holocaust survivors share experiences with tcnj students

Vera Goodkin was a 12-year-old captive in a Nazi prison in 1944, when three men who claimed to be from the Swedish Red Cross arrived at the detention center. The men said they were there to take away any child between the ages of 5 and 14 whose mother would allow it. Out of the 700 or so mothers who were being detained there, Vera’s was the only one who let her child be taken away.

Once clear of the prison walls, the men told Vera they were not from the Swedish Red Cross, but actually worked for a man named Raoul Wallenberg. They brought Vera to a safe house in Budapest, where she met other children who had been rescued from other Nazi prisons. Vera remembers that, during her time there, Wallenberg would come play with the children each night. Her stay was interrupted when she developed scarlet fever and had to be quarantined for six weeks. When she returned to the home, the man who had saved her life was gone. 

Vera’s parents, who were still under the impression their daughter had been taken by the Swedish Red Cross, escaped from a different Nazi prison in November 1944. In a serendipitous turn of events, Vera’s father encountered Wallenberg. Her father asked the diplomat for Schutz passes for he and his wife. The passes gave the bearer protection under Swedish law. Wallenberg gave Vera’s father the passes, and then said, “I have something else that belongs to you: your daughter.”

After being reunited, Vera and her parents were forced to hide in a cellar for the next 10 weeks of the war. Finally, the Russians liberated their block, and Vera and her parents were saved. However, Vera’s maternal grandparents, as well as many of her uncles, were among the millions who were murdered at Auschwitz.

After the war, Vera immigrated to the United States. For years, she kept her story of atrocity, tragedy, inspiration, and courage to herself out of fear and pain. These days, she feels compelled to share her experiences with others, and she recently did so with senior English major Ashley Reichelmann.

The exchange between Reichelmann and Goodkin is just one of many that occurred this semester between TCNJ students and Holocaust survivors. Ellen Friedman, professor of English, taught two courses that explored the Holocaust: Representing the Holocaust (Senior Seminar Capstone) and Representations of the Holocaust (an honors class).

Students in the two courses were required to conduct ethnographies of Holocaust survivors. Each student regularly met with a Holocaust survivor and interviewed them about their experiences.

The ethnographies yielded a greater understanding of the Holocaust, according to students who attended a November luncheon held on campus in honor of the survivors. The event also offered the opportunity for the students and survivors to describe their experiences with the ethnography project.

“My Holocaust survivor conveyed strength and power to me,” senior political science major Beth Avery said of her survivor, Ursula Powell.

Many students expressed appreciation for the chance to get to know their survivor, saying they learned a great deal from them.

“Dr. Goodkin taught me more about life, particularly about the danger of remaining silent, than any classroom ever could,” said Reichelmann. “She wants me to learn. She wants to give her past so I can share it.”

The survivors expressed their appreciation of having the opportunity to share their stories with the students. “Its comforting to know that when I am no longer here, she will remember and pass on my story,” said Goodkin.

“It’s been a privilege to tell Beth my story,” said Powell, a native of Germany who was sent to Auschwitz at the age of 16. “Our mission was to educate the students about our experiences. Now it is their responsibility to share these experiences and fight prejudice of any kind in the future.”

The project for the two courses highlights the “value in learning from our past,” according to President Gitenstein, who was in attendance at the November luncheon.

Friedman, who is currently writing a book on her own family’s experiences in the Holocaust, was particularly pleased about the personal and intellectual growth that the students gained.

“Many students at first dreaded going into the home of a stranger and asking them personal questions. They had a lot of personal anxieties to overcome to complete this project. But they did, and as a result they formed lasting relationships,” Friedman said. 

Friedman worked with Paul Winkler, executive director of the New Jersey State Commission on Holocaust Education, to set each student up with their survivor. Winkler, a Holocaust survivor himself, spoke at the luncheon and offered advice to the students.

“Your survivors were willing to share their stories with you. Now it is your job to never forget these stories and to carry them with you in the future,” Winkler said.