How+did+the+survivors+motivate+themselves+from+day+to+day?

Courtney Campau, Jennifer Shorkey, Monica Lange, Christopher Fernandez, Taylor Schultz

**What motivated survivors to live from one day to the next? What “coping skills” did they use?** During the holocaust millions of Jews were forced to live in concentration camps were many were murdered, however some of these people managed to survive the unbearable conditions. Words cannot describe the inhumanness they suffered. In order for these prisoners to survive the dehumanization from the Nazis, they had to be strong willed and strong minded. They had to fight the urge to give in the death and Hitler's evil plan of complete extinction of Jews. This battle to live another day was not easy but some did managed to survive. Elie Wiesel, who describes his experience of the Holocaust in his book, [|//Night//], had seen the separation of his family, like others, right in front of his very own eyes. He witnessed the hangings, escaped the human ovens and endured the hatred of the Nazis. His faith was lost. The will to survive came only from his father needing him to. He pushed through it for his father who was by his side almost the whole time he was in Auschwitz, until his father’s death from dysentery and starvation. He questioned God's silence again, and he decided that he no longer wanted to live. Yet he did, and in retrospect, he doesn't know why. Some years after liberation however, he decided to live again, and to tell his story to the world. Others however, Wiesel describes in his book, felt their family were dragging them down. On a death march, a Rabbi was with his son but was falling behind and the son just kept on going, like he was relieved his father wasn’t next to him anymore. His impulse to survive was much stronger than his love for his father at that moment. In Isabella Leitner's novel, [|"Isabella: from Auschwitz to freedom"]. Leitner describes her motivation for survival. In her case, her sisters were her motivation for survival. When one would become overwhelmed with despair, the others would encourage her to not give up and to stay alive. Isabella and her sisters also used coping skills such as cutting their bread into slices so they could believe they had more food than they actually did. For Leitner brother I feel that revenge is part of what kept him alive “eat whatever they give you. Eat. If they give you shit, eat shit. Because we must survive. We have to pay them back”. Not only did Jews stay motivated by their family but by outsiders willing to help them, and that is what happens for Basia Mandel and Rose Silberberg-Skier who if it weren’t for the kindness of other, would probably not be alive today. Basia had nun help hide her for a few weeks while she regained strength from being injured while on the run. Rose had a neighbor friend hide her and her family in a chicken coop. I believe it is people like that, that help them stay motivated. Along with Rose and Basia there was Magda Herzberger, another Holocaust survivor gave a presentation to a Freshman English class on her experiences at three German concentration camps. Before the inspection when entering the camp she recalled the words of her father, “My father reminded me to follow the path of love, forgiveness, and tolerance and never let hatred enter my heart no matter what happens.” Yet another survivor recalls the harsh conditions they experienced, for example in below zero weather they would take off all of their clothing and put it on the ice for about five or ten minutes until all of the lice were frozen and died off. It remained a constant battle though; in a couple of days the lice came back. Struggle after struggle, they just lived moment to moment. The one’s who did survive, survived for a reason. Some found ways to give themselves hope, others stayed alive for their familie s. “How did I survive? When a person is in trouble he wants to live.”

Work Cited 1. Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006, Print. 2. Leitner, Isabella. Isabella From Auschwitz to Freedom.USA: Xlibris Corporation, 2000. Print. 3. Jackson, Roberto A. "Holocaust survivor invited by Ira H. Hayes HS." //Gila River Indian Community//. Gila River Indian News, n.d. Web. 17 Oct 2010. <[]>. 4. Nutis, Laura. "The Holocaust and Survivor Stories." //I. L. Peretz Community Jewish School//. 2007. Web. 19 Oct. 2010. []. 5. Menszer, John. "Holocaust Survivors: Solomon Radasky's Story." //Holocaust Survivors//. 1999-2010. Web. 19 Oct. 2010. .

Whitney Vlassis' reply : These holocaust survivor really show the true strength of the human spirit and just how much a person can endure. Throughout the years of indescribable events and terrible situations they had all gone through, they still manage to summon the strength to tell their stories to strangers and those who want to listen. I wonder how they individually feel about the fact that out of so many millions of people selected to die, they were the ones to survive. Would they call it luck or a gift from God?

Ashley Root's Reply: I think it's horrible some of the conditions the survivors had to go through to stay alive. Some had to hide in chicken coops, others in closets. They couldn't speak or cough or even breathe heavy or they'd be caught and killed. I like the the quote “How did I survive? When a person is in trouble he wants to live," because it just shows that you have to have will power and you really, truly want to live, or else you will die. If i was put in the situation and was hidden i would have done whatever it took to survive because I would never lose hope that my family was still alive and out there somewhere. I would never be able to just die with the possibility of reuniting with my family one day.

Garrett Reinert's Reply: It is hard to imagine all of the things the Holocaust survivors had to go though to stay alive. They went from living a normal life to having nothing and not knowing if they would live to see another day. Many of the survivors motivated themselves to live because of their family. They didn’t want to give up hope because there was always a chance if they survived that they would be able to find their family after the war. The quote “How did I survive?” is a good quote. These people went through so much. It just shows how much a person can really go through to stay alive. I believe that families like the Beck’s in “Clara’s War” also helped motivate the survivors because it showed them that some people really did care about them. I think it is great that some survivors although going through so many hardships can talk about what they have experienced and share it with people who want to learn.