‘Survivors exaggerated’ what the state guide at Auschwitz told visitors

In response to the last ESRA Magazine's article “Whitewashing History” by Carol Elias, I would like to relate a rather disturbing incident that occurred in May this year during my visit to Auschwitz.  The state guide who conducted our tour made an extremely inappropriate comment and I have started an investigation with the Director of the International Center for Education About Auschwitz and the Holocaust.

Below is the email I sent.  I received a response within a day and I have been promised a full report of their investigation in about three weeks:

To the Director of the International Center for Education About Auschwitz

On 8 May 2018, my wife and I visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, the concentration camp, where we took an English-language tour conducted by an official guide at the site. I do not remember her name but she was a woman of about 35 years old.

During the first part of the tour, she was very professional and balanced in her explanations of what we were seeing.  Toward the end of the tour, we walked along the railway track and then returned via the barracks.  During this time, she described things that had happened in the camps.

One of the tourists asked her: “Were the Germans really that cruel?”

Her response was: “We think that the survivors exaggerated their stories.”

Based on personal knowledge provided by survivors, we know this to be blatantly false.

We were the only Jews in that group and the other members had no real knowledge or understanding of the Holocaust or the camps, or even what happened there.  The question was asked out of naïveté and ignorance.  The guide's response was misguiding and an insult to the people who were murdered in the camp.

Obviously, people who have little or no knowledge about the Holocaust are going to leave the site thinking that the Holocaust has been misrepresented to the world and that its importance as an event of unspeakable horror, not only to the Jewish people, has been blown out of all proportion.

I feel it my duty to bring this event to your notice and to request that it is dealt with.  One or maybe more guides are providing misleading information to an unsuspecting public. This information can have a seriously damaging impact on educating the public about the Holocaust.

I will be pleased to receive your response.

 Norman Silbert, Kfar Saba

They didn’t die, they were murdered

Whilst finding the article in ESRAmagazine #195 on Commemorating the Holocaust at a special ceremony for Yom Hashoah in Modiin very moving, the title of the article “Prayers for those who Died in the Holocaust” was rather undermining.

 6 million Jews, including 1/5 million babies and children, were MURDERED. The Final Solution was a highly organized system of killing Jews simply because they were Jews.

They did not die from illness, old age, or accidents as one could imagine reading the title.

Let us make future generations understand exactly what took place and that those people who were so brutally murdered are never forgotten.

Debbie Shwartzberg, Netanya

A new goal in life at the age of 75!

As a boy in South Africa I knew something about rugby (a once sickly child, I was lucky to make the 4th team), but very little about football.  So when my wife and daughter began watching something called FIFA I didn't take much notice, but sat there reading, and idly glancing at the “telly”.

Well, I must confess - I've become a fan.  Now I watch every night till the late hours, and all the teams seem to be fast, exciting and good.

What did I miss out on for the last 75 years or so.

But, oy vey, is it tough getting up in the morning!  

Mike Porter, Tel Aviv

Allegations against SodaStream – and a response from the CEO

I greatly enjoy reading the ESRA magazine and am consistently impressed by the scope and quality of its contents.

 SodaStream story in our last issue

Therefore I was surprised and disppointaed to read a four-page fluff piece in the July/August issue praising SodaStream as a “model of peaceful coexistence” and a “pleasant environment of equal opportunity” for its workers, which utterly disregarded the severe attacks by SodaStream management on their workers’ union. SodaStream is currently facing a NIS 15 million lawsuit for harassment of unionizing workers.

Testimonies given by SodaStream workers to the court and reported in the press include reports by Bedouin women employees that company representatives approached their husbands in order to pressure them out of participating in strikes, and by an East Jerusalem resident who was promised help organizing medical care for his children in response for reporting to a factory security guard about which employees were signing up for the union. (English reporting on this suit available at https://972mag.com/sodastream-workers-allege-being-threatened-over-unionizing-attempts/128188/)

I expect that a publication of ESRA magazine's quality would at the very least see fit to report “both sides” of the issue.

Ruth Stevens, Azur

SodaStream Ceo Daniel Birnbaum responds: “In regards to the claims put forth by ms. Stevens, there is a dispute between the employees in SodaStream regarding Histadrut Union representation. of our 1,100 full-time employees, about 80 are signed up with the Histadrut and 800 have organized themselves to oppose the Histadrut, the balance have not taken sides. “In an attempt to delay the impeachment of the union by our workers, the Histadrut has attempted to implicate SodaStream in this dispute and blame the company for facilitating this opposition. this, as well as, SodaStream's allegations against the violence and misrepresentation by the Histadrut leaders, is currently being reviewed by the labor court in Beer Sheva, to which effect we have an open suit against the union leaders in the sum of NIS 7 million.

“In her letter to the editor dated 23 July 2018, ms. Stevens's facts against SodaStream are based on an article written in 2017 on +972 which is a onesided, anti-occupation website that exists to criticize anything Israeli and is funded largely by anti-Israel supporters such as the German HBS and others. the court of law is expected to rule shortly but we invite your readers to visit our factory and see for themselves what peace looks like.”

I’ll make sure family, friends get copies

Dear ESRA mag,

Whilst I always enjoy the ESRAmagazine, the last issue #195 is especially interesting and I’d like to thank all the contributors for some amazing articles.

I was very moved by “Four Muslim Prayer Rooms and a Shul in an island of Peace” by Marsha Stein, with photos by Alan Stein and I'll distribute it widely to family and friends.   I was also happy to see two fascinating contributions by Lydia Aisenberg and many other great articles plus Naomi Ariel's very useful column ConsumerWatch. 

Thanks to everyone for the work and input which guarantees such a quality magazine.

ESRA and the work of so many wonderful volunteers, Merle, under your inspirational leadership is a beacon in our society where there is too much extremism and intolerance. Thank you.

Wishing you all a peaceful and enjoyable summer,

Ruth Sobol, Ramat Efal

Your feature should be required reading for all those
in the BDS movement

Though I have never done this before I must write to you Merle to congratulate you and all involved in the July/August issue of the ESRAmagazine.  I just returned from three weeks in the States and, having found the new issue in my mailbox with all kinds of assorted junk, I sat down with it to eat my breakfast.  Two hours later I was still sitting, unable to stop reading.  Every article is interesting and well written and I did not skip one page.  I was especially fascinated and moved by the story of the visit to the SodaStream factory in Rahat.  I felt such pride in the CEO, Daniel Birnbaum, and what he has done for the entire Negev region with this amazing company.  This should be required reading for every BDS enthusiast.  And I found the story about the wonderful Nadav Shadmi, who spends his time creating ways to ease the lives of the disabled, most interesting.  What incredible people we have here in our little country!

I was also very moved by your and your daughters’ tributes to your dear Gert.  I am so sorry that I did not know him.

I plan to pick up a few more ESRAmagazines #195 to send to friends and family abroad.  This issue is too good to keep to ourselves.

Gert Goldstein, Kfar Saba

I’ve lots of fond memories of the ‘fire and brimstone’ rabbi

Rabbi Ephraim Groundland 1932-2009
Rabbi Groundland just came to mind today and I happened upon this page online in ESRA Magazine # 151. I have very fond memories of the man from my Prestwich childhood. From his fire and brimstone sermons, for instance on the iniquities of topless waitresses at the Jewish Workingmen's Club in the early 1970s, to lecturing me on immorality after I'd sung my Barmitzvah piece, to his humor, and catchphrase in cheder “I'll knock your nose off.” Aside from the deep commitment to Judaism, something I didn't go along with even as a kid, what shone through was his essential kindness and humanity. Sure, maybe you'd pretend not to be in when you knew he was at the door asking for money for one of his causes, but you just loved him anyway. I am sorry he has gone from this world and wish his family well.

Alan Goldwater, Just outside Rome

Store’s computer doesn’t need math lesson after all!

Two for one items

Reading ConsumerWatch (ESRAmagazine # 195), I thought how typically Israeli of Home Center to offer oil for wood for NIS 199.90 instead of NIS 239.90 as long as you buy something else for NIS 50 (a total of NIS 249.90 ie NIS 10 more than the original price). But then I realized that by taking up their offer you don't have one item for NIS 239.90 but 2 items for NIS 249.90.

Seems like their computer doesn't need a math lesson after all!

Tay Green, Modiin

Maybe it’s time for ESRA to stick its head in the clouds

Some time ago I received a letter which ended “If an organization has no organizational memory it loses a great deal of knowledge, heritage and emotional experiences.” And I thought it's time to write a history of this remarkable organization ESRA, founded by Merle Guttmann.

Then I read about the recent aliyah from France, many of whom return, and I wondered whether they have an organization like ESRA?

Just one incident from the past. I was asked how ESRA got involved in helping the community at large. When the Russian aliyah reached Herzliya during the Gulf War the municipality turned to ESRA, an NGO and gave it the handling of the donations coming in (lots from tourists) until the municipality got organized. What about Cloud funding?

Adele Rubin, Sderot

Partition: How would they all vote today?

Morton Leibowitz's item 'Jewish World Held its Breath', (ESRAmagazine #194), is a timely reminder of that momentous evening of November 29, 1947, when members of the United Nations voted on a partition plan for Palestine. 

Dr Leibowitz was almost eight at the time, but I claim seniority by being twelve, so perhaps my memory and mathematics are slightly more reliable.  

The UN then comprised 56 member states (not 49, as stated in the article), and passage of the resolution needed a two-thirds majority, not counting abstaining and absent members. As the article shows, 33 countries voted in favor and 13 against—a total of 46 voting members. So 33 (72%) was a comfortable over two-thirds majority.

It would be an interesting theoretical exercise to see how all those countries would vote today!

David Weitzman, Modiin

Museums have changed Holon

Left: An image from Holon’s Design Museum and
Right: one from the Cartoon Museum 
Photos: Dennis Kaliser

We have just returned from the ESRA “Beat the Heat” trip to the Comics Museum and the Design Museum, both in Holon, which we found excellent. Both museums were very inspiring and attractive, with lots of food for thought. In fact I'd like to go back on my own and have a longer browse as we didn't have time to absorb it all.  The guides spoke good English (not always the case!) and added to our enjoyment.  These are two of the museums which have changed the image of Holon (I think that years ago it was considered a rather uninspiring suburb of Tel Aviv).

Thank you to everyone involved.

Ilana Walsh, Rehovot