For over 10 years I have been finding excuses why not to read Erna’s book: The Survivor in Us All: Four Young Sisters in the Holocaust
. Erna is Vivian’s mom my dearest second cousin who is like an aunt to me (she hates when I call her aunt… but she knows I only mean it because I love her so).
It is not easy to sit down and open a book about the holocaust, defiantly not one about your family. But I finally did.
I finished both books (she has 2) a couple of months ago. I couldn’t stop the tears, I couldn’t put them down. I only regret for not reading them while Erna was still alive so I could tell her how much her books meant to me. And how much I admire her strength to sit down and do it all over again in writing, so we - the future generation- will have some clue of what it was like.
We all have a responsibility of remembering the past as hard as it is sometimes, but we also have an even bigger responsibility of accepting the different and teach our children to do the same. Yes we are all different and that is why we need to try and find ways of celebrating those differences and enjoy each others' culture instead of fearing traditions we don’t know. We need to plant seeds of tolerance and acceptance instead of prejudice and narrow-mindedness.
SO...
Take your kids to cultural festivals (they are everywhere),
Try different foods
Listen to world music such as Putumayo Presents Series, one of our favorite CD's from that series is Dreamland: World Lullabies & Soothing Songs
Read to your kids books that celebrate tolerance such as It's Okay To Be Different
. Or Let's Get Along!: Kids Talk About Tolerance
The Crafty Crow has recently featured a world craft series which you may enjoy also. This is the link: crafts from around the world
I would love to hear any other suggestions
Tali
It is not easy to sit down and open a book about the holocaust, defiantly not one about your family. But I finally did.
I finished both books (she has 2) a couple of months ago. I couldn’t stop the tears, I couldn’t put them down. I only regret for not reading them while Erna was still alive so I could tell her how much her books meant to me. And how much I admire her strength to sit down and do it all over again in writing, so we - the future generation- will have some clue of what it was like.
We all have a responsibility of remembering the past as hard as it is sometimes, but we also have an even bigger responsibility of accepting the different and teach our children to do the same. Yes we are all different and that is why we need to try and find ways of celebrating those differences and enjoy each others' culture instead of fearing traditions we don’t know. We need to plant seeds of tolerance and acceptance instead of prejudice and narrow-mindedness.
SO...
Take your kids to cultural festivals (they are everywhere),
Try different foods
Listen to world music such as Putumayo Presents Series, one of our favorite CD's from that series is Dreamland: World Lullabies & Soothing Songs
Read to your kids books that celebrate tolerance such as It's Okay To Be Different
The Crafty Crow has recently featured a world craft series which you may enjoy also. This is the link: crafts from around the world
I would love to hear any other suggestions
Tali
