Posts
In my childhood I was the only one of my friends who had grandmothers. One of my grandmothers fled Germany in 1933 and the other arrived here before that. The grandmothers of my friends stayed in their countries in Europe, and the end is known.I was also one of the few who had cousins and a large extended family, my friends didn't, their grandmothers disappeared there with the children and the whole family. The people who still came here after the war didn't talk much and little by little I started to find out what they went through. As a child I always wondered if I would manage to survive, and how, I had dreams, like many children of my generation, that I was hiding and being chased. I think that something from this feeling of persecution is deeply embedded in our DNA, mine, otherwise I have no idea why in times of distress here, in times of deep fear I try to find support, if only with a kind word right here in Blogland, as if this is supposed to be the safe place, but it is not so for some people. People have opinions, they cling to them forcefully, they also have their fears. Everyone wants to be right.
I noticed that the last few posts are attempts to explain to myself why some friends have abandoned me here, and to overcome the insult and pain of abandonment, and I also want to say thank you to those who came here to say a good word and stay here, thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteIn my short time as a blogger I have seen many unkind and downright nasty words said about things political so have made a point never to comment on political subjects. I can only say that I feel sadness that some have taken against you personally as a result of the actions of others.
ReplyDeleteKeep safe, Yael.
Thank you Jayce. After I wrote this post I went to the hairdresser, because with all due respect to the war there is hair that needs to be dyed, yesterday it rained and today the sun is shining and everything was clean and green around as if I was living in another country, I thought to myself why do I need all this, maybe I don't need to reveal That's how my thoughts are, maybe there are things I don't understand and maybe I'm wrong, I told my hairdresser look at how people don't understand us in the world, and he just shook his head sadly.
ReplyDeleteI don't write about political things of course, this is my life here and I understand that those who haven't lived it don't really understand our existential danger here.
Thank you Jaycee/
Hello Yael, I can never understand people being nasty on blogs, no one has asked them to be there and trolls also upset me. I am annoyed you have to put up with it
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child , at the end of the war ,I was 5 and I became friendly with a family who moved in. They had escaped from Germany, I couldn't understand when my natural friendliness was so appreciated. I heard a very little of their experiences and I had been sheltered fom the knowledge of what went on 'out there'
It wasnt till later when 2 of my teachers told us a little. One had been caught up in the Boxer rising in China. One had been involved in going to the concentration camps and nursing some of the child survivers. At one stage she confided in a few of us older pupils , a little of her experiences there. It had a profound effect on me and I had only heard about it. I can only imagine the long term effect on those more nearly connected. I sit crying as I write this.
I do hope there is a resolution out there soon.
Thankyou for recording things for us Yael.
Hugs
Kathy in Wales
Thank you Kathy. My father served for five years in the Jewish Brigade of the British Army. When the war ended he was told that there was one cousin who survived a concentration camp, he went to look for her, found her and helped her get here, she is the only survivor from a family of hundreds of people. I think that these stories that are part of who we are here do not allow us to easily give up our existence here.
ReplyDeleteWe have no other place.
Dozens of people, not hundreds, from the family.
ReplyDeletethey have become genetic memories, I think, Passed on in the blood line.
ReplyDeletekathy
Me too, Yael. The parents and grandparents of the 120 children in my year were invited to a welcome ceremony to Secondary School in 1960.
ReplyDeleteThe 120 students could have had 480 grandparents, in theory, but 4 grandparents turned up, two of them mine!! The rest had either perished in the Holocaust or had been too fragile to survive in the late 1940s.
Grandparents were precious.
My paternal grandmother was the first Jew to study dentistry in Warsaw. She immigrated to Israel 99 years ago, (my father was one year old then), in 1948 she lost her youngest son in the War of Independence here, she never spoke about her family and only two years ago I found out that she had five sisters who were murdered with their families in the small villages of Poland, which today This is Belarus. I found about twenty postcards written in Yiddish and with the help of a group of translators on Facebook I was able to learn it. I think that all the missing and visible parts of our history further strengthen our need to hold on to this place.
ReplyDeleteI would not abandon you, Yael.
ReplyDeleteThank you Tom.
DeleteEvery single one of my Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, Parents and Cousins that have died, did so at their alotted time, of natural causes, every single one. I cannot begin to comprehend what you and all of your people have suffered. That your suffering continues on and on breaks my heart. I admittedly, also feel sorrow for all the women and children suffering at the hands of Hamas, used as human shields. God gave man free will and must be aghast at the path these monsters take. Stay strong Yael.
ReplyDeleteDespite all this sadness of our history, we managed to create a happy life here and I hope we can return to that. Thank you Margo.
DeleteSometimes it is hard to find the right words to say. When I read your posts, I am sad you have to go through this. I wish I could make everything better. I empathize with you, and totally understand why Israel has to do what they are doing. Hamas only understands violence, and the atrocities they committed had to be responded to strongly. Hamas started this by attacking and killing innocent people, including babies, and still are holding hostages to this day. Every action sparks a reaction. They are receiving the consequences of their present actions. I am on your side Yael. Many of my friends and family feel the same way. Stay strong and keep your faith.
ReplyDeleteI wonder who the anonymous is that understands the situation here so well. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou explain your feelings well in your blog, Yael. And it helps me see your situation through your eyes. I hope for your safety and a peaceful future.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ellen. I too am waiting for a better future.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing you can do for yourself Yael is to tell your story, of your life, your history, your family. Maybe it will help some of us to understand the big story.
ReplyDeleteI can't understand the way some people insist on being nasty and often anonymous trolls. If you don't like what you read then leave. But if you read and stay to read more you might actually learn something.
That's very smart advice, Linda, I'll use it. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI will not abandon you, friend far away. I am sending you feelings of light, dark disappears in the light.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for that Terra.
DeleteDuring the last thirty, forty years, a lot of people in Europe thought you could "create peace without weapons". After the end of the USSR, I had this stupid hope, too.
ReplyDeleteBut there is so much hate in the world, and the Hamas are all criminals of the worst kind. Israel has always been defensive, but after the atrocities of October 7th, only a strong respond is possible. I really hope your army will succeed.
Stay strong, stay safe. You have friends all over the world.
Hilde in Germany
You found a reason to get up every morning.
DeleteThank you Hilde.
DeletePlease do not think I have abandoned you when there are times I do not comment. I have not been able to spend as much time on blogs as I once did due to various demands on my time. Please know my heart and support are always with you even if I don't always respond.
ReplyDeleteI will never understand why some people are so full of hate. No one should have to go through what you are dealing with these days. Yet please know there are many of us that wish you peace, safety and happiness.
It's okay Bonnie, I understand that not everyone can coment all the time, and I thank you for your support.
ReplyDeleteHello Yael, I have been a bit.. hesitant to mention politics as it.r can be a controvertial,.,,
ReplyDeletesubjeect, feel free to delete this.
The United Sta tes will elect
a President in Basically the choices are conservative
or liberal; , The liberal
Is expected to win and a very.
Pro-israel man.
I tell you this to give you hope.
There will be a lot of power
N Israel'
.
M
.
This is Mary,the comment above was from me I told you that
ReplyDeleteinformation to give you hope.I know touet
Again I am Mary I am typing with difficulty the man.. expected to win the election is the conservative- who supports......a
ReplyDeleteHe supports Israel because he knows there are terrorists
ReplyDelete(Hamas and others) that believe
rheyr should be controlling the world ,, the rest of us know
that is not what t God"
Thank you Mary.
DeleteMany read without commenting, as I'm sure you must be aware. When I see some of the profound comments others make, I often feel I can contribute little more. What do I know about living in a war zone? What you do is to inform us of what that is like from a first-hand perspective. That is invaluable.
ReplyDeleteYou are very right, I am on a writing break here trying to find out for myself where the difficulty is here. Of course I'm writing here from my personal experience here and those who don't go through it can't always understand, although all the commenters here are wonderful people who did understand. Except the troll of course.
DeleteHugs from France .Catherine from France.
ReplyDeleteThank you .
ReplyDeleteYour voice coming from Israel matters. That is sobering to know how few of your friends had living grandparents. Although I'm not Jewish, I remember hearing about the Nazis as a little girl (born in 1949) and being afraid that they were coming to get me.
ReplyDelete