This was the topic of the holocaust memorial gathering held in Avshalom Institute on May 4, 2016.
The event started with the audience standing up for one minute for the memory of the holocaust victims.
Batyah Dvir, Historian of the Moreshet Institute gave a lecture “The Jewish kid – The National Socialist point of view; The Nazi Policy”.
In 5/3/1933 the Reich started The Institute for Propaganda and Folk Education”. They believed that they should address the lower common dominator of society, to provide them with a narrow and clear message, which will be absorbed by society as command.
They built am anti-Semitism propaganda machine which referred to the most fundamental feelings of the society, focusing on one enemy – the Jew. The Jewish kid was presented as the opposite of innocence, as manipulator, scary, dangerous.
This was presented in books that were “must-read” for parents to their children.
Following this, the movie “If you stay alive” was screened.
The movie tells Shmulik Shiloh personal story – as a child, that survived the holocaust. This documentary is told while Avi, Shmulik’s son, and Shmulik are traveling back to Lutsk and following the path of Shmulik wanderings during the holocaust, via Selvino – a small village in the Alps, which hosted orphans Jewish children right after the war, and then to Israel, Kibbutz Zeelim, that Shmulik was one of its pioneers.
The film “If You Stay Alive”, life story of Shemulik Shilo
A panel was held, with two of Selvino’s Children – Haviva Borst and Ada Ravid that told their personal stories as children during the holocaust, and how they managed to escape, wondered for days in the wood with no food, and later saved by Polish families.
Haviva, many years later, returned to Poland to visit her saver, nominated him as a “Righteous Gentile”, which he indeed was recognized as such.
Panel with Ada Ravid, Haviva Borst, Avi Shilo and the film producer
Both found their ways to Selvino. They were asked what Selvino meant for them, and had one answer “we re-gained our humanity, we re-gained our childhood”. Thank to Moshe Zeiri who was a Jewish Brigade soldier that ran this place.
Avi Shilo, Shmulik son, who participated in the panel, shared his feelings during filming the movie with his father, and how the stories took a different angle once he became a father himself. Avi emphasized the importance of sharing and telling the stories, as a 2nd generation, now that there are fewer and fewer holocaust survivors with us.
All the panel members remembered Shmulik Shilo love of singing, especially Shabbat evening songs, as were sang in his early childhood. With Avi conducting, the audience burst into singing together – film attached.
