This week we attended a funeral for holocaust survivor, Chasia Glina. As part of the eulogy, her grandchildren spoke of how her life was dedicated to family and the jewish people, and how proud she was of a thriving and successful Israel. The grandchildren in turn all spoke of their trip to visit the camps in Poland accompanied by their grandmother. She insisted on accompanying them, despite the indescribable anguish this must have caused her. Her grandkids vowed to never forget the holocaust, and to pass the message on to future generations. It was as if Chasia had planted a seed in their souls. As we looked at the faces around us, it was clear that everybody in the crowded synagogue reaffirmed their own pledge. Chasia would have been proud, but not as proud as we are of her. A marvellous woman.....a woman of valour....who out of the ashes of Auschwitz raised a family of believers and rebuilt a Jewish life. One person does make a difference. Helen (Chasia) Glina made a huge difference.
This got me thinking of the bigger picture. How many European Jews survived the holocaust? There are different estimates, and the exact figure is irrelevant to this article. Most estimations are anywhere between 500,000 and a million souls. To put in context, the population of the world today is close on 7 billion people, of which about 14 million are jewish. Think about it. About 85-90 percent of the jewish population of Europe died in Hitlers death camps. Anybody who survived this unspeakable horror, must be quite the survivor. Hundreds of thousands of Chasia's who had survived arguably the greatest evil in history, had to pick themselves up and continue forward. And pick themselves up and continue, they did. Hitler and his cohorts must be rolling in their graves.
This small group of humanity proceeded to change the face of the planet. All with a central purpose in mind. Continuity of family and people. The State of Israel was born, and despite the efforts of her neighbours to finish the job Hitler had begun, not only exists but could easily be described as a miracle in the making. Jewish communities around the world are contributing to mankind. The Cannonball Tree has existed for thousands of years. And the seed that was planted by this small body of people is growing into a Cannonball Tree, anchoring its roots firmly in the ground, spreading its fruit and contributing to our planet. Says Dr. Garry Neil of Johnson and Johnson "For every problem in the world recognized as insoluble, there is one Israeli or more energetically working on it. Its wonderful". He's right. It is wonderful.
Its amazing how success breeds jealosy and that in turn breeds anger and hatred, especially amongst those struggling to compete. The stupidity of the mob gave birth to genocide and God took revenge through his messengers, the survivors.
So, to all those who deny the holocaust and would harm the Jewish people, look into our eyes and into the depths of our soul. You will find Chasia in every one of us, and if you still have the guts, I say.....go for it!
Thank You Chasia, and rest in peace. We will take it from here.
Its not whether you get knocked down, its whether you get up - Vince Lombardi
This got me thinking of the bigger picture. How many European Jews survived the holocaust? There are different estimates, and the exact figure is irrelevant to this article. Most estimations are anywhere between 500,000 and a million souls. To put in context, the population of the world today is close on 7 billion people, of which about 14 million are jewish. Think about it. About 85-90 percent of the jewish population of Europe died in Hitlers death camps. Anybody who survived this unspeakable horror, must be quite the survivor. Hundreds of thousands of Chasia's who had survived arguably the greatest evil in history, had to pick themselves up and continue forward. And pick themselves up and continue, they did. Hitler and his cohorts must be rolling in their graves.
This small group of humanity proceeded to change the face of the planet. All with a central purpose in mind. Continuity of family and people. The State of Israel was born, and despite the efforts of her neighbours to finish the job Hitler had begun, not only exists but could easily be described as a miracle in the making. Jewish communities around the world are contributing to mankind. The Cannonball Tree has existed for thousands of years. And the seed that was planted by this small body of people is growing into a Cannonball Tree, anchoring its roots firmly in the ground, spreading its fruit and contributing to our planet. Says Dr. Garry Neil of Johnson and Johnson "For every problem in the world recognized as insoluble, there is one Israeli or more energetically working on it. Its wonderful". He's right. It is wonderful.
Its amazing how success breeds jealosy and that in turn breeds anger and hatred, especially amongst those struggling to compete. The stupidity of the mob gave birth to genocide and God took revenge through his messengers, the survivors.
So, to all those who deny the holocaust and would harm the Jewish people, look into our eyes and into the depths of our soul. You will find Chasia in every one of us, and if you still have the guts, I say.....go for it!
Thank You Chasia, and rest in peace. We will take it from here.
Its not whether you get knocked down, its whether you get up - Vince Lombardi
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