Darrell's reflections on the interview

It's been about a month now since we met Ms. Firestone and mostly everything has been said by my group-mates and myself. But what still stands out to me and what I haven't digested is that she said her life was saved from going on a death march. That is remarkable to me, that the "death march" saved her life, because it sent her from Auschwitz to a forced labor camp. And after being there for four months the camp was liberated by the Russians. Which to me just gets weirder, because a Russian officer tells her that his men will be pillaging so stay inside out of sight until they have moved on because if not she would probably be raped. Being raped by your liberators was a concept I never imagined. And then being released with no food, money, or extra clothes, just having the things you have at the camp and having to fend for yourself as you try to make your way back to your homeland. That to me is probably the most remarkable part of the story. Yeah you're free but things haven't really gotten any better.

Renee's reasons for dedicating her life to becoming a "storyteller"

Hey all, Karen here, I want to elaborate on the story of how Renee became a "storyteller." Alyssa briefly mentioned it, but I think it's worth hearing the whole story because it speaks volumes about this amazing woman. After hearing her speak at the Museum of Tolerance we, as a group of 4, were allowed some private time with her to ask questions. I posed the question "how did you begin to tell your story and why? Her response touched my heart more than you can imagine. Renee stated that she was contacted, by phone at home, by a man (she didn't remember his name) who was involved with Simon Wiesenthal and his endeavors to start the Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum (The Museum of Tolerance) here in Los Angeles. He stated that they wanted her to come and share her story of survival with the public. Her own words were that she laughed at him and hung up the phone. At the time, Renee was a Professor of Fashion Design, at UCLA, and had a prosperous career and was very content with her life. Two days later she claimed that she suffered from her first ever Holocaust nightmare, waking herself in the middle of the night hearing her own voice screaming "They said it wouldn't happen again, they said it wouldn't happen again." This stunned her. This phone call spurred the memories for her. The next day, while reading the morning paper, she found a story about a synagogue in Los Angeles that had been burned to the ground. She said that from that very minute she knew that her life had to be dedicated to informing the public about the horrors or it would just keep happening. That was 32 years ago and she does not regret the turn her life took. She is proud of what she has accomplished. Now you too can realize what Renee and the many others that share their stories with this generation mean to future generations. But most of all, for me personally, she is a woman I will never forget for so many reasons!!!!

April 13, 2010

Today is Renee Firestone's Birthday and we wanted to wish her a very Happy Birthday!

Renee took her gold swimsuit with her to Auschwitz as a way to remember a happier time during the horror she was about to survive.

Alyssa's Reaction to Watching The Last Days

After meeting with Renee, our group decided to view Steven Spielberg's documentary that she participated in, The Last Days. While we had heard Renee's story first hand, she gave not only more detail, but in the documentary we got to see her firsthand reactions to stories she had shared with us, such as her meeting with Dr. Munch and her experience going back to her hometown in Hungary and finding her house. The documentary not only followed Renee and a number of other survivors as they went back to Auschwitz and their hometowns across Eastern Europe with their families, but it also showed detailed footage of the camps. Some of the footage was extremely difficult to watch, and I know myself and some of the others needed to look away at times.
But for me, the most moving part of the documentary was watching Renee's experience in her hometown showing her husband and daughter what it used to be like for her growing up. It was so sad watching her go up to her childhood house and then tell her family she wished she had never come back. But as sad as it was to watch, it also made me want to go back to Poland where my family is from and go back to Auschwitz. Although I have been before, I never felt once would be enough and watching the documentary inspired me to go again this summer. Overall, listening to Renee's stories and experiences makes me even more grateful to her and other survivors that they did survive and are open about their horrific stories so that not only will it not happen again, but I get to be here and be safe as a Jewish person in both Europe and America.

Link to Full Shoah Testimony

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2X7-NYbZE8

Alyssa's Experience Meeting Renee

I was very excited and nervous to meet Renee, but nervous more because I knew I would have so many questions. I have been very fortunate to have met several survivors before and am always grateful to hear a new story. Each story is so unique and unimaginable that I find being in a survivor's presence to be surreal, even when it is someone related to me.
Upon hearing Renee's talk I did not know very much about her other than that she was an Auschwitz survivor and had been involved with Holocaust memoriam for quite a while. She spoke very eloquently and honestly in front of a group of strangers no less. For the first few minutes she spoke about the war and I was surprised to hear how aware her and her family and neighbors were of what was going on. Granted by the time she went to the camps the war had been waging for over five years, it was still difficult to imagine being a teenager living life and knowing that it was only a matter of time.
When Renee began to describe her journey to the camp and her arrival I was in awe of her. The fact that she was greeted by Dr. Mengele, one of the most evil and famous figure from the Holocaust, and stood up to him and then survived was mesmerizing. Renee told us that she was about twenty years old when she arrived at Auschwitz. She was at her prime and looked quite Aryan, hence she was directed to the right immediately. But her sister was a few years younger with brown hair and brown eyes, so Mengele had a tougher decision. Renee ran back and grabbed her sister, which typically would have been grounds for immediate death. Miraculously, Renee survived three different encounters with Mengele through the duration of the war.
Every time I hear a survivor story I am amazed at how many miracles and coincidences they experience, and Renee was no exception. I was particularly curious about her liberation experience and what happened in the years following the war. Sadly, Renee lost almost her entire family, but while wandering through Europe in the months following D-Day, she ran into her brother. Renee ended up moving to the United States and went on to get married, raise a family, and have a successful fashion design career. Unlike many survivors, Renee did not experience any nightmares or felt haunted by her experience until thirty years later when she was asked to speak about her experience. She said she had not really ever spoken about it and that that night she had her first nightmare. Since then she had made a career out of sharing her story and has dedicated her life to never allowing others to forget.
I felt so honored just to be in her presence and get to ask questions in an intimate setting. After leaving the museum that day I felt so grateful that she and so many others survived so that we get the opportunity to hear the personal stories first hand. In a few generations that will not be possible as the last remaining survivors pass on. I also left that day feeling grateful to the survivors that they did survive so that today, I am free to be Jewish publicly. I feel that in large part because they survived, I get to be free today.

My reflections on preparing to meet Ms. Firestone

Last Thursday I, Darrell, met Ms. Firestone along with the rest of the members in my group. When I was first told that we would be interviewing Holocaust survivors I was a bit nervous. And then when I was told some of the problems to expect when meeting a survivor I began developing an escape plan. Just imagining calling someone or meeting with them for an assignment and them not feeling comfortable to talk about their traumatic experiences or just not being physically capable caused me to panic. I started figuring with my luck, I'd be getting swiped at by a man with a cane, telling me to get the hell out of here, how he changed his mind and didn't want to talk anymore. So once our CSUN professor Dr. Clark asked if anyone was free on Thursdays because Renee Firestone gave lectures every week at the Museum of Tolerance I jumped at the chance, figuring anyone who told their story weekly would be more comfortable sharing.

So after Karen set the date for us all to meet Ms. Firestone, and having nothing to be afraid of, I decided to try and do some research about her, to fill in any blanks she may leave in the lecture, as well as to have some guided follow up questions to ask her. After finding out there were several films about her (one of which she has very generously offered to send to us, which is awesome. I believe she said there are two copies, she has one, and Spielberg has the other), I felt unprepared for not viewing the documentary The Last Days, before our first meeting. I was however able to view some interviews of her on truveo.com. The most intriguing of these interviews was a panel that included the director of The Last Days along with Renee Firestone and three other survivors included in the documentary. http://www.truveo.com/charlie-rose-a-panel-discussion-about-the/id/2686196323. That is the link for any interested parties. During this panel discussion/interview Ms. Firestone talks about how during the filming of the documentary she discovered that her sister was experimented on, and is actually able to confront the doctor that did the experiments. This information alone sparked my desire to hear more of her story. I remember telling Karen at the museum that I wanted to ask her more about that, but I wasn't sure it was appropriate. But luckily during the question part of the lecture she talked about it. I remember how angry and emotional I got, hearing her tell us how the doctor told her matter-of-factly that yes he conducted experiments on her sister, but they weren't anything harmful, but they had to kill her sister so she wouldn't go back into the general population and tell everyone that they conducted experiments on them. Hearing this renewed all the passion I felt the night before, thinking I need to go to Europe and find this doctor. It is insane to me that he has gotten away with this all these years. I could easily bump into this 90 plus year old man or knock his wheel chair over (if he's resigned to one) real accidental like and at the very least he'd break some bones. Ms. Firestone is clearly more forgiving than I am and I'm not even directly involved. She said hurting or killing this old man wouldn't prove anything, I believe she said all she wanted was an apology.

Lastly I just want to add a comment I saw while viewing that video clip. When I saw it I was disturbed by it. I wanted to argue against it, but I noticed it was posted in November and probably wouldn't be checked by the person it would be intended for.

NewYorkRob 11/13/2009 09:38 AM Report I find this story very hard to believe. I don't see any signs of torture. Where? And where has Ms Zisblatt been all these years? Why is she suddenly coming out now with her tale? Why should we believe her? It's over. I wasn't even born yet. Why is this being shoved down my throat?

I realize this is probably some kid with no real outlook on life or a broad perspective in the world in general so I can't condemn him too harshly. But the fact is there are adults that share this idea of why should I care? Ms. Firestone made a great point about it is relevant because at the time Germany was one of the most cultured and civilized countries in the world. So that means there is something underlying in human nature that shows we are all capable of this brutality. If you are ignorant of atrocities like the Holocaust and haven't done any kind of investigation into how things arrived at that awful conclusion then when the warnings signs show themselves again in some other avenue, you'll be completely oblivious. And on that note I'll end with two quotes: If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development - Aristotle, and, the past does not repeat itself, but it rhymes - Mark Twain

Lily's thoughts before meeting Renee Firestone

As much as there is some information about Renee Firestone as a wonderful woman and as a survivor, I wanted to share my experience... Before we had the opportunity to meet with her last Thursday, March 18th, I was anxious to meet her, however I didn't REALLY know what to expect. It was obvious to me that hearing ANY person talk about a subject that heavy would be tough to stomach for infinite reasons. My mind raced with thoughts on my drive to meet her. I didn't know how many relatives she lost, what she had to go through, and when it comes to the Holocaust the worst you can possibly imagine is usually pretty spot on. When i got to the museum I met Karen who was the only CSUN student there. I hadn't met her yet, so I was really excited to finally meet her after all of the emails we had been rallying back and forth about setting this date up. We anxiously waited for Alyssa and Darrell to come meet us so we could tour the Museum of Tolerance. We were finally all united and we started to glance around and see the museum (Which is an unbelievable museum and I highly recommend everyone go if they get the chance!). 2:15 struck and it was time to get seated to hear Renee's story. It was rather intimate, granted there were about 5-10 other people we did not know listening as well. 90% of the time that Renee was telling her stories, i had chills, not just because it was gut wrenching but because her stories were so vivid that it was easy for me to make detailed mental visuals. During the story I was mesmerized, although all I wanted to do was jump up and give her a hug and tell her how much I respect her and how much I value her existence. When she completed telling the story to us, we as the 4 group introduced ourselves and had some private time to ask her some personal questions. She was so happy to tell us everything and i cannot wait to go back and visit her again. This was hands down one of the most unbelievable experiences of my entire life. Renee Firestone is truly a hero and a remarkable woman for being as strong as she is. After our encounter with Renee, and after touring the museum, I was driving home and literally felt like the luckiest most fortunate person in the world. I felt like I didn't have a worry in the world and I looked at humankind in a different light. Hearing her story was an entirely eye-opening experience. Aside from how inspirational Renee's story was, the museum made me re-think different prejudices people have towards one another and made me want to be a better person on so many different levels. This journey we are on is definitely life changing and has made me more excited to go visit Poland in June and learn more about the Holocaust, where it took place, why it happened, why it was able to occur for so long, how Hitler was able to maintain the amount of control he did, and the different ways that 6 million Jews were massacred.

Karen's experience meeting Ms. Firestone

Hello fellow bloggers. Karen here with a brief history on Renee Firestone as I understand it since attending her speech. She started her speech with a brief history of the time, Hitlers ascent to Chancelor of Germany in 1933, and allowed her audience to answer some questions she posed. "Why was this attack on humankind so attrocious at the time?" An audience menber answered, "this was done by a civilized nation not an uncivilised one." To which she answered, "yes." Renee was 14 and living with her family in Czechoslovakia when they received the news in regards to Kristallnacht in 1938 in which the Nazis destroyed Jewish businesses, synagogues and homes. Her brother was to receive his honors in highschool at this time, but before that could take place Hungary invaded Czecheslovakia and forced the Jews under rules. Their former friends and neighbors had to break all contact with them fearing the threat of death. It was decided that her brother was to receive his diploma, but the day before the ceremony he disappeared along with his fellow Jews. He was accused of being a communist and because he was of millitary age, he was taken to a forced labor camp. In September of 1939, Hitler and Stalin agreed to take over Poland. The land in between would be that of mass graves. In 1944 Renee and her family were still at home, but living under the rules. Renee stated that she never understood why the Chancelor of Hungry (an anti-semite)did not kill all of the Jews at the time of Hungary rule. At the age of 20 Renee and her family were rounded up and transported by cattle car to Auschwitz with the promise they were being transported to a German work camp. The ride lasted 4 and a half days with no food or water. In the middle of the trip, the German soldiers would stop the train and state to the people that if they had any valuables they must give them up now. They had already given these things up, but the soldiers would kill people off the trains as the people inside heard the shooting. This was just done to get rid of people and create fear among the rest. She arrived at Auschwitz with her sister (her mother and father being transported in another cattlecar) and expected to be at a work camp for the Germans which they were told before the journey. She got off the train and got into a line of people being told where to go. The line she was in was managed by Dr. Mangala (forgive me if I don't know the correct spelling) who was a known killer. She was told to go to the left, but her sister was not. She held her sister's hand and would not let go. She told her sister to follow her and they both went to the left. People afterwards told her she should be dead for that move. She was not able to keep her sister with her unfortunately. Her fate was in the hands of Dr. Munch (which we have placed a link to her discussion of meeting him years later)which reveals the fate of her sister. She was experimented on and then shot rether than returning her to the camp to tell her story.

Renee's biggest problems stemming from this time seem to be the "terrifying unknown" of her fate and the fact that she never had any closure as to the rest of her family (until that of her sister's years after).

She is so well spoken and engaging as a speaker that I had to ask her after she spoke, "how did you first begin to tell your story." She related the story of how she was contacted by a man, involved with Simon Wiesenthal and his endeavors to create the Museum of Tolerance, who wanted her to share her story with the public. She said that she laughed at him and then hung up the phone. Days after that, she had her first survivor nightmare in which she woke up hearing her own voice saying, "they said this would never happen again." That along with the fact that a synagoge in the Los Angeles area had been burned overnight compelled her to contact him and begin her life's work. Renee was a professor at UCLA in fashion design at the time and doing quite well.

Renee Firestone's encounter with Dr.Hans Munch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opkf9d-GrQM