Holocaust Investigative Essay: Paralleled Universe
ENG 121-019
13 May 2013
Paralleled Universe
During the late 1930’s the world was contaminated by the Second World War and the Holocaust. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Holocaust is defined as follows: “a sacrifice wholly consumed by fire.” During the Holocaust, the Nazis, under the command of Adolf Hitler, liquidated over six million Jews. There is one Jewish survivor whose story especially touched my heart and changed my attitude towards life for the better. This amazing woman is Krystyna Chiger. Krystyna and her family escaped the Nazi liquidation by living in sewers for fourteen months (qtd. in “The Girl in the Green Sweater” 5). Accordingly, thorough assessments of my personal experiences according to the life lessons of Krystyna Chiger descriptively visualize the Holocaust and its everlasting impact on society.
When one’s entire life becomes flipped upside down and ultimately destroyed, that person will need to hang on to something in order to survive. Once the Germans invaded Lvov, Poland, Krystyna’s family fled into hiding and left all their worldly possessions behind. Krystyna managed to keep the green sweater that her late grandmother had knitted for her all during the war. Without a doubt, the sweater brought to life her memory of her grandmother’s warm hugs every time she put it on. This was one of many miracles for her and her family. The green sweater now stands on permanent exhibit at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., and is a tribute to the struggles of all Jewish children during the war, as well as a tribute to the child that Krystyna Chiger used to be (5).
Moving forward, the Jews faced serious levels of anti-Semitism, but surprisingly they were not hated by everyone. According to Elie Wiesel, there were Christians or “Righteous Gentiles” who were very sensitive to this tragedy (qtd. in “The Perils of Indifference,” par. 3). Amongst the generous sewer workers who looked after the Chiger family was a “Righteous
13 May 2013
Paralleled Universe
During the late 1930’s the world was contaminated by the Second World War and the Holocaust. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Holocaust is defined as follows: “a sacrifice wholly consumed by fire.” During the Holocaust, the Nazis, under the command of Adolf Hitler, liquidated over six million Jews. There is one Jewish survivor whose story especially touched my heart and changed my attitude towards life for the better. This amazing woman is Krystyna Chiger. Krystyna and her family escaped the Nazi liquidation by living in sewers for fourteen months (qtd. in “The Girl in the Green Sweater” 5). Accordingly, thorough assessments of my personal experiences according to the life lessons of Krystyna Chiger descriptively visualize the Holocaust and its everlasting impact on society.
When one’s entire life becomes flipped upside down and ultimately destroyed, that person will need to hang on to something in order to survive. Once the Germans invaded Lvov, Poland, Krystyna’s family fled into hiding and left all their worldly possessions behind. Krystyna managed to keep the green sweater that her late grandmother had knitted for her all during the war. Without a doubt, the sweater brought to life her memory of her grandmother’s warm hugs every time she put it on. This was one of many miracles for her and her family. The green sweater now stands on permanent exhibit at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., and is a tribute to the struggles of all Jewish children during the war, as well as a tribute to the child that Krystyna Chiger used to be (5).
Moving forward, the Jews faced serious levels of anti-Semitism, but surprisingly they were not hated by everyone. According to Elie Wiesel, there were Christians or “Righteous Gentiles” who were very sensitive to this tragedy (qtd. in “The Perils of Indifference,” par. 3). Amongst the generous sewer workers who looked after the Chiger family was a “Righteous
Cited: Geschier, Sofie. “I Need You To Accept My Word!” The University of Cape Town, 2002 South Africa Nitzarim, Yoel. “What Might Have Been --- What Might Be.” Matrix. 2002. Print. Wiesel, Elie. “The Perils of Indifference.” YouTube. YouTube, 7 Feb. 2010. Web. 14 Apr