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I never would have thought that the first event I attended
as a Workum intern would be a memorial service for a Holocaust survivor.
After finishing my freshman year at Brandeis University, I decided
to work for The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education through
the Workum organization. I have always been interested in the Holocaust,
so I thought it would be a good experience. This past week, I attended
a memorial for Henry Carter at The Center for Holocaust and Humanity
Education at Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion.
One hundred people, the vast majority non-Jewish, gathered to honor
his life and legacy. Henry Carter was a survivor; he survived three
years at Auschwitz and the loss of his wife and two children. He
fully built a new life, surviving to the age of 97. Henry was important
to The Center, as his experiences are shown in Mapping Our Tears
at The Center. The memorial service was a testament of the hope
and optimism that can come from Holocaust survivors.
Friends shared their memories of Henry. One man, who met Henry at
the age of 90 in a water therapy class, remembered him as a kind
and vivacious man, who had a positive outlook and often surprised
people with flowers and pastries. He was in even greater awe of
Henry after seeing his tattoo and realizing he must have lived through
horrible times in the Holocaust.
Henry never forgot his Polish roots. Peter, a young man, broke into
tears while remembering Henry. As a teenager, Peter wanted to be
with his family in America, but was not permitted to leave communist
Poland. Henry served as Peter's sponsor in the United States, even
though he had never met Peter, and took upon the responsibility
of looking after a teenager.
Carrie Frank, a rabbinic student from Hebrew Union College-Los Angeles,
is in Cincinnati taking a summer course from Dr. Racelle Weiman
called "Jewish Leadership in a Post Shoah World". Though
she never met Henry, she took part in the ceremony. "I really
got a sense about what kind of person Henry was, by hearing from
his friends," she remarked. She was struck by how people were
so moved after watching Henry's testimony in Mapping Our Tears.
The Henry Carter Scholarship Fund, for student internships at The
Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education, has been established.
For more information about the scholarship or The Center, please
call (513) 487-3055, or email us as chhe@huc.edu. Scholarships in
the name of a loved one are a special way to keep his/her memory
alive. I have been privileged to work with other students, mostly
volunteers, from schools such as University of Virginia, University
of Cincinnati, Xavier University, and Thomas More College. Sitting
in the attic of Mapping Our Tears, I was struck by Henry's openness
to share his painful experiences. It was very apparent to me that,
through the memories of his friends and the efforts of The Center,
Henry's impact upon others, including me, will remain.
-Josh Weinstein
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