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Last Shabbos, after services Tamara and I invited our friend Jonathan over for a late afternoon lunch. I’m not sure exactly when but at some point either before or after the food, Tamara pulled out this book about the Holocaust by Michael Berenbaum entitled “A Promise to Remember: The Holocaust in the Words and Voices of its Survivors “. It’s a brilliantly put together book that is highly interactive. The book is filled with a variety of things that can be pulled out and looked at, like photographs, letters and other documents from the era. It’s an interesting, albeit disturbing read which I highly recommend checking it out if you get the chance, because it does do an incredible job of connecting the reader to the subject matter.

The photograph above is one I took of a handout from the book. I came across it looking through a section discussing the Einsatzgruppen. I found this photo extremely disturbing actually the translation (which you can read by clicking on the image), is what kicked me in the balls. I’m fairly secure in my sense of Jewishness these days but still not when it comes to the Shoah because I can’t even begin to imagine what living through something like that would be like. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, if there’s one thing that makes me question my worthiness as a convert its the Holocaust. I guess that somewhere in the back of my mind I’m always wondering, if I ever come, anywhere close to living up to what it is these people died for.

Anyhow, this post really isn’t about me. I just found the subject matter extremely penetrating and thought that maybe some of the other Jews by Choice (or anyone I guess) who read my blog, might as well.

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