Why I Write About the Holocaust

The Holocaust is part of history and one of the worst genocides in history . When I began learning about the Holocaust at age seven, I was very attached to Anne Frank for a long time. I wanted to study everything I could about her. I spoke about her in almost every history class and I wrote papers on her.

When I was thirteen, my paternal grandpa took me to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. I had not been before, but I would go several more times after he took me. I was so inspired by it all, that my life long goal was to work at a Holocaust Museum.

When I was a senior in high school, I began to take my research in the Holocaust more seriously and figured I’d better study other children or teens that were involved in the Holocaust . In the spring of 2010, I was recommended a very special book called Salvaged Pages by my friend and historian Alexandra Zapruder. In this book, she wrote about many children and teens diaries. In this book I found five people who I would study extensively for a long time: Petr Ginz, Eva Ginz (Chava Pressburger), Peter Feigl, Moshe Flinker and Otto Wolf. Peter and Chava I managed to find and have a friendship with . Peter has been a great mentor to someone who wants to study the Holocaust and want to make a career out this .

Otto’s story, I have begun writing a research book on his siblings – Felicitas and Kurt . The book talks about him and his siblings as a whole, to show that they were real people .

As my friend and Holocaust survivor, Renee Kann Silver, said “It was a total surprise and I could not understand her enthusiasm for a topic not generally of interest to young Americans.” I have such a passion for this subject . It stems from me wanting to give the victims a voice . As my grandpa once said; “They never left. Their Spirits live through us and it’s our job to speak for them, so they won’t be forgotten.” I immediately thought of how many people do not know Moshe Flinker’s name or even know Otto’s story of trying to survive.

When I was in high school, I was able to get involved with the Dallas Holocaust Museum.

I did everything from tours to survivors relations – it was like I was living my dream. Then I moved to Houston and getting involved with the Houston museum was a little more difficult but now I’m able to get involved, thanks to a local Houston survivor, Ruth Steinfeld.

For me, the Holocaust is something I take seriously and my main focus is on children and teens – who died or survived the Holocaust . I focus on them because I resonate with them, as they are the ones who are forgotten the most . The voice of Otto Wolf will speak through me, even when people do not want to talk about him. Otto’s sister, Felicitas (Garda) survived (died on June 7, 2006, age 86) but did not talk about either her brothers, Otto or Kurt (Kurt was shot in action fighting the Germans in the Soviet Union. He died on March 9, 1943). She died without doing a video testimony for the Shoah foundation at UCLA.

This is where I come in. I want to remember their stories and I am constantly writing about the Wolfs and trying to keep them alive. I do not want them to be forgotten in the test of time .

Otto has been gone for almost eighty years . The story of the Wolfs is not a famous one, but it is one that I want to share .

So for those who want a solid reason on why I write about the Holocaust – is to give those who do not have a voice a voice .