GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - Although nearly 77 years have passed since the Holocaust, what some would claim is ancient history has remained ever-present to survivors and their families.
More than Grafenwoehr 50 Soldiers, community and family members gathered at the Tower View, April 23, to listen to stories of heroes and hope, as well as despair, while remembering those who perished and those who fought.
Each year "Days of Remembrance" or "Yom Hashoah" calls the nation to remember and pay tribute to all the deaths and destroyed families, and the fear and brutality of the Holocaust.
The dark event in history was a systematic persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945. During the Holocaust, Jews were the primary victims - six million were murdered; gypsies, the handicapped and Poles were also targeted for destruction or decimation for racial, ethnic or national reasons.
Millions more, including homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Soviet prisoners of war and political dissidents, also suffered grievous oppression and death under Nazi tyranny.
Guest speaker Rabbi Daniel S. Katz addressed the audience and spoke of the unwarranted prejudice and ignorance, stating such a mindset "can have a great impact on a community."
"But what we stress is you, as individuals, can make a difference," said Katz. "Everyone has a contribution to make, it may not be self-evident, but those who make significant contributions often do not set out to do so."
Seven men and women were honored at the ceremony for their significant life-saving contributions, including Miep Gies, one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank, her family and several family friends in an attic annex during World War II; Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Polish Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories; and Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who saved the lives of thousands by issuing transit visas to Jewish refugees. Sugihara wrote travel visas that facilitated the escape of more than 6,000 Jewish refugees to Japanese territory.
The story of Sugihara hit home for Rhoda Wilner, gifted education resource teacher at Netzaberg Elementary School, who said she feels personally impacted by his benevolence.
Wilner shared a story of a close family member that fled to safety with the help of Sugihara.
"Without his help my niece and nephew would not be here. We wouldn't be the family we are," said Wilner. "This one man made a huge difference in the lives of so many, including mine."
As the event continued, young thespians from the Performing Arts Center performed excerpts from the play "And a child shall lead," by Michael Slate. In the short performance, children brought to life the heroic and true story coming of age in Terezin, the "Jewish city" established by the Nazis near Prague as a way station before the death camps.
In the face of unspeakable horror, these children used their determination and creativity to build lives filled with hope and beauty AcE+' playing, studying and writing poetry AcE+' all at the peril of being executed.
"We need to keep these historical events in our awareness," said Master Sgt. Celeste Brown, Joint Multinational Training Command Equal Opportunity advisor. He explained that it is important to understand these events and increase the awareness to prepare and take proper action, if ever needed.
Throughout the remembrance ceremony, community members were reminded what can happen to civilized people when bigotry, hatred and indifference reign.
"When you educate people about the past, they can make a difference in the future," said Wilner.
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