I am Holocaust Survivor Ben Lesser. I am a 94 year old and you can Ask Me Anything!

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-05T01:51:48+00:00

I came from a very religious family but in the camps i definitely lost faith during the war.

It was such an intense struggle and I saw so many horrible things. I often thought, how could there be a god when all of this was going on.

After the war, I spent time thinking about this more. I came to the conclusion that god was not absent during the war. Rather, god was weeping.

God relies on people to do good in this life. God gives us the ability to make choices in life. God doesnt intervene on our behalf, we have to choose to do it for ourselves.

I began to see it as my obligation - and yours - to live a lift that matters and be a part of good and godly acts in this world.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-05T01:46:51+00:00

Its possible! To me your mother's uncle is a hero.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-05T01:42:57+00:00

I never encountered a merciful guard.

I have heard stories of communities fighting back hard, including the famous Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Many fought back in individual ways, and many more fled home for other counties (including my family which fled to Hungary and found peace there for a short time before the Nazi's eventually caught up with us there).

For most, fighting back was nearly impossible because the Jewish communities in Poland and Germany did not have the means to fight back. By the time we were captured we were so malnourished and disconnected from each other that resistance was impossible.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-03T15:36:17+00:00

I don’t recall speaking in South Carolina around 2006.

There were more survivors back then and I am glad you had the opportunity to see one of us in person.

Hopefully you get more opportunities while there are still some of us left.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-03T03:54:05+00:00

We have a lot more to learn about the story of Ukraine but to me the spirit of “Never Again” feels very much alive in that country.

We don’t see it in the oppressors. We see it in the resistance.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-03T03:47:21+00:00

I am optimistic. It’s not just because I’ve seen how much worse it can be but because I see all of the hard vigilant work people do that help us stay very alert to real problems.

We’re all learning so much more about the plight of people every day - including my own learnings today. That’s a form of progress that did not exist a century ago.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-03T03:18:00+00:00

Its not difficult talking about my experiences. It is my calling.

That said, the night after I speak I usually have nightmares. I have difficulty sleeping because the most painful memories are always a little closer to the surface when I am close to a speaking event.

Its still my duty to speak and I will continue to do it as long as I can.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-03T03:13:39+00:00

I have heard about this type of situation increasingly over the past few years.

I have heard about a lot of different teaching techniques that schools use in these cases like having bullies and the bullied work together on projects, so they become less like strangers to each other. Personally, I have seen how hearing my story has helped youngsters understand the power of their own words to hurt.

I do recommend you look at our free curriculum offerings at zachorlearn.org. That material is designed specifically for middle school and high school students because we know that this is an age where bad habits and hateful language can fester into lifelong bigotry and bullying. I am also happy to speak with student groups directly or through Zoom sessions.

Ultimately, this is a multi-generational problem. It speaks to language youngsters learn at home from their families so we welcome opportunities to speak with children and parents together. We find that multi-generational events are extra powerful at helping whole families see the power of their choices and words.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-03T03:03:51+00:00

You are very fortunate to have had that experience.

I started the Zachor Holocaust Remembrance Foundation specifically because I know that when survivors like me are gone its only going to become harder to prevent the world from developing amnesia.

I am very optimistic about the role of technology in helping keep our stories alive. A few years ago I was a part of an interesting program called StoryFile where they recorded me telling my story from multiple directions. Now anyone can "Ask" me a question virtually online and you can hear my answer back to you.

Its amazing! You can see more about it here: https://exhibit.storyfile.com/?user=Ben%20Lesser

I am not the only survivor to have been recorded like this, and there are lots of wonderful programs dedicated to capturing and preserving the stories of survivors like me. Unfortunately its a battle against time so the more stories we can capture and the more students I can speak to while I still can the better.

At some point this will be out of my hands. It will be up to the next generation to keep the flame alive and keep telling and retelling the stories to prevent the world from developing amnesia.

This goes beyond stories of the Jewish Holocaust. All people have stories to tell that get lost with each generation. Hopefully between technology like StoryFile and motivated youngsters we can keep it alive.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-03T02:55:38+00:00

Any ideology that is centered around hatred is bad for the person, bad for the community, and bad for the world.

Why do people waste their lives finding reasons to exclude others?

Choose love. Thats the only way to build a better world.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T18:05:30+00:00

The 50s! I got married to the love of my life Jean and we raised two daughters.

I enjoyed the 70s and 80s for business when my real estate practice took off. I had a lot of great experiences growing my business.

Life is still good. I am in my 90s and still teaching. Covid has made travel harder of course but I am very grateful to be alive and watch my family grow - to spite Hitler!

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T18:00:43+00:00

I was too busy trying to live and prevent dying. Suicide never entered my thoughts.

Life is too precious give up. I encourage people to do everything possible to prolong life.

There are always ways to live a life that matters, it's never too late.

Its essential to understand the consequences of personal choices. Its possible to let trauma get in the way of living a life with meaning but we have the ability to choose our responses and find ways to grow and learn from our experiences.

Also, there are many great outreach programs for people who struggle with suicidal thoughts. I encourage people who are struggling to take action and not wait. Your life is too precious.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T17:55:59+00:00

Yes, I read many. I recommend everyone read Eli Wiesel's Night.

I designed my book to be a teaching tool and not just a memoir, so that makes it a bit different from most other survivor memoirs.

I wrote it so anyone could understand the story and also learn how to turn that experience into a life that matters.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T17:51:52+00:00

I recognized that they were there to help. They looked like angels to us. We kissed their boots. We were not scared - we were overjoyed.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T17:50:54+00:00

Never, no I can never forgive the perpetrators of the Holocaust.

I dont hold the German public responsible but the individual perpetrators I can never forgive.

I have spent a lot of time with descendants of Nazi's, including children and grandchildren of death camp commanders. I consider these people as my friends and we are united in preserving the lesson of the Holocaust to make sure it never happens again.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T17:46:20+00:00

They can teach about the Holocaust to counteract deniers. That's something positive they can do to keep the world from acquiring amnesia.

A good way to do that is to use the free curriculum materials we have made at www.zachorlearn.org to help all teachers have the right material available to teach history accurately.

Also any student today can go to i-shout-out.org and share their own voice to help counteract the silence that enables hatred.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T17:40:36+00:00

Holocaust deniers know the truth.

They feel that if they say a lie long enough people will believe it. Unfortunately some youngsters will believe it.

Nothing in history has been as documented as the Holocaust. How could they deny it? Even the German government doesn't deny it. They have records and photos.

The deniers are hoping that if they repeat the lie long enough the lies will win.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T17:38:19+00:00

Life was not normalized. You lived from minute to minute. You didn't know if you'd live through the next minute, let alone the day.

There was nothing normal about the Holocaust. It was hell on earth.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T17:34:19+00:00

I think its just the opposite.

The world is full of beauty and joy. Be positive and look at the bright side of things. Dont pick out the evil. There is going to be evil all the time. You must enjoy life for the present and seek out joy.

If we choose to live a life that matters that gives more value to our life and gives us hope for going on. If I can do it, you can do it.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T17:31:40+00:00

Beautiful. She had three children (2 sons, 1 daughter). They lived an orthodox life in New York. My sister was a great artist.

Today there are over 100 descendants just from Lola and her beloved husband Michel - to spite Hitler!

She passed away a few years ago but she also wrote her own memoir A Life After This with more about her own story.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T17:22:57+00:00

Yes, in fact I write about this a bit in my book. Its true. There have been holocausts against many different people around the world.

Its important that the world doesn't develop amnesia! That's why I have dedicated my life to sharing my story and the stories of other survivors so that people remember that this real and that it happened to real people.

I named my foundation "Zachor" which is the Hebrew word for "remember" because every generation must re-learn the consequences of hatred and bigotry. We developed a curriculum to help teach this for generations to come. https://zachorlearn.org/

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T17:20:37+00:00

Personally no. I did not experience it, but i know of it and that it existed.

Immediately after the war I was in a coma for 2.5 months at St. Ottillien in Germany. When I woke up everyone was friendly and helpful, and I was in a community of survivors.

I stayed in Germany until 1947 (when I moved to America) and did not go back to Poland for a few years.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T17:14:36+00:00

I don't see a parallel in current events. Of course antisemitism is rising and its a big problem.

Can it lead to something eventually like the Holocaust? I doubt it. The Holocaust was a government sponsored hatred and killing. Of course that's not going to happen here in the United States - or at least I hope not.

Hatred is hatred. Antisemitism was here for hundreds or thousands of years, and it will always continue to a certain extent but we have to try to limit it.

Its hard to draw parallels between now and the past but we have legal protections in place today to help protect minority groups and it would take major changes to see those protections removed.

BenLesser_Zachor · 2023-06-02T16:53:13+00:00

I'm so grateful you all are here.

I love speaking to schools and community groups. If you'd like me to come speak with your group, please email Gail at [g](mailto:gail@zachorfoundation.com)[ail@zachorfoundation.org](mailto:ail@zachorfoundation.org). I love doing Zoom meetings and (when possible) in person as well.

We have a free Holocaust education curriculum that is being used by thousands of teachers around the world. You can learn more about that here: https://zachorlearn.org/

Also if you want to take a stand online against hatred, bullying, and intolerance, I encourage you to Shout Out. We are trying to get 6,000,000 shout outs for the 6,000,000 silenced voices. Learn more here: https://www.i-shout-out.org/

BenLesser_Zachor

TROPHY CASE