Gershon Willinger

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO LEARN?

I think I have a duty as a Jew to tell my story to the world because every story of every Holocaust survivor is unique because they're different people and different within themselves. Perception. You need to listen to as many stories. And I, a Jew is a normal person like any other person, the soul, two legs, wants to make it in life. We have certain attributes. We live our religion a bit differently, like everybody else does as well. A fight against bigotry, hatred of Jews is the oldest hatred that exists. And that's why I find it very important, because we need to always have hope. It's not my little story that I'm going to tell you here is not going to change people, their attitudes, but I want to have an understanding that they can choose what they think. That's very important for me that people understand what the Holocaust is about. And other reason that I do it, I owe it to my dead parents so that they're not just ash. So that they, and they don't have a proper grave. So they don't just becoming a number. So during my lifetime that I at least bringing them to life through photos, through pictures. There, there is a story attached to me in my background, people who were murdered because they were good people and didn't do anything. And it's also very good. And it's good for my own psyche to talk about it because it gives me a sense of belonging. It gives me a sense of self and validation that I exist…

Well, life is very different children are children they're spontaneous. They ask questions and they are not there are no inhibitions. And they, you know what parent tells the right thing or not the right thing. They are inquisitive. They want to know, but it's how you transcribe your knowledge, how you, how you put it in front of the children. They are the hope of the future. If child's indoctrinated to hate somebody at a very early age, it's very hard to get it out of the child's system. If a child gets indoctrinated at a very early age with goodness and equality, it's very hard to get out of the system. So that's what we have to do. So that's where I see the parallel. It's all up to the adults to, to guide the children. And then I see a parallel that children can be. I see also little children, teenagers in Nazi. Germany can be also because of society be, um, although there are many Germans who knew the difference view right and wrong. But if you are allowed to go to a sports school and you go to the mountains to have a nice vacation and you belong to the Hitler youth, you're damn sure you going to be belong to the Hitler youth. Otherwise you get ostracized. It's really up to the children to learn, and I, and I think nothing has changed, a child should know the difference between right and wrong and what it means to be a bully, what it means to be all-inclusive. But the child has to have it in them as well. But it has to also be nurtured by parents, by educators. And if it is not nurtured the proper way, usually the fright, the children also often not knowing of what is strange like with adults ... oh know we get to know each other, so yeah, it's actually quite nice  to find out that you have a different, different traditions, different way of life than I have...