Gilbert Michlin's moving story of his arrest in Paris in February 1944, his deportation to Auschwitz, and his struggle to survive his fifteen month ordeal as slave laborer in Nazi concentration camps tell us much about the climate in which the postwar Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted. Eighteen-year old Gilbert was stripped of the entirety of his political, civil, social, economic, and cultural rights not because of what he did but because of what he was—a Jew. Identified by the French and German regime as someone different from and inferior to the human race, Gilbert, like so many others, became the victim of a political ideology emphasizing not what humans fundamentally share with all others—their humanity—but what makes them superficially different—race, gender, ethnicity, belief, sexual preference, political belief and so on. Deportation, slavery and extermination were built upon the premise that no universal principles of civil law exist; that no individual has basic inherent rights; and that only dominant cultural groups or state authorities determine who is and who is not to be endowed with such rights. Universalism—the belief that all members of the human family are endowed with basic inalienable rights—is the starting point of our postwar concern with putting human rights on the international agenda.
Gilbert Michlin’s ordeal and story remind us that the appeal for universal values is also a call for protecting individual people like Gilbert himself, his mother Riwka, and his father Moshe from those institutions (e.g. state, cultural or racial group, religion, tribe, or family) that often see such people as subjects, and not objects, of the very group endeavors that define them.
What thoughts and feelings did Gilbert Michlin evoke in you as you watched and listened to him speak? What additional impressions or questions would you like to share with him now, a week later and after having reflected upon his life and past ordeal? Now that we know Gilbert Michlin personally, let's use the second person singular voice.
After listening to you (Gilbert Michlin) speak to our class, the most resounding question I was left with was do you think this could happen again? Even though the language of human rights has become more developed and people are generally more conscious of violations, could a genocide of similar proportions and atrocity to the Holocaust happen again? For clarification though, I was most interested to know if you think it could happen again in a developed and modern country that was France and Germany in the 1940s. Atrocities occur in third world countries all too frequently and often we assume too readily that something like that could never happen to us in developed countries. If it was to happen again, what developed country do you think would be most likely to allow such horrors to happen?
ReplyDeleteI also was left with a feeling of hope, as ironic as that may seem. I am so happy there are men and women like you willing to share their stories with students and adults alike. The work that needs to be done in France to recognize the part the government played in the Holocaust is far from over but I was so happy to learn that there are people out there like you who do not let them off the hook for their actions and even push them to accept them. I so admire your stance against the police man that tried to get you to stop speaking, it is actions like these that force changes to be made. Thank you so much for speaking to our class about your personal experiences. It is something I will never forget and I was so deeply moved by your family’s story.
Something I was wondering, after your talk a few classes ago, was you would you have done anything different if you could change anything after you were taken to the camps? After reading your book, it talked about things you had to go through in order to survive and looking back at it now, was there something not mentioned in your book that you might think it might have been better to do something else than what you did? Also, when working in the factory that yall built, did yall every end up purposefully messing up the parts yall were building, like the time the German officers came and accused some of yall of doing? Another question that I wanted to ask you last time but did not was: Have you ever gone back and walked or driven the walked they made you do when you first left the camps when the Soviets were getting close to the camps up to when you were freed? Last, why do you think you were treated so poorly by the different armies on your journey back to Paris after being freed? I enjoyed your talk very much and hope that you might come back and answers these questions or send Dr. Blair an email with some answers. Thank you for telling your story.
ReplyDeleteYour moving story on your times during the Holocaust made me reflect on what my ancestors went through during the time of slavery up to the civil rights movement. I wanted to ask you, do you find any similarities between the time of slavery, and persecution of Africans to the times at Auschwitz in poverty stricken camps. I think you are very brave for telling the hardships you endured, expressing the horrific ordeal of knowing your own mother went into a gas chamber, and blatantly bringing awareness to the fact that the French police did have involvement in the situations that took place during that time.
ReplyDeleteI must say the most moving part of the lecture was when you discussed your faith, which was diminshed since you endured so much.I find that very interesting, but I can always respect someone who has survived such acts and still manages to come off as a good person because you were very calm when you spoke about such terrible things. Your book was very well written, and you allowed your readers to actually walk through the story with you. Thank you for coming to meet with our class, and I will be sure to share your story with other.
Thank you so much for coming to our class and telling us your story. One of the questions I have after hearing you speak is what do you think needs to be done to prevent something like the Holocaust from ever happening again? When the many genocides in third world countries occurred, how did this make you feel about people saying "never again" after the Holocaust?
ReplyDeleteI was also wondering if you think that the world is doing a good job on educating people about the Holocaust, are there any other books or materials you would recommend to help people become more informed?
Thank you again for coming and speaking to us.
Thank you so much for coming to our class, it was such a pleasure. I still can't imagine what is was like to go through what you went through at that age, the age I am now. One of the things I wanted to ask was if you ever returned to any of the concentration camps that you went to during the Halocaust. I didn't know if doing something like that would be too painful, or would help you cope with the treacheries that went on during your stay at those camps.
ReplyDeleteWhat actually made you write this book? Did you feel more at peace about what happened with your experience during the Holocaust after writing it?? Also, do you have any reccomendations of good books that people have written about their experiences during the Holocaust??
Once again, thank you so much for coming, and making sure students like me, and future generations, will never forget the treacheries that occured during the Holocaust.
I wanted to take the time to thank you for coming in and speaking with our class. It was truly a moving experience. I enjoyed the interactive aspect, I loved that we were able to go and see where you lived. I also liked that we were able to jump right into conversation since we all knew your story already. I did have a few unanswered questions that were not hit during our discussion. I was curious as to if you have ever revisited any of the concentration camps? Do you do anything special for Holocaust remembrance day? I was also hearing more about your time and life after the Holocaust? About life in America, your values today, your view on the past wars? But thank you again for coming in and speaking to us, I wish you the best!
ReplyDeleteYour story was very emotional and it really left me in a sense of awe. It has been amazing to meet with you and to hear your story. I am very glad you were able to come and I find it inspiring that you were able to go through such hardships and here you are today talking about it. I'm glad that you are letting the French government know how you feel and that their actions needed to be recognized and were unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteThere are two questions I was wondering about after you had spoken with our class.
-First of all, I was wondering about your emotional level during your whole ordeal before and after the Holocaust. Did you ever get the feeling of just giving up? Did you still have dreams about your ordeal after? How were you able to connect emotionally to other people after?
-Secondly, I was wondering what you think could help prevent other genocides in the world. Talking about it in schools? Taking them to concentration camps? Having a survivor come to a class to speak? What do we do 50 years down the line when there really are no survivors left to speak?
Thank you so much for speaking with our class and showing us where you once lived, it has truly been an honor to meet you.
I was actually a little hesitant and nervous about hearing you speak about your experience during the Holocaust. I have always been particularly sensitive to this topic firstly because I am Jewish and secondly because the events of the Holocaust had a huge impact on my family because my grandmother was a survivor. I feared that I would not be able to handle myself emotionally when you spoke, especially because I had a hard time only reading your story. I am incredibly impressed that you have the ability to get up before any group of people and relive what you experienced. It says a lot about your courage and your compassion to inform others, which is something I do no think I would be able to do.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found particularly interesting about your story was what countries you were brought to at the end of the war. My family originated from Poland, but the few survivors followed the exact same path as you did after the war, to Berlin and then on to Detroit, Michigan. I don’t know if that was a common path for survivors who did know exactly where to go next, but it was definitely noteworthy to me even if it is just a coincidence.
I realize that you initially came back to Paris because your work brought you here, but I can only imagine how hard it must have been to come back to the place that seemed to be both the origin of you fondest memories of your family before the war, but also your darkest memories before being deported. Obviously you live here and must love this city now, but when you first returned what did you think of this city? Did you return to your initial feeling of love or was it hard for you to return to Paris, a place that you may associate with the darkest time in your life?
Thank you very much for coming to speak with us. I cannot imagine how difficult it is for you to speak about your experience, but do know that it was a very valuable learning experience.
I first want to apologize for being unable to attend your lecture. I so wish I had been present on this day, because I would have loved nothing more than to see you speak, especially after reading your book. I was very moved by your story. One of our class assignments was to visit the Memorial de la Shoah. It had been a long time since I had been to a Holocaust museum/memorial, and I really enjoyed my time visiting. In one room, I saw rows and rows of identification cards of Holocaust victims.I read about how it wasnt until fairly recently that the French government admitted their role in the Holocaust. What are you feelings about this? How does it feel being back in Paris as a Jew? Do you find yourself having a difficult time feeling at home in Paris after the Holocaust? I can imagine it must be interesting having experienced what you have experienced in Paris and returning to live here. I would love to hear more! Thank you again for coming in.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to hear your story was such an incredible honor, and an experience that I will truly never forget. I am so inspired by your strength, hope, ability to overcome, and I admire your zest, and willingness to openly share your experiences. Learning, and hearing personal accounts about the Holocaust is extremely important, and I am so thankful that I was given this opportunity to do so. Although a great deal has changed since the Holocaust, I was wondering, if you thought Paris still had room for improvement, in terms of anti-Semitism? Have you, or has anyone that you know, recently experienced any acts of anti-Semitism? Or, do you feel as if Paris has become a generally accepting city? Thank you again for sharing your story with us. I truly appreciated and enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I was a little nervous to hear you speak and especially nervous to ask questions. Your book was poignant and moving, and the opportunity to hear your story in person is a once in a lifetime opportunity. But I was hesitant to ask certain things. First and foremost on my mind was my curiousity about your opinion on whether something like the Holocaust could happen again. Having lived through such a horrific experience and survived to see the world change so much in sixty years, have we moved permanently away from the atmosphere that allowed the Holocaust to occur?
ReplyDeleteA secound question I had is slightly more personal. Did you ever see any of your fellow Bobrek inmates again? Would you want to?
And finally, how do you relate to other survivors of the Holocaust?
Thank you so much for coming in to speak with us, it is truly appreciated. I would also like to let you know that your convictions and determination to make the truth heard is inspirational. I hope that you are always able to open the eyes of those who would rather forget about the past.
Mr Michelin,
ReplyDeleteFirst I would like to thank you for the moment we spent together last time in the campus. It was an honour for me to listen to you and to be. I was really intimidated and attentive when you talked about your childhood, your family and you life in France and when your life abruptly changed because of your deportation. Moreover, reading your book gave me another interesting vision on the past events, it was a moving and arresting story.
A lot of questions went through my mind. I would have known the daily life in camp and how did you see events with your child’s eyes. I did not dare asking you any of them because I am a shy person but I was afraid of not getting the measure of my questions
That is why I prefer listened to you. I was really surprised because you told us things in certain way, mixing humour, simplicity and calm.
But the point which is also interesting is your opinion and your feeling for France and its government which collaborated with these deportations. The title of your book arouses my curiosity and my reflexion and thanks to your book I realise your resentment towards France, which is totally justifiable. Throughout your story you use France’s responsibility as a backdrop. The fact that your father was refused de citizenship fuelled this resentment. That is why I would like to know your feelings about France, the past and the current France? Where do you find the strength to come back in the country who betrayed you in a certain way? I am not sure but maybe the fact that you spent a joyful childhood in France with your parents; you loved this country at some time. But then things happened and your point of view changed. That is why I feel that you are in the limit of love and hate regarding France, so your resentment was more violent.
I would like to say that you are the second person who survived deportation that I met in my life and meeting you will stay in my memories for life. The first person I met before you was a deported from Auschwitz, Birkenau und Buchenwald. Some comrades of my secondary school and I took part in a project organized by the Hotel de Ville of Paris which dealt with the deportation and memories. I don’t know if it still in effect but I was a great experience above all for young people. Thanks to this experience I realized how the duty of memories is important which a way to fight indifference and denial is. It also a way to recognize the past events and the victims. Meeting you reinforce my conception of live, history and human rights. I would like to have your point of view about this kind of project organized by the Hotel de Ville.
I hope we will see you soon at the CEA campus.
Best regards.
I grew up in a primarily Jewish area. Over the years there have been many programs and books we would go over in class. I have never read anything like your book. Your book plainly states what you and your parents went through. This, to me, is much more powerful than anything I have ever read about the Holocaust. Just stating what happened made it seem so much more real. I am honored that you came into the class to speak with us and share your story. The fact that you were able to move on as much as you have and lead a successful live is amazing. Thank you for taking your time to come to CEA.
ReplyDeleteI have read your article, it is very informative and helpful for me.I admire the valuable information you offer in your articles. Thanks for posting it.. evidence that humans caused climate change
ReplyDelete