Today, January 27th, marks the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of
Auschwitz. Today I stood at the Holocaust Memorial to honor those who
died with a violin solo I arranged. Having studied the Holocaust quite
extensively, I almost feel as if I know some of the Jewish survivors.
Their stories are written to declare to the future generations "Never
Again"! The unimaginable suffering the endured, the unspeakable pain
they went through pricks my heart as I realize how much this day must be
remembered. As I stood at that Memorial, I was ready to cry. A hush
fell over as I stood to remember and honor. It was an extremely
emotional moment. Rena... Anita... Henryk... Danka... Elie... Witold...
The countless names of those who died and of those who survived must
not be forgotten. Their stories will live on. They will be
remembered.
This piece is built off the Yiddish song Oyfn Pripetchik
(By The Fireside) and moves through two of the melodies heard in
Schindler's List, finishing with Hatikvah (The Hope). Oyfn Pripetchik
is a song about a Rabbi teaching his students the Hebrew alphabet and
one of the lines says, "When, children, you will grow older/You will
understand/How many tears lie in these letters/And how much crying." A
traditional Yiddish saying quotes "the history of the Jews is written in
tears", but I wanted to end with the Hatikvah because Israel will live
forever. As God's chosen people and the apple of His eye, no one will
ever wipe them off the face of this earth. To all the victims of the
Holocaust: This piece is for you.
Posted By:
~Bethany
1 comment:
Bethany, I was so moved by this beautiful tribute. It was truly a profound way to honor those who lost their lives in the Holocaust. Both your narrative and music really touched my heart. Thank you. Love, Auntie Kaggy
Post a Comment