In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer
Page 22
A. Of the many remarkable things about Irene, the one that stands out the most is how much she loves people. She has every reason—more reason than most—to be cynical, to mistrust the people she meets. The things that were done to her, the losses she experienced, the sacrifices she made, the terrors she witnessed, could have soured her on the human race. And yet she is not soured. She is the sweetest, most generous person I've ever met. She has a great heart.
Irene Gut Opdyke
Q. You didn't discuss your experiences during the war for many years. What prompted you to begin telling your story publicly?
A. I saw an article in the newspaper where people were saying the Holocaust never happened. It made me very mad. I was there. I decided that I would start speaking out. It is my responsibility, because I survived, to share that with people—to say it is true. If I don't tell the truth, then the truth won't be known.
Q. You have said that you most enjoy speaking to groups of children. Do you feel you have a special message for young people?
A. My greatest love is speaking before children. When I speak, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, they listen. I want them to realize that they have to reach out to each other regardless of nationality, religion, color or creed.
When I speak with the teenagers, the students and college students, I tell them my story, that these things were happening when I was their age, and I ask them to realize it's up to them now to remember. We, the eyewitnesses, will not be here much longer, and they have to remember because a thing like the Holocaust— it can never be forgotten. If people will not learn from each other, another Holocaust might happen, there's no question about that.
After I speak, I listen. And I hear, not all, but the bigger part of the children say they will be watching out for their neighbor, or their roommates, and they stand in line for hugs and kisses, and I hug and kiss them all.
Q. You emigrated to the United States nearly fifty years ago. Have you been able to stay in contact with your family or anyone you met during the war?
A. Well, I was separated from my family, from 1939 to 1984. Then through Elie Wiesel's story “The Courage to Care,” I was sent to Poland. I went to Poland because they were making the movie and I was lucky enough to find one sister and she knew where the other sisters were.
It was like a dream. For the first time after so many years, I met my sisters but could not recognize any of them. I last saw them when they were little, young, and now they are all gray-haired women. So in one moment, we wanted to bridge the time, everyone was speaking at once. We were talking about our youthful times, and remembering our parents, and we went to visit the grave of my father, who was shot by the Nazis, and visited the grave of my mother.
I've been back to Poland three times already, and from time to time I can bring my sisters here, one by one. And I can speak Polish again—I had almost forgotten.
Shattered: Stories of Children and War
Edited by Jennifer Armstrong
0-440-23765-3
This collection, written by twelve noted young adult authors, examines all of war's implications for young people—from those caught in the line of fire to the children of veterans of wars long past.
Forgotten Fire
Adam Bagdasarian
0-440-22917-0
In 1915, Vahan Kenderian is living a life of privilege when his world is shattered by the Turkish-Armenian war. Separated from his family, he struggles to survive, knowing each day could be his last.
Tomorrow, When the War Began
John Marsden
0-440-21985-X
When Ellie and her friends return from a camping trip deep in the Australian bush, they find that their country has been invaded and their families taken prisoner. Will they run back into the bush, give themselves up, or stay and try to fight?
Number the Stars
Lois Lowry
0-440-22753-4
When the Jews of Denmark are “relocated” during the Holocaust, Ellen must move in with her best friend, Annemarie, and pretend to be part of the family. The danger grows when Annemarie is asked to go on a mission to save Ellen's life.
Counting Stars • David Almond • 0-440-41826-7
With stories that shimmer and vibrate in the bright heat of memory, David Almond creates a glowing mosaic of his life growing up in a large, loving Catholic family in northeastern England.
Kit's Wilderness • David Almond • 0-440-41605-1
Kit Watson and John Askew look for the childhood ghosts of their
long-gone ancestors in the mines of Stoneygate.
Skellig • David Almond • 0-440-22908-1
Michael feels helpless because of his baby sister's illness, until he
meets a creature called Skellig.
Before We Were Free • Julia Alvarez • 0-440-23784-X
Under a dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in 1960, young Anita
lives through a fight for freedom that changes her world forever.
Becoming Mary Mehan: Two Novels
Jennifer Armstrong • 0-440-22961-8
Set against the events of the American Civil War, The Dreams of
Mairhe Mehan depicts an Irish immigrant girl and her family, struggling to find their place in the war-torn country.
Mary Mehan Awake takes up Mary's story after the war, when she must begin a journey of renewal.
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
Kimberly Willis Holt • 0-440-23841-2 Toby's small, sleepy Texas town is about to get a jolt with the arrival of Zachary Beaver, billed as the fattest boy in the world. Toby is in for a summer unlike any other—a summer sure to change his life.
The Parallel Universe of Liars Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson • 0-440-23852-8
Surrounded by superficiality, infidelity, and lies, Robin, a self-described chunk, isn't sure what to make of her hunky neighbor's sexual advances, or of the attention paid her by a new boy in town who seems to notice more than her body.
Ghost Boy • Iain Lawrence • 0-440-41668-X
Fourteen-year-old Harold Kline is an albino—an outcast. When the circus comes to town, Harold runs off to join it in hopes of discovering who he is and what he wants in life. Is he a circus freak or just a normal guy?
Lord of the Nutcracker Men • Iain Lawrence • 0-440-41812-7 In 1914, Johnny's father leaves England to fight the
Germans in France. With each carved wooden soldier
he sends home, the brutality of war becomes more
apparent. Soon Johnny fears that his war games foretell
real battles and that he controls his father's fate.
Gathering Blue Lois Lowry • 0-440-22949-9
Lamed and suddenly orphaned, Kira is mysteriously
taken to live in the palatial Council Edifice, where she is
expected to use her gifts as a weaver to do the bidding of the all-powerful Guardians.
The Giver • Lois Lowry • 0-440-23768-8
Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices, until Jonas is given an opportunity that will change his world forever.
Shades of Simon Gray • Joyce McDonald • 0-440-22804-2
Simon is the ideal teenager—smart, reliable, hardworking, trustworthy. Or is he? After Simon's car crashes into a tree and he slips into a coma, another portrait of him begins to emerge.
Zipped • Laura and Tom McNeal • 0-375-83098-7
In a suspenseful novel of betrayal, forgiveness, and first love, fifteen-year-old Mick Nichols opens an e-mail he was never meant to see—and learns a terrible secret.
Harmony • Rita Murphy • 0-440-22923-5
Power is coursing through Harmony—the power to affect the universe with her energy. This is a frightening gift for a girl who has always hated being different, and Harmony must decide whether to hide her abilities or embrace the consequences—good and bad—of her full strength.
Both Sides Now • Ruth Pennebaker • 0-440-22933-2
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A compelling look at breast cancer through the eyes of a mother and daughter. Liza must learn a few life lessons from her mother, Rebecca, about the power of family.
The Baboon King • Anton Quintana • 0-440-22907-3
Neither Morengáru's father's Masai tribe nor his mother's Kikuyu tribe accepts him. Banished from both tribes, Morengéru encounters a baboon troop and faces a fight with the simian king.
Stargirl • Jerry Spinelli • 0-440-41677-9
Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” Then they turn on her.
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind
Suzanne Fisher Staples • 0-440-23856-0
Life is both sweet and cruel to strong-willed young Shabanu, whose home is the windswept Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. She must reconcile her duty to her family and the stirrings of her own heart in this Newbery Honor-winning modern-day classic.
Memories of Summer • Ruth White • 0-440-22921-9
In 1955, thirteen-year-old Lyric describes her older sister Summer's descent into mental illness, telling Summer's story with humor, courage, and love.
Irene Gut Opdyke received international recognition for her actions. The Israeli Holocaust Commission named her one of the Righteous Among the Nations, a title given to those who risked their lives by aiding and saving Jews during the Holocaust. She was granted the Israel Medal of Honor, Israel's highest honor, in a ceremony at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. The Vatican honored her with a special commendation. And her story is part of the permanent exhibition of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Mrs. Opdyke began speaking about her involvement in the war after she heard neo-Nazi groups call the Holocaust a hoax. She spent the last fifteen years of her life traveling extensively and speaking to groups large and small about her experiences. Her favorite audience by far was children. “I tell them, ‘You can do what I did! Right now! You are the future of the nation.’ I don't tell them what to do; I tell them I believe in them, that they can do it. They're the last generation that will hear firsthand accounts of the Holocaust. They are the future.” Irene Gut Opdyke struggled with many ailments toward the end of her life, but she maintained a busy speaking schedule because, as she said, connecting with people made her feel well. “We all have to reach out to know we're not alone in the world. You have to give, not just money, you must give yourself.”
Copyright © 1999 by Irene Gut Opdyke with Jennifer Armstrong
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