thedrifter
04-29-09, 08:00 AM
MARINES MARK DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
April 27, 2009 12:00 am
BY DAN TELVOCK
Those in military uniform are often the first ones to see the evils of genocide.
British and American forces freed those who survived Nazi Germany’s state-sponsored persecution and murder of Jews during World War II.
So, when Holocaust survivor and world-renowned violinist Max Rabinovitsj walked into Breckenridge Hall at Marine Corps Base Quantico, he felt an immediate connection.
“I think you all do a marvelous thing for the world,” he told the mostly uniformed audience.
Rabinovitsj was at the base Thursday for the Day of Remembrance observance.
The Marine Corps has eight special observances each year. Congress established Days of Remembrance as its annual observance of the Holocaust. This year the theme is “Never Again: What You Do Matters.”
Leah Watson, civilian deputy assistant chief of staff at Quantico and a Stafford County resident, said there has been at least one other event similar to this one held at the base.
“I was very humbled by his presence,” she said.
She said the Marines responded positively to Rabinovitsj’s story. Several members of Beth Sholom Temple in Stafford also attended.
For most of his 75 years, Rabinovitsj tried to ignore the pain from the Holocaust. Only recently, when a Charlottesville Daily Progress reporter wrote a feature on the Belgian-born Rabinovitsj, did others learn about his history. Even his own children didn’t know about parts of his past until the article. He now lives in Albemarle County with his wife, Mary.
Rabinovitsj spoke for 40 minutes about his life and then answered questions from Marines.
A SURVIVOR’S LIFE
Rabinovitsj was born in 1934 in Brussels. He lived an ordinary life as a child until his sixth birthday, when the Germans invaded Belgium. At that point, “everything ended as a normal life is concerned.”
Rabinovitsj, with his 1-year-old sister, Fanny, on his shoulders, left their home to walk to France. But when German planes strafed civilians, the young boy made the decision to return home.
Then the men in black came.
The Gestapo, Germany’s secret police, pounded on the family’s front door. Rabinovitsj said they were saved for the moment because King Leopold III made an agreement with the Germans that all Belgian-born Jews would be left alone. Rabinovitsj’s father was one of the rare native Belgian Jews. When his mother showed the Gestapo their residency papers, the secret police prepared to leave.
But Rabinovitsj said one of the officers in black grabbed his face and said, “We’ll come back for you.”
“I would be terrified and do everything possible to get out of their way,” he said of the Gestapo. “The [Gestapo] chose to be the kind of force that was so evil and enjoyed inflicting pain on Jews and homosexuals.”
After that encounter, Rabinovitsj was split from his family. He hid in the basements and cellars of churches.
SAVED BY BUTTER
When Rabinovitsj was 8, he shared space in a church cellar with a man who taught him how to play violin.
Rabinovitsj said the Gestapo eventually captured the violinist, but the violin stayed with Rabinovitsj.
“It helped me take my mind off a lot of things,” he said.
Rabinovitsj’s father knew his son was playing the violin, and he made an agreement with an old Italian man to continue teaching his son during their separation. But the graying man was not paid in cash; he was paid in butter.
Rabinovitsj discovered later through public records that this man sold Jewish children to the Germans.
“The only reason he didn’t sell me is because my father provided him with butter,” he said.
When the war ended, Rabinovitsj quickly became a professional violinist. He was accepted into the Royal Brussels Conservatory at the age of 12, even though musicians typically had to be at least 18. He has played more than 5,000 concerts.
‘FEAR OR NOT FEAR’
Rabinovitsj held back tears when he told the Marines he saw the Gestapo murder his 2-year-old cousin. “It is very difficult for me to talk about this, but these are the memories we have,” he said.
He told the Marines how happy he was to see British and American troops pushing the Germans out.
“The Americans had chewing gum, which we never had, and Hershey bars,” he said.
One Marine asked Rabinovitsj what advice he’d give Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“What they will get from you is either fear or not fear,” he said. “This is what I think is your duty—to make sure that you never frighten children and that you understand that the human race is the human race and there are horrible people who do terrible things, but the majority are very good people, and so take care of those.”
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438 dtelvock@freelancestar.com
Ellie
April 27, 2009 12:00 am
BY DAN TELVOCK
Those in military uniform are often the first ones to see the evils of genocide.
British and American forces freed those who survived Nazi Germany’s state-sponsored persecution and murder of Jews during World War II.
So, when Holocaust survivor and world-renowned violinist Max Rabinovitsj walked into Breckenridge Hall at Marine Corps Base Quantico, he felt an immediate connection.
“I think you all do a marvelous thing for the world,” he told the mostly uniformed audience.
Rabinovitsj was at the base Thursday for the Day of Remembrance observance.
The Marine Corps has eight special observances each year. Congress established Days of Remembrance as its annual observance of the Holocaust. This year the theme is “Never Again: What You Do Matters.”
Leah Watson, civilian deputy assistant chief of staff at Quantico and a Stafford County resident, said there has been at least one other event similar to this one held at the base.
“I was very humbled by his presence,” she said.
She said the Marines responded positively to Rabinovitsj’s story. Several members of Beth Sholom Temple in Stafford also attended.
For most of his 75 years, Rabinovitsj tried to ignore the pain from the Holocaust. Only recently, when a Charlottesville Daily Progress reporter wrote a feature on the Belgian-born Rabinovitsj, did others learn about his history. Even his own children didn’t know about parts of his past until the article. He now lives in Albemarle County with his wife, Mary.
Rabinovitsj spoke for 40 minutes about his life and then answered questions from Marines.
A SURVIVOR’S LIFE
Rabinovitsj was born in 1934 in Brussels. He lived an ordinary life as a child until his sixth birthday, when the Germans invaded Belgium. At that point, “everything ended as a normal life is concerned.”
Rabinovitsj, with his 1-year-old sister, Fanny, on his shoulders, left their home to walk to France. But when German planes strafed civilians, the young boy made the decision to return home.
Then the men in black came.
The Gestapo, Germany’s secret police, pounded on the family’s front door. Rabinovitsj said they were saved for the moment because King Leopold III made an agreement with the Germans that all Belgian-born Jews would be left alone. Rabinovitsj’s father was one of the rare native Belgian Jews. When his mother showed the Gestapo their residency papers, the secret police prepared to leave.
But Rabinovitsj said one of the officers in black grabbed his face and said, “We’ll come back for you.”
“I would be terrified and do everything possible to get out of their way,” he said of the Gestapo. “The [Gestapo] chose to be the kind of force that was so evil and enjoyed inflicting pain on Jews and homosexuals.”
After that encounter, Rabinovitsj was split from his family. He hid in the basements and cellars of churches.
SAVED BY BUTTER
When Rabinovitsj was 8, he shared space in a church cellar with a man who taught him how to play violin.
Rabinovitsj said the Gestapo eventually captured the violinist, but the violin stayed with Rabinovitsj.
“It helped me take my mind off a lot of things,” he said.
Rabinovitsj’s father knew his son was playing the violin, and he made an agreement with an old Italian man to continue teaching his son during their separation. But the graying man was not paid in cash; he was paid in butter.
Rabinovitsj discovered later through public records that this man sold Jewish children to the Germans.
“The only reason he didn’t sell me is because my father provided him with butter,” he said.
When the war ended, Rabinovitsj quickly became a professional violinist. He was accepted into the Royal Brussels Conservatory at the age of 12, even though musicians typically had to be at least 18. He has played more than 5,000 concerts.
‘FEAR OR NOT FEAR’
Rabinovitsj held back tears when he told the Marines he saw the Gestapo murder his 2-year-old cousin. “It is very difficult for me to talk about this, but these are the memories we have,” he said.
He told the Marines how happy he was to see British and American troops pushing the Germans out.
“The Americans had chewing gum, which we never had, and Hershey bars,” he said.
One Marine asked Rabinovitsj what advice he’d give Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“What they will get from you is either fear or not fear,” he said. “This is what I think is your duty—to make sure that you never frighten children and that you understand that the human race is the human race and there are horrible people who do terrible things, but the majority are very good people, and so take care of those.”
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438 dtelvock@freelancestar.com
Ellie