I believe in peace and equality. I believe in a world that doesn’t judge or hate others because of religion or race. These differences are what make the human race unique as a whole. Everyone and everything on this planet is connected by a special bond; the bond of existence. We are all creatures on Earth, and hate and prejudice is what slowly breaks that bond.
I can honestly say that it’s a miracle I’m alive today, as a result of hate and intolerance. My grandparents are both Holocaust survivors. They lived in Poland during the Nazi invasion and were forced into deprivation. My grandmother, Nella, and her family were taken in by a non-Jewish family who allowed them to hide in their cellar. They lived in that damp cellar for the duration of the war. My grandmother tells me how horrifying it was down there; constantly living with the fear that the Nazis would find them. It’s still difficult for her to talk about.
My grandfather, Myer, on the other hand, was transported to the Auschwitz death camp where he was immediately separated from his mother and father. His brother, Zedi, had died on the train ride to Auschwitz after enduring weeks of starvation. Myer soon realized that his parents were taken directly to the gas chambers where they were savagely killed, along with countless other Jews. After about a week of living in absolute Hell, it was my grandfather’s turn to be killed. He and about 20 other Jews were forced to line up outside the gas chambers in anticipation of being murdered. While standing there, overridden with fear, my grandfather was miraculously pulled out of line by a man he’d never seen before. The man had pulled my grandfather into a separate line; a line of workers. He had then become a worker, under the wing of this mysterious man. Was he God? Who knows. The only thing certain is that my grandfather remained a worker on the death camp until he was liberated in 1945, met Nella while on a blind date in the United States, married her and produced my mother, and ultimately created me. The fact that I’m alive right now is a miracle.
I believe that by sharing stories like this, and spreading awareness of how destructive hate can be, we can advocate a revolution of peace. By educating the young generation and working together, we can help put an end to the intolerance that has engulfed our world.
I believe that one day the hate will reside and there will be peace on Earth. This I believe.