Former SS Member, on Trial in Germany, Says He Was ‘Morally Complicit’ at Auschwitz - NYTimes.com
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/22/world/europe/oskar-groning-auschwitz-birkenau-guard-trial.html A bit about the good in us
James Venture, French Resistance Fighter Who Survived Nazi Death Train, Dies at 93 - NYTimes.com
Hospice of Cincinnati campaign, #thingsyoushouldntwaittosay
Michael found this great, super-relevant article for us. Perfect timing for the end of the course!
Science, Faith, Answers to the big questions....
Faith vs. Facts - NYTimes.com
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ReplyDeleteDeath Train Survivor
ReplyDeleteIt's so unfortunate for individuals to go through such torture as those victims of the Nazi regime. James Venture, being one of 275 survivors from the "death train", dedicated his life to making sure these survivors were taken care of throughout their lives because he knew what they had seen and been through. This man died honorably on April 1st at 93 years old. Going through such a traumatic experience is life changing and in most cases deadly, but to come out of it alive and with such inspiration and compassion to help those who were suffering with him is truly admirable. I can't imagine living through this kind of torture and it is beyond me as to why someone would inflict such agony on all those who were affected.
I read the two articles about the "death train survivor" and the article about the former SS member. I had two extreme different emotions when reading these two articles. Obviously compassion and admiration for the survivor. It amazes me how strong people had to be in order to make it out of that type of situation. It amazes me even more that instead of feeling sorry for himself the rest of his life, he dedicated his life to memorializing and celebrating those who survived and those who were not as fortunate. Then I began to read the article about the SS officer. At first I felt bad for him because he was on old man. Then as I kept reading the article more suspicion and almost anger arose in me. Yes he is an old man, but does that mean he gets a free pass for all the awful things he "witnessed?" Now I use "witness" in quotes because I find it extremely hard to believe that he was at Auschwitz and never had a hand in any death directly. This stuck out to me especially when he told the story about the watching the infant be killed. Maybe he did not take a hit at the infant, but he did watch it happen and LET it happen. He didn't do anything to stop it. So is he really not guilty? Ultimately, I am glad they are still processing cases like this and bringing what little justice left they can to those who survived and there successors.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there should be justice done,but to what extent. What do you think should happen to him? It says he was an SS member so from what I can tell he did not have that much authority or any at all over other members of the SS. It says in the article that he made a complaint about it, but nothing happened. If he were to have stepped out of line who knows what could have happened to him. I'm not excusing him for anything that he may have contributed to, but if you were in his shoes you may not have been quick to step out of line either. The Nazi's did a very good job at propagandizing their beliefs into the people of Germany, so its hard to say what could have happen to him if he stepped out of line. I'm in no way of saying that people who took place in killing the Jews and torturing them should get away with it. I'm just pointing out another way of looking at it too.
DeleteHospice of Cincinnati campaign, #thingsyoushouldntwaittosay
ReplyDeleteI fully support this man and not being afraid to get the word out about dying and how to prepare for it. Hospice is a huge advocate for the terminally ill and what a better way to spread the correct information in a compassionate way is just fantastic. Of course this is just the beginning but it only takes one person or organization to get the ball rolling and he sure has done that. I also think that the topic of death no matter what the age range is uncommon is due to that most are afraid to share how they truly feel thinking it will be wrong and judged by others. There are many reasons why but we should not be afraid to speak up about what we want... if we do not start talking who knows... we may never get a chance too and then our lives will be in the hands of those who make our choices for us.
I am saddened reading the story of James Venture, the death train survivor, and his death at age 93. The survivors of Holocaust events are pieces of history and there are not many around today to tell their stories, which is so incredibly unfortunate. It is important for survivors to continue telling and spreading their stories of the horrible things that were done to them because it reminds people around the world how awful an occurrence the Holocaust was and how we must never let anything like that happen again. Not that anyone could every forget the events that occurred, but with the survivors slowly declining, awareness of the event and the hate that sparked it will also decline. It is important for us to teach generations to come of the Holocaust and the repercussions of it so that nothing like it ever occurs again. All humans should be peaceful with each other, not hateful.
ReplyDeleteHospice of Cincinnati
ReplyDeleteI think this is an amazing idea to start conversations with families. We as a country need to get better at talking about each others end-life plans with our friends and family to help when those times come a little less stressful. We all know that death is at the end of road for everyone and there is no way to avoid it so we need to learn to accept it instead of keep acting like it won't happen to us.
faith vs facts
ReplyDeletethis particular sentence really struck me "these scholars have remarked that when people consider the truth of a religious belief, what the belief does for their lives matters more than, well, the facts." i am a fairly logical person and i need facts to support a lot of my ideals. that being said, depending on the severity of the belief in question, i don't think it would bother me if someone ignored facts to maintain there beliefs. I'm curious if you all feel the same way? if anyone else reads this article i would love to know if you agree or disagree!
SS member
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article I understand that people want people everyone that was responsible in partaking in the Holocaust is punished for it and I do think they deserve that, but I'm not sure what they would do to this 93 year old man. He was complicit in things happening in the camp such as the baby being beaten, but honestly what could he have done. It says that he did speak up about it,but nothing was done about it. He also tried to get transferred three times. I think people also forget that the citizens of Germany were heavenly propagandized and brain washed into the beliefs of Hitler. I'm not saying that excuses any person that helped in harming the Jews and should keep them from being punished, but I think people forget that. He didn't seem to have any power over anyone and he probably would have been severely punished for stepping out of line. I do think something should be done, but I don't know what should be since he is so old and because of the extent of his involvement.
I love the idea of spreading uplifting messages everyday. If I was driving past that almost everyday, I would feel so much better about life itself. People nowadays are so rushed in every aspect of life and never slow down for anything. Especially to have much needed talks, like the ones the Hospice of Cincinnati is trying to tell people about. Everyone needs reminded that life is valuable and although it doesn't last forever, it should be a great experience for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI also read the article about the Nazi train survivor that recently passed away. It's so sad that not many survivors are left. However, it's amazing that this man was able to survive the experience of the train with the Nazis. The awful tactics that the Germans used against everyone were not easy to handle for anyone, but this man made history by surviving them. The Holocaust is one of the topics that I find most interesting and reading more about the personal lives of survivors or even Nazi soldiers really makes me wonder more about their thoughts and feelings.
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