Passing the torch

Sue Doyle

COSTA MESA -- The last train for German Jewish residents to legally leave

Berlin whisked away a young Faye Zierler and her parents to freedom from

the Nazis.

Zierler’s escape story survives through her son, Steven Breitbart -- one

of more than 100 people Sunday who attended Holocaust Remembrance Day,

known as Yom Hashoah, at the Jewish Federation Campus. The program’s

theme, “Passing the Torch,” signigies the transfer of tales from one

generation to the next so people like Breitbart can understand the

Holocaust devastation and never let it happen again.

“Nobody should have to go through this again. Whether it’s the Khamir

Rouge or in Northern Ireland -- you name it. There’s plenty of deaths

when the government sponsors genocide,” said Breitbart, of La Habra.

But even 55-years later in the U.S., it still happens. Some people go on

horrific rampages, all for the sake of destroying somebody different.

“There are some people in this world who have no value for others’ lives.

We are not the only victims,” said Bunnie Mauldin, executive director for

the Jewish Federation.

Sharing persecution stories from one generation to the next actually

passes on the message that everyone’s life should be valued, Mauldin

said. Having celebrations such as Sunday’s Holocaust Remembrance gives

the opportunity to teach about tolerance, instead of “doing nothing about

it.”

Just last Friday, five people died after they were gunned down near

Pittsburgh in what police say was a racially motived spree. The suspect,

Richard Baumhammers, 34, was arrested and charged with criminal homicide

and reckless endangerment. He sits behind bars without bail.

Mauldin takes a deep breath and shakes her head the trail of death.

“He was a troubled person -- not comfortable with diversity,” Mauldin

said.

Actions such as this may puncture a shield of tolerance but does not

deflate the belief system for others who have risen beyond prejudice.

“But racist beliefs are still ingrained in many societies. Until we

confront this, we won’t get past these things,” Breitbart said.

For those at the Jewish Federation Center, the day offered a chance to

teach youngsters about the past and how it fits into their heritage.

Nearly 100 essays and little poems hung on the walls from children who in

their own words, wrote about the Holocaust. In all cases, they understood

the Holocaust’s impact and translated that into modern times.

One poem written by Jason Blitz in the fourth-grade: “You killed

6,000,000 Jews. You should have taken the Titanic cruise.”

Speakers, young and old, took the stage and recited songs, poems and

experiences to the quiet crowd.

Steven Weiss of Costa Mesa sung along to “Ani Ma’Amin,” which means “I

believe.”

Nearly 55 years ago, prisoners sang the same song on their way to death.

Weiss recalls how the Nazis wiped out most of his mother’s family. Some

escaped the gas chambers, but not too many. These days Weiss slowly finds

family members who are alive.

One female relative hid in a house when the Nazis came through. They

dragged people from their homes and tossed them on the trains headed for

concentration camps, Weiss said.

But Weiss’s cousin got away.

“After the Nazis came, she ran for her life. I have other family members

who died because of the Nazis. That’s why I’m here and they won’t be

forgotten,” Weiss said.