The Holocaust

2 Pages 534 Words

The Holocaust

“Do You Remember When”
This exhibition was written about Gad and Manfred, two Jewish friends who went through torture, discrimination, and suffering, only to be ripped apart in the end. Manfred was born on September 8, 1922 in Berlin. His father worked as a barber while his mother stayed home to take care of him and his 4 siblings. Gad was born on June 30, 1923, along with a twin sister named Miriam. Gad was only considered “half-Jew” because his mother had been a Protestant before converting to Jewish. Manfred had written Gad a journal, titled “Do you remember when,” to make Gad happy when he read it. In Manfred’s journal, he wrote about Hitler, saying, “how could anyone bring us someone like this?” The two friends used to spend nights together in the basement of their Jewish school as part of an obligatory air raid patrol. Gad and Manfred became members of the He-halutz youth group, a band of Jewish teens. Although the youth group did have their fun playing games, they were soon forced to work, as were all Jewish people over the age of 14. By September 15, 1941, all Jews were forced to wear a yellow star. The He-halutz group reacted by banning together and becoming more political. These two men eventually became more than friends, bringing out their homosexuality. As torture from the Nazis grew stronger, conflict rose in Jewish communities on how to react. Rumors about the Jewish’s destination had been heard, but nobody knew the exact truth. In the Fall of 1942, Manfred’s family “got their lists.” They were being forced to go to Grosse Hamburger Strasse, a destination “for work.” Gad, disguised as a Hitler-lover, managed to sneak in to see Manfred. Gad gave him $20, as Manfred told him that he did not have the heart to escape, he could not leave his family.

“Hidden History of the Kovno Ghetto”
The Holocaust began in the summer of 1941, as German troops invaded...