But, unfortunately, our friendship did not remain in tact. All of a sudden, he would not talk to me, would not spend time with me. And his little sister who was the third party of our previously inseparable trio, would not speak to me either, much less explain to me what I had done. I was devastated beyond words. I had no idea what the problem was, and I was powerless to discover it or mend the rift.
After observing me alone and despondent, my fifth grade teacher (God bless teachers!) sat me down and asked me what happened. I told her I didn't know. She asked what happened the last time we were together. I thought back to the day that I had learned Ian was Jewish.
After telling me his nationality, he had asked about mine. Let me tell you my family was equal parts of two European countries, and we really did not identify with either one. Had I known anything about history, WWII or the Holocaust, I certainly would have answered differently. I would have gladly forfeited any part (indeed every part) of my heritage to remain friends. In my ignorance, I answered with the first thing that popped into my mind.
When I got to that part of the story, my fifth grade teacher let out an "Ooooh!" which really meant, "Ah-ha." I pressed her for an explanation, and got a very perfunctory one. In any case, I got the message that Ian was justified in no longer wanting to be my friend, since I was German.
Soon after that we moved away, and I only ever saw Ian and his little sister one other time. It was when Star Wars came out and I saw them in line outside the theater. They still would not talk to me.
In the years following, I researched what happened. I wanted to know exactly what happened that had the power to ruin the friendship of two children, 30 years later, and half a world away. I grew up with such a feeling of sorrow and regret for all that happened. I grew up evading the question regarding my nationality, until I was sure it was 'safe' to do so.
I guess this is why when I read Anne Frank, see movies like Defiance or hear survivor stories, I am deeply moved. I am so sorry for what happened, and I thank God that my grandfathers both fought against the evil in Europe. So, I count myself extremely privileged to have had the opportunity to do one small thing to help preserve the truth of what happened.
Readers: With people out there who are intent in denying the holocaust, we all must stand up and defend the truth. To do your part, please visit http://www.jhcwc.org/ and sign the petition for the Holocaust exhibit to be a permanent one in Winnipeg's new Human Rights Museum.
No comments:
Post a Comment