Eva Safferman's Memories During The Holocaust

Sam Student
English 7
January 22, 2011 A Single Thread At first, I was worried I would never get to fully understand the importance of the survivors’ memories. I mean, I’m still too young and new to this world to understand something so serious. I really believed that nobody could live in a time so harsh. So. I watched Eva Safferman’s testimony and I started to understand why memories were so important to them. When she said that her mom was willing to drink water with feces and urine. I was shocked that the Nazis made the women at the camp so thirsty that they would drink infested water. Eva was not trying to make people feel bad for her, but share her knowledge and memories of the hard times of her life during the Holocaust. After, I realized that the pain in my heart as she spoke about her life at a camp during the holocaust was
occurring because of the connection I felt with her. Like Eva, I have sad memories too.
I can share the memories of the time I found out my parents were getting divorced. I can still remember going to a counselor to try to get over the divorce. Those memories are hurtful and sad, but like Eva, there are more things about that memory that keeps me attached. It feels like our memories are attached on one side of a thread and we are on the other side. There will always affect me. Although Eva spoke of her personal suffering, the suffering of others affected her too. It just hurt her to see her mother willing to drink the infested water. Later I realized Eva would do the same if she were that thirsty. A situation such as this bothered Eva, even years later in her testimony. People say that there is a reason for everything, but to me there was no reason for my parents to get divorced. I knew they would never make up and get back together, whether I wanted it or not. I knew it was not that easy, but I wanted the divorce so bad to be a big lie. All I could do was pray and hope they would make everything right for
me. Because of this assignment, I learned that memories are not things that go away after a while. They stick with you through your whole life, no matter thick or thin. Even if I wanted to forget about all the horrible things I felt during the process of the divorce. I just wanted to forget about everything and live my life like a normal family. It didn’t happen but a wish doesn’t always come true. Like most of us, the survivors want their memories to be honored. They share their memories with people all around the world to make us knowledgeable of the Holocaust. They also hope they are sharing their knowledge and wisdom.