“Discrimination is a part of society. We have to be aware of it and fight
it. Hitler didn’t invent it, he only took a sophisticated approach in using
it.”
—Dr. Alfred Apsler
Prisoner, escapee
Victims discuss morality of Holocaust
At first, their similarities seem
apparent. Both Diana Golden
and Dr. Alfred Apsler are
Jewish and survived Hitler’s
rule of Germany. They both
came to America, made a life
for themselves and raised
families
Later, as one listens to them
speak, their differences come
into focus. Not only were their
wartime experiences different,
but their ideas about what it is
to be Jewish also differ.
Both survivors spoke last
week to Dr. Donald Epstein’s
class, “Holocaust.”
For Golden, like, many vic
tims, the war meant the death
of many of her relatives and
most of her village. Her conflict
with the Nazis began on her
home island of Rhodes. “As
Italy fell to the Allies, the Ger
mans began taking desperate
measures. As long as we were
with the Italian government we
were never physically threaten
ed,” she said.
“First they asked that all the
Jewish men come to the Ger
man police office,” she recall
ed. “We thought that they
needed a work party and that
. by-, 6 or 7 o’clock, they’d
return.” -
After 24 hours another an
nouncement came: All women
and children report to the
police office. “No one stayed
behind,” Golden said, “We
joined the men and thé Nazis
prepared two boats. By now,
we
had
a
sense
of
hopelessness. At that time, we
thought that they, wouldn’t
bother with us.”
They landed at Port
Piraeus. “We spent two days in
Greece,” she stated. “While we
were sitting, waiting, my grand
mother died.. We were glad.
She had been suffering and
was delirious. We were loaded
into boxcars in Athens. Always
they were yelling, ‘Shnell!
Shnelll’ (“Fast! Fast!”). There
was no room in the railroad
car, not even standing. Once a
day they would unbolt the
doors and take out 1he dead.
My father died in Hungary.
The last time I saw him he was
being carried out by four men.”
The train had arrived at
Auschwitz and, they began
unloading it. “We were met by
what appeared to be the Ger
man SS.| black outfits, boots
and whips. There stood the
German officer. That was the
last time I saw my mother, little
brother and aunt.
: “The fact that our relatives
were killed in such a horrible
wap became the end for many.
“Each day we. would see
people die. I was determined
not to let that happen to me. I
had two younger sisters whpm
I had to help.”
Golden was moved to a fac
tory in the south of Germany.
Later, the group she was in was
loaded into boxcars. “They
took us from place to place.
We
ended
up
in
Czechoslovakia.”,
Remembering the many
tragedies, “I boil inside,” she
said. “There is this destructive
force down inside of people
that can be brought out. There
are people with magnetism
who will exploit people for
power.”
“We have to respect
freedom and not abuse it. We
have to live by it and practice if
We live in a free country where-
most of us are very complacent
about freedom. Public opinion
lit! W
“We live in a free country where most of us are very complacent about
freedom. Public opinion is what does everything, and that can be
manipulated very easily.”
-Diana Golden
Page 8
is what does everything, and.
that can be manipulated very
easily,” she said.
For Apsler the war was pain
ful in a different way. He was
bom a native of Vienna,
Austria. After Germany invad
ed Austria at the outset of
World War II, Apsler reasoned
that he should make any at
tempt possible to leave.
“I left Vienna in September
of 1938,” he began. “All the
elements., of Hitler’s emo
tionalism took place; expul
sion, storm troopers and con
centration camps.” ’
Apsler, with two friends, col
lected-what they could and left
disguised as tourists. After
escaping, he lived in
Switzerland for more than a
year, waiting for immigration
papers to America. The rest of
his family died.
“At that time, the immigra
tion system was very
discriminatory,” he said.
“Thbusands of people could
have been saved if other coun
tries would have accepted
them.”
For Apsler, one of the
hardest problems has been
dealing with the actions of his
country and his immigration to
America. ‘TH never be 100 perl
cent American, but I still con
sider it my country. I ami
somewhat bitter that America
refused to save these people
who were being murdered.”
“In fact, some of us feel we I
are guilty because we are Ger-j
man,” he continued. “It is quite
an adjustment. I still don’t feel'
comfortable around Germans
over 50 years old. Whenever
I’m near one, I feel edgy.
“Discrimination is a part of)
society. We have to be aware,
of it and fight it. Hitler didn’t in-;
yent it, he only took a,
sophisticated approach in using i
it.”
“We have to watch for emo
tionalism on the national level. I
We know that it can happen.
We know that, that is why we |
have to see that we don’t forget
what has already happened.”
Story by
David J. Hayden
Staff photos by
Duffy Coffman