Category Archives: Holocaust

Unthinking

Posted on September 30, 2017 by brucelarochelle

Knew about Hannah Arendt, more by name and in terms of the phrase most associated with her: “the banality of evil”. Have not yet read the book, Eichmann in Jerusalem: The Banality of Evil (1963). Saw the 2012 film, starring … Continue reading →

Posted in Holocaust, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Alex The Tailor

Posted on September 14, 2017 by brucelarochelle

Had small tailor shop on Dundas Street East, Toronto, 1970s. Alex, formerly of Hungary, hence not deported towards death until March of 1944. Survivor of Majdanek concentration camp, which was liberated in July of 1944. Good fortune of short time. … Continue reading →

Posted in Holocaust, Toronto Reflections | Leave a comment

Need for Satan

Posted on July 7, 2017 by brucelarochelle

She said, as an atheist: It is easier to address evil. No Devil to blame. One sees it in people. Nothing to fall back on. Maybe not. When faced with evil, and when opposing evil, one is guarding against one’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Holocaust, Religion, Various life philosophies | Leave a comment

Evian Conference, Dominican Republic

Posted on October 4, 2016 by brucelarochelle

The Dominican Republic was one of the few countries that had declared itself willing to accept Jewish refugees at the Evian Conference in 1938. E/96: Fate Undecided, footnote 8.

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Split

Posted on August 24, 2016 by brucelarochelle

Prior to the war, there had been very little anti-Jewish feeling expressed in either Brussels or Antwerp. Although Antwerp was a hotbed of the Flemish nationalist movement, the focus of this nationalism before 1930 was almost entirely anti-French. With the … Continue reading →

Posted in Belgium, Holocaust | Leave a comment

Stranger Blame

Posted on August 7, 2016 by brucelarochelle

From Ann Szedlecki (1925-2005), Album of My Life (2009), describing circumstances associated with her escape from Lodz to Russian-occupied eastern Poland, 1939, at the age of fourteen: On the trip we were subjected to a lot of antisemitic verbal abuse … Continue reading →

Posted in Holocaust, Poland | Leave a comment

Trip to Sarny

Posted on August 2, 2016 by brucelarochelle

As the Wikipedia page then read: Sarny (Ukrainian: Сáрни, Russian: Сáрны, Polish: Sarny) translated as Does, is a small city in the Rivne Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Sarny Raion (district), and is … Continue reading →

Posted in Holocaust, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Influence

Posted on July 14, 2016 by brucelarochelle

Some people can remember a particular high school teacher, such as here and here. Rare that one sees one’s entire secondary school education as being consistently excellent, pedagogically. Came across book by Alex Levin, Under the Yellow & Red Stars … Continue reading →

Posted in High School, Holocaust, Russia | Leave a comment

Omission

Posted on July 1, 2016 by brucelarochelle

Wrote about William Tannenzapf here and here. Another description by William Tannenzaph of the monstrous actions of Hans Krueger: The third person ahead of me in the line was a good-looking young woman. Krueger was riding lazily along the line … Continue reading →

Posted in Holocaust, Nazis, Poland | Leave a comment

ORT

Posted on June 30, 2016 by brucelarochelle

Previously referenced some of the Holocaust recollections of William Tannenzaph. First published in 2009, two years before his death, at the age of 100. What he did, immediately following the war: The family fled Poland and moved to a DP … Continue reading →

Posted in Education - Trades, Employment Dimensions, Holocaust | Leave a comment