June 5, 2012
By Atara Beck
HAIFA – At a moving ceremony honouring Righteous Gentiles, their merit was epitomized by child survivor Rivka Nordheim, who said:
“It is written in the Talmud: ‘He who saves a life, it is as if he saved an entire world.’ You could take out the words ‘as if.’ I have 14 children and 110 grandchildren, attended 19 grandchildren’s weddings and have 38 great-grandchildren. I was saved by the Baracs family at their great risk. They saved an entire world.”
The packed event took place on May 21 at Leo Baeck High School in Haifa, and it was the culmination of three years of extensive student research into the rescue activities of the Boissevain and Van Hall families, and by extension the Baracs (the families are all related), who were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations (RATN) by Yad Vashem Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem.
It was the launch of an impressive 10-day exhibition, titled The Light in the Darkness, which included documents, testimonies and other discoveries at Yad Vashem and Lohamei HaGeta’ot (Fighters of the Ghettos), among other museums, as well as related art and literature.
Dignitaries and representatives from Beit Lohamei HaGeta’ot, the Organization of Immigrants from Holland and ATZUM were among those present.
Esther Grinberg (aka Hester Boissevain-Grinberg) guided the students in their research. In the 1960s she had come to volunteer on a kibbutz and eventually converted to Judaism and made aliyah.
The student project was initiated by ATZUM, a social justice organization established in 2002.
“For various reasons, some [Righteous Gentiles] decided to make their homes in the Jewish state,” Yael Rosen, project coordinator, told the Jewish Tribune. “We’re in touch with their needs, whether financial, social, or emotional.
“Esther hadn’t dealt with her past for all these years until now,” she explained. “Once she started writing up her story, it opened up a whole closet full of memories. Some were triggered by students’ questions. She started speaking about it to her family in Holland and discovered that 18 relatives from different branches of the family were active in the Resistance. She didn’t know; it had been kept secret. Quite a few were killed because of their activities.”
Grinberg’s father, an active member of the Resistance, perished in Buchenwald.
Prominent Israeli artist Binyamin Peleg was among 80 children rescued by Hester Baracs. His paintings, which tell his life story, were on display.
Addressing the students, he declared, “We see people calling others ‘Nazis’ every day. Don’t let the Holocaust become mundane. ‘Nazi’ is not an appropriate term for a demonstration.”
Josef Vleeschhouwer, also rescued by Baracs, stressed the importance of taking responsibility, unlike the biblical Adam, who blamed Eve for his sin.
Amalia Baracs, daughter of Hester, was among a number of relatives who flew in for the occasion. She spoke of a family member who lost her husband and two children because they were helping Jews. However, “she was unbroken,” and continued the work.
Baracs brought with her an original National Commemorative Skirt (feestrok), made by her relative and Dutch Resistance fighter Mies Boissevain, who urged fellow Dutch women to do the same. A patchwork skirt to be worn during national holidays and events, the concept was derived from the slogans, ‘unity in multiplicity, new from old, construction from destruction’ and ‘unified in uniform.’
According to educator Miri Wolf, the students discussed profound philosophical issues during their research such as the right to risk their own family’s lives to save others.
Wolf, as well as Leo Baeck CEO and principal Dani Fesler and Honourary Consul in Haifa Ron Cohen, stressed the importance of courage to choose good over evil, even when choosing good is the unpopular choice of the day; Vleeschhouwer discussed the biblical commandment to choose life over death.
Dutch cultural attaché Liesbeth Mol said she “grew up with parents who made sure I heard all these stories.
Wearing his navy uniform, former Leo Baeck student Lior Sokol, who participated in the first year of research, asserted:
“They are the righteous of Sodom, for whom the world continues.”
“In Israel, you have to complete 60 hours of community service in high school; at Leo Baeck, it’s 80,” student representative Noa Zinman said. “Grinberg inspired me to do more.”
Students presented a plaque of appreciation to Amalia and daughter Sara Baracs.
