Holocaust Survivor Brings History to Life at CDS
History was brought to life earlier this week for Grade 10 and Senior Social Science students taking World History with Mr. Young and Mr. Downer. The students spent the morning with two guests from the Friends of Simon Weisenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) as part of a Lessons and Legacies workshop.
Elena Kingsbury introduced the session with historical background and perspective on the political state of Germany following World War I, the rise of anti-semitism, and how the Nazi party came to be democratically elected to power in 1933. Her presentation involved quite a bit of interaction with the student audience as Elena emphasized that, "It is only through the teaching of tolerance that we can recognize not our differences, but our humanity."
In her introduction of Holocaust survivor Gershon Willinger, Elena pointed out that every survivor's story is unique. Gershon was born in 1942 to German Jewish parents who had fled to Holland, where they felt they would be safe from the Nazis. However, when his parents realized their own lives were in danger, they gave Gershon to a Dutch farming family to raise as their own. As Gershon noted, his parents had made the ultimate act of selflessness in a dire attempt for him to survive. Later in life, he learned that his parents had been sent to a Polish concentration camp within months of his birth and were killed in 1943.
Gershon has spent a lifetime piecing together his journey as an infant during the Holocaust and what happened to him as a toddler after the war. His first memory at the age of 3 is of a Russian soldier hugging him and offering him candy as his concentration camp was liberated in April 1945. Thanks to the fastidious record keeping of the Nazis, Gershon has been able to document his Holocaust journey, find out what happened to his family members, and throughout it all, learn how to persevere and create the family he never had.
In brief, Gershon’s story is as follows: While the Dutch town his war family lived in worked for the Resistance, it didn’t take long for someone to report that they were housing a Jewish baby. His war father was imprisoned and Gershon (newly given the Dutch name Frits) was sent away to Westerbork, an interim camp in Holland where he stayed from November 1942-September 1944 in a camp hospital.
On September 13, 1944, Gershon and 49 other children from the camp were sent to Bergen Belsen in Hanover, Germany on the last train transport. According to the Nazi records, they were referred to as the "Group of Unknown Children" because no one knew their background.
At end of 1944/early 1945, he was sent to Theresienstadt in the former Czechoslovakia, which was liberated by the Russians in April 1945. Gershon’s first memory is of a Russian solder hugging him and offering candy. Miraculously, all 50 chidren between the ages of 1 ½ and 6 survived. He also remembers the long journey back to Holland in the back of an army truck.
Next came the process of rejoining Jewish children with their families members. Lists were placed in newspapers and eventually Gershon rejoined his wartime parents. However, his time with them did not last long as he was so troubled from his experience. He described how he was bounced from orphanage to sanitarium to an aunt who later emigrated to the States; all of whom felt he was mentally delayed. Eventually Gershon joined a foster family for 10 years at the age of 8.
He left Holland on his 18th birthday because he did not want to stay in the country that had failed him, and served in the Israeli army as a paratrooper. Here Gershon discovered his identity defending his people who had been persecuted in Europe. He later married his best friend and moved to Canada where he pursued a bachelor's and master's degree to prove to himself that he really was intelligent.
Today, Gershon feels extremely lucky to be living in Canada with his wife, three children and seven grandchildren. He works as a social worker helping homeless youth, and ended his presentation by asking our students “to not be a good person who does nothing, when you see something bad, stand up for it!"
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Land Acknowledgment
The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.
School Information
13415 Dufferin Street King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
