moved by your forgiveness and empath.
- I know that even through you love to share your story with people, it can be hard to talk about your trauma at times, so thank you for doing what you’re doing and keep at it.
- Your talk helped me put into perspective just how much Holocaust survivors had to endure to stay alive.
- Your positive outlook on life inspires me and makes me appreciate my life more 😊
- I would like to express my gratitude toward when you mentioned how no one believed you could go into aviation but you proved them wrong. Lately people have been telling me what I can and can’t do, but you proved that anything is possible!
- I feel that sharing stories like these is extremely important for future generations. It has definitely helped me be more compassionate toward others, but also to intolerance.
- It was truly a privilege to hear you speak so openly and earnestly about your experience. I am part Armenian and I’ve heard about what my family went through in the Armenian genocide, and how they got here. I believe telling the story of genocide no matter how awful or difficult is so, so vital to future prevention.
- I am so glad that luck was on your side all these years and you are here now making a difference in the world.
