The lessons of the Holocaust figure prominently in FSWC’s education programs that promote the principles of inclusion, social justice and democratic values. In addition to the important historical facts behind Nazi Germany’s murder of six million Jews, we bring this dark chapter to life through the Holocaust survivor testimonies of those who, against all odds, survived the genocide.
Since the inception of FSWC, Holocaust survivors have discussed the horrors of concentration camps at our educational workshops and events. We are deeply grateful for their participation and for their strength in sharing their difficult personal journeys with young people, with the hope it will help prevent such a horrific tragedy in the future.
We are honoured to introduce you to some of the incredible men and women who have given so much of their time to contribute greatly to Holocaust education in Canada. The short summaries below and accompanying videos offer only a brief glimpse into the lived experience of antisemitism and trauma each of these people endured in their younger years duirng Holocaust.
Sadly, with the number of survivors constantly diminishing, the day is fast approaching when there won’t be anyone left who can give first-hand testimony of the excruciating reality Jews faced under the Nazis. All the more reason it is imperative to forever preserve and revisit these stories as part of the legacy of survivors.
Gershon Willinger's
Story
The Holocaust in Holland
Before the Second World War, the Netherlands was home to around 140,000 Jews. Many Dutch Jews had lived in the country for generations, while around 30,000 were refugees from Germany and Austria. In 1940, the Netherlands was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany. Under Nazi rule, antisemitic laws quickly restricted freedoms for Dutch Jews, including expelling Jewish professionals from their jobs and forcing Jews to wear the yellow star of David on their clothing.
Beginning in 1942, the Nazis arrested Jews across the Netherlands, deporting them to the transit camp at Westerbork, the Netherlands, before they were transported by train to concentration camps and extermination centres like Auschwitz and Sobibor. Over 75% of Dutch Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, the highest rate of any community in Western Europe. Many of those who survived were able to evade arrest through the help of the Dutch underground or ordinary citizens, who hid Jewish people or helped them to obtain false papers.
Pre-War Jewish Life
Gershon was born in 1942, two years after the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands. He had ansister, Rita, his senior by two years. His parents had emigrated to the Netherlands fromGermany. They placed him in hiding with a non-Jewish family when he was just a fewmonths old. He was barely two years old when he was taken from his foster parents andsent to the Westerbork transit camp.
Timeline of Key Events in Gershon’s Life
1942: Gershon is born in Amsterdam.
1942: At a few months old, Gershon is placed in hiding with a non-Jewish family.
Early 1943: Gershon is arrested and sent to Westerbork transit camp.
June 1943: Gershon’s parents are arrested separately and sent to Westerbork transit
camp.
July 1943: Gershon’s parents are deported to Sobibor extermination centre, where they
are murdered upon arrival in the gas chambers.
September 13, 1944: Gershon, along with 50 other children, is sent on a train to the
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
Late 1944: Gershon is sent to Theresienstadt ghetto/concentration camp.
May 1945: Theresienstadt is liberated by the Allies and Gershon is returned to the
Netherlands to live with his foster parents.
Discussion & Reflection Questions
- Many Jews fled Germany in the 1930s because of the prolific antisemitic attitudes that existed within the country. Did other countries accept the refugees? How were Jewish refugees received in Canada and the rest of the world?
- Did the Holocaust influence Canadians’ views of Canada’s treatment of First Nations people?
- How did German antisemitic propaganda affect Canadian people’s perspective of Jewish people?
- Do you think that apologies and reparations from the past have adequately redressed the wrongdoings of the Holocaust? If not, what more could have been done?
- One of Gershon’s messages is “Don’t be a good person who does nothing; when you see something bad, stand up for what’s right!” What does that mean to you? How can you apply that to your every day life?
Activity Suggestions
Pockets of ResistanceDual timeline
1. Have students research the different ways the people of the Netherlands resisted theNazis2. In small groups or as a class, discuss what motivated these acts of resistance.3. Identify the resisters in Gershon’s testimony. Why do you think they helped Gershonand his parents during the Holocaust?
What happens after a war?Letter from Bill
1. Gershon experienced displacement and instability even after the end of the war.
Create a timeline of his experiences after 1945
2. Consider the experiences of Holocaust survivors after the war’s end. Where did theygo? How did they rebuild their lives? What happened to other children like Gershon whowere orphaned when their parents were murdered in the Holocaust?
3. (Optional) Have students research the aftermath of other major conflicts and refugeecrises. What other forms of aid exist for countries after a war ends? How do countriesbegin to put their society back together? Do these aids have long-term benefits?
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