REMEMBERING THE PAST

April 2004
		Two people who have survived periods of horrific genocide have teamed up to tell people about their experiences in the Holocaust and Rwanda's civil war, with the hope of preventing such acts from happening again. David Gewirtzman and Jacqueline Murekatete answer your questions.

Forum Introduction What is it within a society that causes genocide and what can one do? What locations and situations in the world currently hold the potential for genocide? What is it within you that keeps you from being bitter and what would you hope to instill in people to carry with them in their daily lives? Are you ever criticized by other Jews for drawing the connection between the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide, as well as similar atrocities in the history of humanity? When you were in Poland, were you were able to contact the family who hid you and your family? Mr. Gewirtzman, it was about 50 years before you went back to Poland. Why so long? And Ms. Murekatete, how will you decide when to go back to Rwanda? Is there a book written about Rwanda, or are there materials to illustrate the similarities between the Rwanda experience and the Holocaust? How do you feel about the United States government's inaction in Rwanda? Have you shared your story with anyone in the U.S. government? What factors caused one tribe to rise up against another in Rwanda?	Jimmy Durchslag of Redway, Calif., asks: Hello to you both, and thank you for your remarkable, important work. This question is for you, David. As a Jew, it often seems to me that many members of my religion are very proprietary about the holocaust, as if what happened to us is different from anything that has ever happened to any other group of people. Are you ever criticized by other Jews for drawing the connection between the holocaust and the Rwandan genocide, as well as similar atrocities in the history of humanity? If so, how do you respond? David Gewirtzman responds: I too believe that the Holocaust was unique. Unique in the sense that no other genocide was driven by the concept of "the final solution," that every Jew on the face of this Earth is to be exterminated. That does not mean that the Cambodian, Rwandan or other genocides are to be minimized. I believe that while the Holocaust was indeed the epitome of what "civilized people" can perpetrate on their fellow men, the genocides that preceded or followed it only prove that man does not learn from history. When will this end? That is for me, you and decent people who care to decide.   Nancy Bogardus Colm of Lexington, Ky., asks: I was saddened by the horror the two of you experienced and greatly admire you for telling your story to so many people. Sir, I wanted to ask you if, when you were in Poland, you were able to contact the family who hid you and your family. They took a great risk in doing so -- if only more people had taken such a risk! How brave they were! David Gewirtzman responds: Yes Ms. Bogardus, I was able to contact the family that hid us. The parents are no longer alive but we met with the three daughters who are closer to my age. We met at the farm where we were hidden. The hole in the pigsty is still there. I was able to help them with some money and we do help them occasionally with clothing packages or cash. We also correspond with some of their grandchildren, one of which visited us in the U.S. And indeed, like anybody who helped, they were brave.