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Kysymyksiä joita minulle on esitetty keskitysleiristä
Oliko siellä koko ajan nälkä? Miksi ette tehneet vastarintaa? Voisiko sama tapahtua uudestaan?
Holokaustista selvinnyt Hédi Fried (s. 1924) on kiertänyt kouluissa yli kolmenkymmenen vuoden ajan kertomassa kokemastaan. Kirjassa hän vastaa nuorten usein esittämiin kysymyksiin.
Suomenkielisen laitoksen esipuheen on kirjoittanut Sofi Oksanen. Se on luettavissa alla.
ÄLÄ KOSKAAN TOTU VÄÄRYYKSIIN
Hédi Fried menetti vanhempansa Auschwitzin keskitysleirillä, jonne koko perhe vietiin. Sodan loputtua entinen elämä oli mennyttä, samoin vanha koti, eikä Friedin kotikaupunki Sighet sijainnut enää Romaniassa, vaan Unkarissa. Hän oli kuitenkin hengissä ja hänellä oli yhä siskonsa Livia. Siskokset kuljetettiin toipumaan Ruotsiin ja he jäivät asumaan sinne. Hédi ja Livia selvisivät keskitysleireiltä sattuman lisäksi toistensa ansiosta, sillä he kulkivat leiriltä leirille yhdessä. Monet täysin yksin jääneet menettivät elämänhalunsa. Vastuu toisesta sen sijaan auttoi pitämään halun elossa. Lisäksi siskokset ajattelivat, että heidän oli pakko selvitä, jotta he voisivat kertoa sodan jälkeen siitä, mitä oli tapahtunut.
Nyt 93-vuotias Fried on julkaissut lukuisia kirjoja holokaustista ja hän kiertää yhä kouluissa puhumassa aiheesta. Vain muistamalla, mitä on tapahtunut, voi estää sen tapahtumisen uudestaan. Siskokset puhuvat, jotta tulevien sukupolvien ei tarvitsisi kokea samaa.
Holokausti on tutkituin ja tunnetuin kansanmurha. Faktatietoa ja silminnäkijöiden todistuksia on saatavilla runsaasti. Siitä huolimatta juutalaisten joukkotuhoon johtaneet arjalaisfantasiat ja salaliittoteoriat juutalaisten ylivallasta eivät ole täysin kadonneet, niillä on yhä kannattajia äärioikeistolaisten parissa. Monet holokaustin itse todistaneet ovat joutuneet kohtaamaan ihmisiä, jotka yhä uskovat Hitlerin Saksan propagandaan ja väittävät kansanmurhaa valheeksi. Siksi puhumista asiasta ei voi lopettaa. Filosofi George Santayana on todennut, että he jotka kieltävät menneisyyden, ovat tuomittuja toistamaan sen, mitä on tapahtunut.
Kaikki alkaa eriarvoistumisesta
Tässä kirjassa Hédi Fried käy läpi kysymyksiä, joita koululaiset ovat esittäneet hänelle holokaustista. Keskitysleirin arjen lisäksi käsitellään sitä, mitä holokaustista voi oppia. Fried näki itse, mihin Adolf Hitler Saksan johdatti ja siksi Fried varoittaa karismaattisista johtajista, jotka käyttävät hyväkseen ihmisten tyytymättömyyttä vallitseviin olosuhteisiin ja etsivät kuvitteellisia syntipukkeja yhteiskunnan ongelmille. Hän näkee tämän päivän maailmassa yhtäläisyyksiä Saksaan ennen toista maailmansotaa. Sotaa ja verilöylyä edeltää aina ihmisten jako meihin ja heihin. Se on yhteistä kaikille kansanmurhille.
Joukkomurhiin ei ajauduta päivässä eikä viikossa, ei vuodessa eikä vuosissa. Se ei tapahdu sattumalta eikä äkkiarvaamatta. Se on päämäärä, johon valtaa pitävä tai sitä tavoitteleva taho tai ihmisryhmä on pyrkinyt. Se on teko, jonka suorittavat kaltaisemme ihmiset toisille kaltaisilleen, kun he lakkaavat pitämästä kaltaisiaan ihmisiä ihmisinä.
Ihminen ei synny vahingoittamaan toisia ihmisiä, mutta taitavan propagandan avulla kenestä tahansa voi tulla vähempiarvoinen olento, jonka poistaminen tekee yhteiskunnasta muka paremman, puhtaamman tai turvallisemman. Niin kävi Neuvostoliitossa Hitlerin Saksan ennen hallitsemilla alueilla ja myöhemmin Balkanilla, ja niin tapahtuu nyt niin Pohjois-Koreassa kuin Tšetšeniassa, jossa vainotaan seksuaalisia vähemmistöjä.
Kansanmurhaan johtavan tien alussa on aina jokaisesta yhteiskunnasta löytyvä vihan kipinä. Se kipinä on rasistisessa huutelussa. Se on homovihassa ja salaliittoteorioissa. Se kytee naisvihassa, juutalaisvitseissä ja etnisessä syrjinnässä, ja se alkaa aina vihjailuista ja huhupuheista, että johonkin tiettyyn ihmisryhmään kuuluva on myrkyttänyt kaivon, raiskannut naapurin lapsen tai suunnitellut terrori-iskua. Se kytee hetkessä, jossa ihmiset eivät enää välitä, onko huhu tai väite totta, vaan päättävät uskoa valhetta. Vihan, ennakkoluulojen ja huhujen luoma vihollinen ei enää ole ihminen; hän on epäinhimillistetty olento, joku jota ei enää pidä kaltaisenaan – joku joka on helppo tappaa.
Jotta nämä jokaisessa yhteiskunnassa piilevät kipinät leimahtaisivat rovioksi, tarvitaan hetki, jolloin ihmiset ovat lakanneet sammuttamasta kipinöitä, koska eivät enää viitsi, jaksa, uskalla. Koska siitä on tullut uusi normaali. Juuri eriarvoistumisen normalisoituminen mahdollistaa kansanmurhan, ja siksi yhtään kipinää ei saa jättää sammuttamatta. ”Se tapahtui lähes äkkiä vain oli tullut uusi määräys, pieni muutos huonompaan, mutta ei mitään maailmaa kaatavaa, saattoi sen kanssa elää. Tämä oli vain ohimenevää, me uskoimme. Se ei mennyt ohi, päinvastoin tuli taas uusi muutos huonompaan. Ja me reagoimme taas toivomalla, että sekin menisi pian ohi,” Fried kertoo.
Oikeus muistaa ei ole itsestään selvää
Oikeutemme puhua holokaustista ja muista ihmisoikeusrikoksista ei ole itsestään selvä. Oi...
Holokaustista selvinnyt Hédi Fried (s. 1924) on kiertänyt kouluissa yli kolmenkymmenen vuoden ajan kertomassa kokemastaan. Kirjassa hän vastaa nuorten usein esittämiin kysymyksiin.
Suomenkielisen laitoksen esipuheen on kirjoittanut Sofi Oksanen. Se on luettavissa alla.
ÄLÄ KOSKAAN TOTU VÄÄRYYKSIIN
Hédi Fried menetti vanhempansa Auschwitzin keskitysleirillä, jonne koko perhe vietiin. Sodan loputtua entinen elämä oli mennyttä, samoin vanha koti, eikä Friedin kotikaupunki Sighet sijainnut enää Romaniassa, vaan Unkarissa. Hän oli kuitenkin hengissä ja hänellä oli yhä siskonsa Livia. Siskokset kuljetettiin toipumaan Ruotsiin ja he jäivät asumaan sinne. Hédi ja Livia selvisivät keskitysleireiltä sattuman lisäksi toistensa ansiosta, sillä he kulkivat leiriltä leirille yhdessä. Monet täysin yksin jääneet menettivät elämänhalunsa. Vastuu toisesta sen sijaan auttoi pitämään halun elossa. Lisäksi siskokset ajattelivat, että heidän oli pakko selvitä, jotta he voisivat kertoa sodan jälkeen siitä, mitä oli tapahtunut.
Nyt 93-vuotias Fried on julkaissut lukuisia kirjoja holokaustista ja hän kiertää yhä kouluissa puhumassa aiheesta. Vain muistamalla, mitä on tapahtunut, voi estää sen tapahtumisen uudestaan. Siskokset puhuvat, jotta tulevien sukupolvien ei tarvitsisi kokea samaa.
Holokausti on tutkituin ja tunnetuin kansanmurha. Faktatietoa ja silminnäkijöiden todistuksia on saatavilla runsaasti. Siitä huolimatta juutalaisten joukkotuhoon johtaneet arjalaisfantasiat ja salaliittoteoriat juutalaisten ylivallasta eivät ole täysin kadonneet, niillä on yhä kannattajia äärioikeistolaisten parissa. Monet holokaustin itse todistaneet ovat joutuneet kohtaamaan ihmisiä, jotka yhä uskovat Hitlerin Saksan propagandaan ja väittävät kansanmurhaa valheeksi. Siksi puhumista asiasta ei voi lopettaa. Filosofi George Santayana on todennut, että he jotka kieltävät menneisyyden, ovat tuomittuja toistamaan sen, mitä on tapahtunut.
Kaikki alkaa eriarvoistumisesta
Tässä kirjassa Hédi Fried käy läpi kysymyksiä, joita koululaiset ovat esittäneet hänelle holokaustista. Keskitysleirin arjen lisäksi käsitellään sitä, mitä holokaustista voi oppia. Fried näki itse, mihin Adolf Hitler Saksan johdatti ja siksi Fried varoittaa karismaattisista johtajista, jotka käyttävät hyväkseen ihmisten tyytymättömyyttä vallitseviin olosuhteisiin ja etsivät kuvitteellisia syntipukkeja yhteiskunnan ongelmille. Hän näkee tämän päivän maailmassa yhtäläisyyksiä Saksaan ennen toista maailmansotaa. Sotaa ja verilöylyä edeltää aina ihmisten jako meihin ja heihin. Se on yhteistä kaikille kansanmurhille.
Joukkomurhiin ei ajauduta päivässä eikä viikossa, ei vuodessa eikä vuosissa. Se ei tapahdu sattumalta eikä äkkiarvaamatta. Se on päämäärä, johon valtaa pitävä tai sitä tavoitteleva taho tai ihmisryhmä on pyrkinyt. Se on teko, jonka suorittavat kaltaisemme ihmiset toisille kaltaisilleen, kun he lakkaavat pitämästä kaltaisiaan ihmisiä ihmisinä.
Ihminen ei synny vahingoittamaan toisia ihmisiä, mutta taitavan propagandan avulla kenestä tahansa voi tulla vähempiarvoinen olento, jonka poistaminen tekee yhteiskunnasta muka paremman, puhtaamman tai turvallisemman. Niin kävi Neuvostoliitossa Hitlerin Saksan ennen hallitsemilla alueilla ja myöhemmin Balkanilla, ja niin tapahtuu nyt niin Pohjois-Koreassa kuin Tšetšeniassa, jossa vainotaan seksuaalisia vähemmistöjä.
Kansanmurhaan johtavan tien alussa on aina jokaisesta yhteiskunnasta löytyvä vihan kipinä. Se kipinä on rasistisessa huutelussa. Se on homovihassa ja salaliittoteorioissa. Se kytee naisvihassa, juutalaisvitseissä ja etnisessä syrjinnässä, ja se alkaa aina vihjailuista ja huhupuheista, että johonkin tiettyyn ihmisryhmään kuuluva on myrkyttänyt kaivon, raiskannut naapurin lapsen tai suunnitellut terrori-iskua. Se kytee hetkessä, jossa ihmiset eivät enää välitä, onko huhu tai väite totta, vaan päättävät uskoa valhetta. Vihan, ennakkoluulojen ja huhujen luoma vihollinen ei enää ole ihminen; hän on epäinhimillistetty olento, joku jota ei enää pidä kaltaisenaan – joku joka on helppo tappaa.
Jotta nämä jokaisessa yhteiskunnassa piilevät kipinät leimahtaisivat rovioksi, tarvitaan hetki, jolloin ihmiset ovat lakanneet sammuttamasta kipinöitä, koska eivät enää viitsi, jaksa, uskalla. Koska siitä on tullut uusi normaali. Juuri eriarvoistumisen normalisoituminen mahdollistaa kansanmurhan, ja siksi yhtään kipinää ei saa jättää sammuttamatta. ”Se tapahtui lähes äkkiä vain oli tullut uusi määräys, pieni muutos huonompaan, mutta ei mitään maailmaa kaatavaa, saattoi sen kanssa elää. Tämä oli vain ohimenevää, me uskoimme. Se ei mennyt ohi, päinvastoin tuli taas uusi muutos huonompaan. Ja me reagoimme taas toivomalla, että sekin menisi pian ohi,” Fried kertoo.
Oikeus muistaa ei ole itsestään selvää
Oikeutemme puhua holokaustista ja muista ihmisoikeusrikoksista ei ole itsestään selvä. Oi...
144 pages, Hardcover
First published January 21, 2017
47 people are currently reading
1839 people want to read
About the author
Hédi Fried
9 books39 followersHédi Fried (née Szmuk; 15 June 1924 – 20 November 2022) was a Swedish-Romanian author and psychologist. A Holocaust survivor, she passed through Auschwitz as well as Bergen-Belsen, coming to Sweden in July 1945.
She has been awarded the Illis Quorum medal, and was named European of the Year in 1997. She received the Natur & Kulturs Kulturpris, a cultural award for her literary work, in 1998.
She has been awarded the Illis Quorum medal, and was named European of the Year in 1997. She received the Natur & Kulturs Kulturpris, a cultural award for her literary work, in 1998.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 317 reviews
March 18, 2019
"I have lectured in schools and universities with the strong conviction that the younger generation must keep the memory of the Holocaust alive if we want to ensure that it is never repeated. What has happened once may unfortunately happen again, if not in exactly the same way. To prevent this, it is important to remember; the past leaves its mark on the present and casts it shadow on the future."
Many who survived the camps find it too horrific to speak of again. This author did the opposite as you can infer from the above quote. She answers any questions the students have, clearly and honestly. Some of the questions pertain to the camps themselves, others were questions about how she adapted after the war. Others asked different questions, more personal, such as, Can you forgive? How does it feel to grow old? What is your view of the future? Could it happen again?
I found this particular question illuminating and poignant. "Do you see yourself in today's refugees? I'll end this review with a partial quote from her lengthier answer.
"When I look at today's refugees, I identify with these happens people whose only alternative to imminent death is a dangerous journey into the unknown. Instead of being met with a helping hand, they are met by high walls, and indifferent people who have lost their humanity. I see the same egotism and irresponsibility that existed in the beginning of the 1930s, but even stronger."
Something to think about.
Many who survived the camps find it too horrific to speak of again. This author did the opposite as you can infer from the above quote. She answers any questions the students have, clearly and honestly. Some of the questions pertain to the camps themselves, others were questions about how she adapted after the war. Others asked different questions, more personal, such as, Can you forgive? How does it feel to grow old? What is your view of the future? Could it happen again?
I found this particular question illuminating and poignant. "Do you see yourself in today's refugees? I'll end this review with a partial quote from her lengthier answer.
"When I look at today's refugees, I identify with these happens people whose only alternative to imminent death is a dangerous journey into the unknown. Instead of being met with a helping hand, they are met by high walls, and indifferent people who have lost their humanity. I see the same egotism and irresponsibility that existed in the beginning of the 1930s, but even stronger."
Something to think about.
October 31, 2018
Hédi Fried is the 94-year-old Holocaust survivor who still actively works for a better, more open and tolerant society.
In May 2018, when hundreds of Swedish Neonazis marched through a small town in Dalarna, I felt hopeless and deeply ashamed. She, on the other hand, travelled there to confront nazism. In her 90s, with the experience of Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen, she was braver than most wellfed, secure and privileged younger people (like myself) who claim to speak up against racism and antisemitism.
Hédi Fried wrote a piece for the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter yesterday as well - calling for laissez faire politicians to stop referring to warnings about rising levels of hatred as "scare propaganda". Post Pittsburgh - who can still claim that? Or post the numerous other incidents that keep occurring in our Western societies, day after day? Scare propaganda or scary reality?
We read her book "Questions I have received about the Holocaust" with students in school. Apart from the heartbreaking fate of her family, and her long journey towards recovery from the trauma of the Holocaust, there are vital and important messages about our contemporary world embedded in her story:
We have to teach history both with our brains, showing the facts, and with our hearts, showing the human suffering in personal, relatable stories.
We have to teach, lest we forget.
Reading her story makes me angry on a deep, deep level. It makes me angry that people who care about humanity, about the future of our world, are dismissed as "worriers" by those who couldn't care less about the deluge to come when they have saved their coffers in a hidden spot. It makes me angry that we still see politicians who consider it more opportune to make deals with the far right than to save democracy by reaching out across the ideological wall within the democratic party system. It makes me ANGRY that I am told I am too passionate and sensitive when I say there is never a place and a time when Holocaust jokes are acceptable.
It makes me hopeful that there still are people like Hédi Fried out there, who NEVER give up on humanity, despite the fact that they have more reason than anyone to despair and feel fear.
EDUCATION now. We have to stop hatred and misinformation at an early stage. A fully committed neonazi won't respond anymore. Early prevention counts! Listen to the young people before they are drawn into the net of exclusive membership through hatred. Take the signals seriously. And stop believing that the internet with its floods of opinions is an adequate substitute for real education. It is not! One needs a driver's licence before one is allowed to take a car into public traffic. Our students are let loose on the internet to "do research" (the idiocy of calling it "research" is a story in itself) without previous knowledge to help them judge the information they receive. No wonder the Holocaust can be denied if you just compare two different opinion pieces by extremists online?
Our world is much more vulnerable to extremists now than it was ten years ago. Time to wake up and do something about it.
Hédi Fried - if the concept of heroism wasn't so flawed in the first place, you would be my heroine!
In May 2018, when hundreds of Swedish Neonazis marched through a small town in Dalarna, I felt hopeless and deeply ashamed. She, on the other hand, travelled there to confront nazism. In her 90s, with the experience of Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen, she was braver than most wellfed, secure and privileged younger people (like myself) who claim to speak up against racism and antisemitism.
Hédi Fried wrote a piece for the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter yesterday as well - calling for laissez faire politicians to stop referring to warnings about rising levels of hatred as "scare propaganda". Post Pittsburgh - who can still claim that? Or post the numerous other incidents that keep occurring in our Western societies, day after day? Scare propaganda or scary reality?
We read her book "Questions I have received about the Holocaust" with students in school. Apart from the heartbreaking fate of her family, and her long journey towards recovery from the trauma of the Holocaust, there are vital and important messages about our contemporary world embedded in her story:
We have to teach history both with our brains, showing the facts, and with our hearts, showing the human suffering in personal, relatable stories.
We have to teach, lest we forget.
Reading her story makes me angry on a deep, deep level. It makes me angry that people who care about humanity, about the future of our world, are dismissed as "worriers" by those who couldn't care less about the deluge to come when they have saved their coffers in a hidden spot. It makes me angry that we still see politicians who consider it more opportune to make deals with the far right than to save democracy by reaching out across the ideological wall within the democratic party system. It makes me ANGRY that I am told I am too passionate and sensitive when I say there is never a place and a time when Holocaust jokes are acceptable.
It makes me hopeful that there still are people like Hédi Fried out there, who NEVER give up on humanity, despite the fact that they have more reason than anyone to despair and feel fear.
EDUCATION now. We have to stop hatred and misinformation at an early stage. A fully committed neonazi won't respond anymore. Early prevention counts! Listen to the young people before they are drawn into the net of exclusive membership through hatred. Take the signals seriously. And stop believing that the internet with its floods of opinions is an adequate substitute for real education. It is not! One needs a driver's licence before one is allowed to take a car into public traffic. Our students are let loose on the internet to "do research" (the idiocy of calling it "research" is a story in itself) without previous knowledge to help them judge the information they receive. No wonder the Holocaust can be denied if you just compare two different opinion pieces by extremists online?
Our world is much more vulnerable to extremists now than it was ten years ago. Time to wake up and do something about it.
Hédi Fried - if the concept of heroism wasn't so flawed in the first place, you would be my heroine!
November 10, 2021
The book Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust is a moving eyewitness account by the now 97-year-old Swedish author and psychologist Hédi Fried, who – together with her sister Livi – was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust.
Hédi Fried, who has been visiting schools and universities in Sweden for more than 30 years, has collected questions that young people have asked her in this volume. The questions are arranged chronologically and begin with her childhood. She answers blunt questions like "Why did Hitler hate the Jews?" with care and respect for her young audience. Other questions concern her time in Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, where she was imprisoned from 1944 to 1945. The last part of the book contains questions about her liberation, her life after the Holocaust and the current political situation.
Again and again, Hédi Fried emphasizes the incredible good fortune that befell her to have survived the horror. Born and raised in Sighet, Romania, in 1924, Fried's family was among those Jews who did not fall into the hands of the Germans until the last phase of the war. In 1944, the family was deported to Auschwitz, where the young woman's parents were murdered immediately upon arrival. After her liberation in 1945, Hédi Fried and her sister moved to Sweden, where she still lives today.
Hédi Fried answers the many questions without anger or accusation. She emphasizes again and again that there are no stupid questions, not even forbidden ones, but questions to which there are no answers. Through her clearly formulated and often very personal answers, the reader not only gets a vivid impression of the horrors to which Hédi Fried and her sister were subjected, but also of the inconceivable harassment of the Jews in the concentration camps and the few moments of hope of surviving the camp – all moments that get under your skin while reading. When asked what was the worst thing she experienced, Fried replies, "The moment I was separated from my parents."
But it also becomes clear that what happened once can happen again and again - albeit in a changed form. Fried says it was precisely the small social changes that became more and more concentrated back then that today's generation should pay attention to and respond to. It is a matter of not simply accepting injustices that were accepted silently back then, in the hope that everything would turn out differently after all, but of defending oneself right away. Fried says that reactions to injustices must happen when everything is just beginning. They should have happened in Germany in the early 1930s. Only a few years later, it was already too late.
When asked whether she can forgive, Fried answers: "What has been cannot be undone, time cannot be turned back, those who are gone will never come back. What matters today is the future. What we can do today is work so that it will never happen again." Amen to that.
Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust is an important and indispensable book which can be used as a great teaching tool. The vivid language, the clear and especially for young people very open answers help to understand what happened back then and provide a good occasion to talk about the Holocaust, anti-semitism and racism. The book could help students understand how the lives of Jewish families were increasingly restricted, how they were increasingly marginalized, and what it meant to have to leave one's home.
Parallels can also be drawn to current refugee movements. I also found it notable that Fried remarked that she is afraid to call herself Swedish after all these years of living in Sweden because she still fears the rejection of Swedish people who might mark her as "other". Everyday racism is still doing its thang.
I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. It's one of the few books that made me cry this year. I will never wrap my head around how some people are able to retain their humanity within all this horror. When Fried describes that she is no longer able to see her sister every day because of her high age but that the two phone each other at 9 in the morning every day, I lost it. Another remarkable moment when asked how she could survive this horror Fried simply replied: "It's not that easy to die."
All in all, a very worthwhile read that I'll treasure for a long time!
Hédi Fried, who has been visiting schools and universities in Sweden for more than 30 years, has collected questions that young people have asked her in this volume. The questions are arranged chronologically and begin with her childhood. She answers blunt questions like "Why did Hitler hate the Jews?" with care and respect for her young audience. Other questions concern her time in Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, where she was imprisoned from 1944 to 1945. The last part of the book contains questions about her liberation, her life after the Holocaust and the current political situation.
Again and again, Hédi Fried emphasizes the incredible good fortune that befell her to have survived the horror. Born and raised in Sighet, Romania, in 1924, Fried's family was among those Jews who did not fall into the hands of the Germans until the last phase of the war. In 1944, the family was deported to Auschwitz, where the young woman's parents were murdered immediately upon arrival. After her liberation in 1945, Hédi Fried and her sister moved to Sweden, where she still lives today.
Hédi Fried answers the many questions without anger or accusation. She emphasizes again and again that there are no stupid questions, not even forbidden ones, but questions to which there are no answers. Through her clearly formulated and often very personal answers, the reader not only gets a vivid impression of the horrors to which Hédi Fried and her sister were subjected, but also of the inconceivable harassment of the Jews in the concentration camps and the few moments of hope of surviving the camp – all moments that get under your skin while reading. When asked what was the worst thing she experienced, Fried replies, "The moment I was separated from my parents."
But it also becomes clear that what happened once can happen again and again - albeit in a changed form. Fried says it was precisely the small social changes that became more and more concentrated back then that today's generation should pay attention to and respond to. It is a matter of not simply accepting injustices that were accepted silently back then, in the hope that everything would turn out differently after all, but of defending oneself right away. Fried says that reactions to injustices must happen when everything is just beginning. They should have happened in Germany in the early 1930s. Only a few years later, it was already too late.
One of the lessons of the Holocaust is: Never get used to injustice. An injustice is like a grain of sand in your hand; on its own, its weight may seem insignificant, but injustices have a tendency to multiply, they soon become so heavy that you can no longer bear them.This is the clear message that Hédi Fried gives to her young listeners. And, of course, never to forget what happened!
When asked whether she can forgive, Fried answers: "What has been cannot be undone, time cannot be turned back, those who are gone will never come back. What matters today is the future. What we can do today is work so that it will never happen again." Amen to that.
Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust is an important and indispensable book which can be used as a great teaching tool. The vivid language, the clear and especially for young people very open answers help to understand what happened back then and provide a good occasion to talk about the Holocaust, anti-semitism and racism. The book could help students understand how the lives of Jewish families were increasingly restricted, how they were increasingly marginalized, and what it meant to have to leave one's home.
Parallels can also be drawn to current refugee movements. I also found it notable that Fried remarked that she is afraid to call herself Swedish after all these years of living in Sweden because she still fears the rejection of Swedish people who might mark her as "other". Everyday racism is still doing its thang.
I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. It's one of the few books that made me cry this year. I will never wrap my head around how some people are able to retain their humanity within all this horror. When Fried describes that she is no longer able to see her sister every day because of her high age but that the two phone each other at 9 in the morning every day, I lost it. Another remarkable moment when asked how she could survive this horror Fried simply replied: "It's not that easy to die."
All in all, a very worthwhile read that I'll treasure for a long time!
February 25, 2021
"Der Sinn dieses Buches ist, uns zu lehren, die Fehler der Geschichte zu vermeiden. Ich hoffe, es hat das Potential, jeden Leser erkennen zu lassen, dass weder die Rolle des Täters noch die des passiven Zuschauers uns vorherbestimmt ist. Wir als Individuum haben einen eigenen Willen und eine Verantwortung, und nur indem wir diese Verantwortung übernehmen, können wir vermeiden, dass die Geschichte sich wiederholt." - Hédi Fried, "Fragen, die mir zum Holocaust gestellt werden"
Hédi Fried wurde 1924 in Sighet, Rumänien geboren. Im 2. Weltkrieg wurde sie mit ihren Eltern und ihrer Schwester in die Konzentrationslager Auschwitz und später Bergen-Belsen deportiert. Beide überlebte sie. Heute hält die 1945 nach Schweden immigrierte Jüdin Vorträge vor Schulklassen und schreibt Bücher über den Holocaust. Sie wurde mehrfach mit Preisen ausgezeichnet.
In "Fragen, die mir zum Holocaust gestellt werden" trägt die Autorin die Fragen ihrer Zuhörer*innen zusammen, gibt Antworten auf diese Fragen in schriftlicher Form - und schafft so ein Werk für die Nachwelt, für Generationen ohne Augenzeugen des Holocaust. Ihre Antworten sind so klug, so feinfühlig und gehen so nahe, dass ich das Buch einerseits fast nicht weglegen konnte, aber andererseits aufgrund der unsäglichen Grausamkeiten auch nur in Häppchen lesen konnte. Hédi Fried hat dieses Buch mit der Intention geschrieben, eine Erinnerung zu schaffen, zu erreichen, dass der Holocaust nicht vergessen wird, auch wenn die Personen, die darüber erzählen können, bereits tot sind. Das ist ihr so gut gelungen.
In meinen Augen sollte dieses Buch jede*r gelesen haben. Es ist so wichtig, sich den 2. Weltkrieg, den Holocaust, den begangenen Genozid immer wieder vor Augen zu führen - gerade in der Rolle der Nachfolger-Generationen von Täter*innen und Mitläufer*innen. Geschichte kann sich wiederholen. Das macht Hédi Fried mehr als deutlich in ihren Antworten. Dieser Wiederholung kann man aber vor allem durch stetige Aufklärung entgegenwirken. Deshalb mein Apell an alle, die "Fragen, die mir zum Holocaust gestellt werden" noch nicht gelesen haben: Holt das nach. Berichtet darüber. Verschenkt oder verleiht es weiter.
"Das, was damals geschehen ist, kann leider wieder geschehen, wenn auch vielleicht nicht auf dieselbe Weise. Um zu verhindern, dass der Holocaust sich wiederholt, ist es wichtig, sich zu erinnern; das Vergangene prägt die Gegenwart und wirft seinen Schatten auf die Zukunft." - Hédi Fried, "Fragen, die mir zum Holocaust gestellt werden"
Hédi Fried wurde 1924 in Sighet, Rumänien geboren. Im 2. Weltkrieg wurde sie mit ihren Eltern und ihrer Schwester in die Konzentrationslager Auschwitz und später Bergen-Belsen deportiert. Beide überlebte sie. Heute hält die 1945 nach Schweden immigrierte Jüdin Vorträge vor Schulklassen und schreibt Bücher über den Holocaust. Sie wurde mehrfach mit Preisen ausgezeichnet.
In "Fragen, die mir zum Holocaust gestellt werden" trägt die Autorin die Fragen ihrer Zuhörer*innen zusammen, gibt Antworten auf diese Fragen in schriftlicher Form - und schafft so ein Werk für die Nachwelt, für Generationen ohne Augenzeugen des Holocaust. Ihre Antworten sind so klug, so feinfühlig und gehen so nahe, dass ich das Buch einerseits fast nicht weglegen konnte, aber andererseits aufgrund der unsäglichen Grausamkeiten auch nur in Häppchen lesen konnte. Hédi Fried hat dieses Buch mit der Intention geschrieben, eine Erinnerung zu schaffen, zu erreichen, dass der Holocaust nicht vergessen wird, auch wenn die Personen, die darüber erzählen können, bereits tot sind. Das ist ihr so gut gelungen.
In meinen Augen sollte dieses Buch jede*r gelesen haben. Es ist so wichtig, sich den 2. Weltkrieg, den Holocaust, den begangenen Genozid immer wieder vor Augen zu führen - gerade in der Rolle der Nachfolger-Generationen von Täter*innen und Mitläufer*innen. Geschichte kann sich wiederholen. Das macht Hédi Fried mehr als deutlich in ihren Antworten. Dieser Wiederholung kann man aber vor allem durch stetige Aufklärung entgegenwirken. Deshalb mein Apell an alle, die "Fragen, die mir zum Holocaust gestellt werden" noch nicht gelesen haben: Holt das nach. Berichtet darüber. Verschenkt oder verleiht es weiter.
"Das, was damals geschehen ist, kann leider wieder geschehen, wenn auch vielleicht nicht auf dieselbe Weise. Um zu verhindern, dass der Holocaust sich wiederholt, ist es wichtig, sich zu erinnern; das Vergangene prägt die Gegenwart und wirft seinen Schatten auf die Zukunft." - Hédi Fried, "Fragen, die mir zum Holocaust gestellt werden"
April 1, 2022
...ein sehr sehr wichtiges Buch, wie ich finde, das viele Fragen beantwortet und durch Hedi Fried einen ganz persönlichen Einblick in die Zeit des 2. Weltkrieges und das Leben in einem Konzentrationslager gewährt.
Mir persönlich ist das Buch sehr nah gegangen und auch wenn es ein schmales, dünnes Buch ist, so ist es thematisch doch sehr aufwühlend, einnehmend und wird mich noch lange beschäftigen... Gerade natürlich auch im Hinblick auf die aktuelle Situation...
Mir persönlich ist das Buch sehr nah gegangen und auch wenn es ein schmales, dünnes Buch ist, so ist es thematisch doch sehr aufwühlend, einnehmend und wird mich noch lange beschäftigen... Gerade natürlich auch im Hinblick auf die aktuelle Situation...
August 3, 2019
Powerful book. Obviously, non-fiction about the Holocaust is going to be powerful, but this more-so because it is written by a Holocaust survivor. She lectures and writes about what she experienced to educate others, especially youth, so something this horrible will never happen again.
My mere words cannot do justice to this book. I am at a loss for words to express how absolutely VITAL her words are, especially with the world going the way it is. Despite everything she has been through and what she is seeing now, she still has hope. It's uplifting. You smile through the tears I guess. I don't know how she can be so positive, well, maybe cautiously optimistic is the better term to use than positive, but she has hope. She is a better person than I think I would be if I had been in her situation.
This review isn't really a review, I'm sorry. All I can say is this book is so important. 5, this book should be read by all, stars. It's a quick read, but it will stay with you for a while. Do yourself a favor and read it and share it with others. We CAN make this world a better place. There is hope.
My mere words cannot do justice to this book. I am at a loss for words to express how absolutely VITAL her words are, especially with the world going the way it is. Despite everything she has been through and what she is seeing now, she still has hope. It's uplifting. You smile through the tears I guess. I don't know how she can be so positive, well, maybe cautiously optimistic is the better term to use than positive, but she has hope. She is a better person than I think I would be if I had been in her situation.
This review isn't really a review, I'm sorry. All I can say is this book is so important. 5, this book should be read by all, stars. It's a quick read, but it will stay with you for a while. Do yourself a favor and read it and share it with others. We CAN make this world a better place. There is hope.
January 27, 2023
"𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳. 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘣 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘭: « 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳? » 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴: « 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘑𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴. » « 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴?' 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘣. « 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘑𝘦𝘸𝘴? » 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴."
As it is stated very well in the Goodreads' description: "there are no stupid questions, nor any forbidden ones, but there are some questions that have no answer."
The author Hédi Fried, who was deported to Auschwitz in 1944 and later to Bergen-Belsen, commits herself to confront us with the harsh reality of the Holocaust that she experienced firsthand. After collecting some of the questions she is frequently asked during her speeches in schools, Fried offers us her answers. These are very personal and honest answers whose aim is to inform the reader and to make them reflect on what happened.
"𝘞𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰-𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 '𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴'. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 '𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦' 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥."
The work does not come across as tedious in the slightest. By providing information not only about the concentration camps, but also about the historical context, it is clear that the purpose is not to lecture anyone, but only to raise awareness of what happened.
I believe that everyone should read this book and that, in my humble opinion, it should be recommended as required reading in schools.
"𝘈𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥; 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮."
[I'm always open to talk in the comment section if y'all have something to share]
As it is stated very well in the Goodreads' description: "there are no stupid questions, nor any forbidden ones, but there are some questions that have no answer."
The author Hédi Fried, who was deported to Auschwitz in 1944 and later to Bergen-Belsen, commits herself to confront us with the harsh reality of the Holocaust that she experienced firsthand. After collecting some of the questions she is frequently asked during her speeches in schools, Fried offers us her answers. These are very personal and honest answers whose aim is to inform the reader and to make them reflect on what happened.
"𝘞𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰-𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 '𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴'. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 '𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦' 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥."
The work does not come across as tedious in the slightest. By providing information not only about the concentration camps, but also about the historical context, it is clear that the purpose is not to lecture anyone, but only to raise awareness of what happened.
I believe that everyone should read this book and that, in my humble opinion, it should be recommended as required reading in schools.
"𝘈𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥; 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮."
[I'm always open to talk in the comment section if y'all have something to share]
February 13, 2019
Es un libro duro por tratar el tema del Holocausto pero sumamente interesante y bello a la vez. Es una recopilación de las diferentes preguntas que Le han realizado a la autora en sus conferencias a estudiantes. Un libro de los que te llegan muy dentro.
April 18, 2021
The author was 19 years old when she was transported to Auschwitz with her family. Against all odds she survived the Holocaust and eventually relocated to Sweden with her younger sister. Suffering from survivor’s guilt and questioning her place in the world, she ultimately decided to write her story and lecture at various schools for the rest of her life. Collected in this brief, powerful book are the most common questions she was asked by schoolchildren about her experiences (and her unflinching answers). So many things struck me about Mrs. Fried, most of them separate from her actual experiences. After living into her late 80s, she exuded such intense yet calm wisdom and grace in each moment. She shied away from nothing and hid nothing. And her desire to impress on all of us the importance of remembering the past to prevent future atrocities was communicated with the same calm yet forceful grace. I was humbled and awed.
February 6, 2022
"Wenn niemand vom Holocaust erzählt, dann wird er vergessen werden, und was vergessen wird, kann sich leicht wiederholen."
Irgendwann in naher Zukunft kommen wir an den Punkt, an dem es keine Augenzeugen mehr gibt. Mit dem Buch 'Fragen, die mir zum Holocaust gestellt werden' schafft Hédi Fried es, viele Jahrzehnte ihrer wichtigen Arbeit in den Schulen, mit Schülerinnen und Schülern, anhand von einigen Fragen, die häufig gestellt wurden, zusammenzufassen. Sie schafft damit ein Schriftstück, das bewegt und das Gefühl gibt, sehr nah an der Augenzeugin und ihrem Erlebten zu sein.
Irgendwann in naher Zukunft kommen wir an den Punkt, an dem es keine Augenzeugen mehr gibt. Mit dem Buch 'Fragen, die mir zum Holocaust gestellt werden' schafft Hédi Fried es, viele Jahrzehnte ihrer wichtigen Arbeit in den Schulen, mit Schülerinnen und Schülern, anhand von einigen Fragen, die häufig gestellt wurden, zusammenzufassen. Sie schafft damit ein Schriftstück, das bewegt und das Gefühl gibt, sehr nah an der Augenzeugin und ihrem Erlebten zu sein.
November 26, 2017
Jag är rörd. Det här är så viktigt. Alla borde läsa den. Den är tillräckligt kort för att ta sig igenom på några timmar och jag tror att det är en bra sak. Eftersom den är så viktig. Älskar konceptet med frågor och svar.
January 1, 2021
A book about anti-Semitism written by one of the last Holocaust remaining survivors, a Hungarian Jew herself, born in Sighet, Romania (my home country). Published in 2019, read by me in 2020.
Some facts I knew, some were new. I'm not surprised to discover yet again that religion and irrational fears formed the root of this violence, cruelty and hate. I was somewhat shocked to discover the original myth source that my mother was trying to ironically indoctrinate me as a child with, the Zion pamphlet, being referred and debunked here. To be quite fair, I did grow up in a somewhat of a fascist mentality environment when it came to some things, but I didn't buy into that and I wasn't even aware it was called that at the time. I can say to some extent that my mothers generation (in her 50s now) loves conspiracy theories and doesn't speak English so they can properly read the original debunking material of contemporary known and understood myths.
The book is detailed and graphic and I enjoyed being able to visualize the stories.
I also found the goal of the author very noble and sound: remember the historical genocides and remain vigilant so that they wont happen again. I wish more people would be able to appreciate history and historical literature, which would definitely lead to a wiser world. I found her idea to transform and teach through the heart and emotional stories as well as the facts very inspiring, that way it will lead to longevity of the learned lessons.
All in all, a worthwhile read.
Some facts I knew, some were new. I'm not surprised to discover yet again that religion and irrational fears formed the root of this violence, cruelty and hate. I was somewhat shocked to discover the original myth source that my mother was trying to ironically indoctrinate me as a child with, the Zion pamphlet, being referred and debunked here. To be quite fair, I did grow up in a somewhat of a fascist mentality environment when it came to some things, but I didn't buy into that and I wasn't even aware it was called that at the time. I can say to some extent that my mothers generation (in her 50s now) loves conspiracy theories and doesn't speak English so they can properly read the original debunking material of contemporary known and understood myths.
The book is detailed and graphic and I enjoyed being able to visualize the stories.
I also found the goal of the author very noble and sound: remember the historical genocides and remain vigilant so that they wont happen again. I wish more people would be able to appreciate history and historical literature, which would definitely lead to a wiser world. I found her idea to transform and teach through the heart and emotional stories as well as the facts very inspiring, that way it will lead to longevity of the learned lessons.
All in all, a worthwhile read.
April 19, 2018
Hédi Fried gør det muligt at komme helt tæt på livet i koncentrationslejrene under Holocaust. Hun formidler i et letlæseligt og enkelt sprog, som bærer præg af hendes erfaring med at holde oplæg for skoleelever. Jeg finder bogen særligt velegnet til folkeskolens udskolingselever, og jeg ville ikke tøve med at anbefale den som et indsigtsfuldt supplement til projektarbejde om Holocaust. Jeg selv fik ikke den store viden ud af bogen, og jeg forestiller mig heller ikke, at den kan bidrage med ny indsigt til andre historiefaglige eller blot -opsøgende voksne. Men for alle holocaustinteresserede, der søger en simpel og lettilgængelig præsentation er bogen et oplagt sted at starte.
April 11, 2025
Läste denna otroliga bok med mina 9or som älskade den!!
January 16, 2020
Ich muss an der Stelle einmal der Welt für ihre hartnäckige Präsenz in meinem facebook-feed danken. Die haben da nämlich einen Artikel beworben, in dem es um die Autorin dieses Buches ging. Ich hab also das Bild der nunmehr 95-jährigen Holocaust-Überlebenden ständig vor Augen gehabt und irgendwann nachgegeben und wollte den Artikel lesen. Ging aber nicht, weil ich kein Abo hatte, also dachte ich mir "leckts mich doch alle mal an der Kehrseite" und hab mir kurzerhand das Buch besorgt. Take this WELT!
Ich hab bis dato noch nie etwas von Hédi Fried gehört, aber tatsächlich sind sie und ihre Schwester Livia zwei sehr engagierte Aufklärerinnen, die schon seit den 80ern vor allem in Schulen unterwegs sind, Vorträge halten, in Talkshows gehen um Aufklärungsarbeit zu leisten, was ihre Erhfahrungen mit den Arbeits- und auch Vernichtungslagern während des dritten Reiches angeht. Hédi Fried, hat mit diesem Buch Antworten auf Fragen gesammelt die ihr bei solchen Vorträgen gestellt wurden. Fragen wie - Was war das schlimmste in den Lagern? Wie war die Essenssituation? Wie konnte sowas überhaupt passieren? Und auch: Sehen Sie Gemeinsamkeiten mit der damaligen Situation und der Flüchtlingssituation heute.
Teilweise, so könnte ich mir vorstellen, Fragen, die schwer zu beantworten sind, Fragen die zu beantworten weh tun könnten - die sie ausnahmslos offen und direkt beantwortet. Denn, so betont Hédi Fried in ihrem Vorwort - Es gibt keine verbotenen Fragen, keine dummen Fragen. Bewundernswert und wichtig.
Das Buch ist nicht lang, es sind keine 200 Seiten, aber es sind ausnahmslos Seiten die dich in ihren Bann ziehen. Schreckliche Erlebnisse, die dir physisch wehtun wenn du sie liest, aber Zeilen die wichtig sind zu lesen, die wichtig sind zu verstehen und zu verinnerlichen. Denn was Hédi Fried mit ihrer Aufklärungsarbeit bis heute tut, ist wichtig. Denn Geschichte tendiert sich immer wieder zu wiederholen, besonders heutzutage mit erschreckendem Rechtsruck in vielen Gesellschaften und Bücher und Geschichten wie die von Frau Fried, helfen dem entgegenzuwirken, helfen Bewusstsein zu generieren und das macht diese verrückte Welt ein bisschen besser.
Ich hab bis dato noch nie etwas von Hédi Fried gehört, aber tatsächlich sind sie und ihre Schwester Livia zwei sehr engagierte Aufklärerinnen, die schon seit den 80ern vor allem in Schulen unterwegs sind, Vorträge halten, in Talkshows gehen um Aufklärungsarbeit zu leisten, was ihre Erhfahrungen mit den Arbeits- und auch Vernichtungslagern während des dritten Reiches angeht. Hédi Fried, hat mit diesem Buch Antworten auf Fragen gesammelt die ihr bei solchen Vorträgen gestellt wurden. Fragen wie - Was war das schlimmste in den Lagern? Wie war die Essenssituation? Wie konnte sowas überhaupt passieren? Und auch: Sehen Sie Gemeinsamkeiten mit der damaligen Situation und der Flüchtlingssituation heute.
Teilweise, so könnte ich mir vorstellen, Fragen, die schwer zu beantworten sind, Fragen die zu beantworten weh tun könnten - die sie ausnahmslos offen und direkt beantwortet. Denn, so betont Hédi Fried in ihrem Vorwort - Es gibt keine verbotenen Fragen, keine dummen Fragen. Bewundernswert und wichtig.
Das Buch ist nicht lang, es sind keine 200 Seiten, aber es sind ausnahmslos Seiten die dich in ihren Bann ziehen. Schreckliche Erlebnisse, die dir physisch wehtun wenn du sie liest, aber Zeilen die wichtig sind zu lesen, die wichtig sind zu verstehen und zu verinnerlichen. Denn was Hédi Fried mit ihrer Aufklärungsarbeit bis heute tut, ist wichtig. Denn Geschichte tendiert sich immer wieder zu wiederholen, besonders heutzutage mit erschreckendem Rechtsruck in vielen Gesellschaften und Bücher und Geschichten wie die von Frau Fried, helfen dem entgegenzuwirken, helfen Bewusstsein zu generieren und das macht diese verrückte Welt ein bisschen besser.
August 18, 2020
Hédi Fried er Holocaust overlevende og hun har i 30 år turneret rundt på skoler og holdt foredrag om sine oplevelser.
Der har været mange spørgsmål fra eleverne gennem årene og nogle af dem er blevet samlet i denne bog, som (ikke overraskende) hedder Spørgsmål jeg er blevet stillet om Holocaust.
Fried er oprindeligt fra Ungarn, men har boet i Sverige siden 1945. Hun blev uddannet psykolog og har siden krigen flittigt kæmpet mod fordomme, racisme og antisemitisme.
Det er en meget speciel oplevelse at læse den her bog. At læse om sulten og angsten. Hvordan det var at bo i Auschwitz og få at vide, om nogle af soldaterne var flinke.
Jeg har læst meget skønlitterært om anden verdenskrig. Men at læse om en virkelig persons oplevelser gennem helvede på jorden - det sætter tingene lidt i et andet perspektiv.
Der bliver stillet spørgsmål om hendes oplevelser før, under og efter krigen og svarene er både interessante og grufulde på en gang.
Jeg vil sige, at det er en bog til alle aldre. Man vil få noget ud af den, både som 12-årig og som 50-årig. Fried siger selv, at hendes største fans er de 10-12 årige elever, som er enormt nysgerrige og videbegærlige.
En klar anbefaling herfra!
Bonusinfo: Hédi Fried lever stadig her i 2018. Hun er 94 år🤓
Der har været mange spørgsmål fra eleverne gennem årene og nogle af dem er blevet samlet i denne bog, som (ikke overraskende) hedder Spørgsmål jeg er blevet stillet om Holocaust.
Fried er oprindeligt fra Ungarn, men har boet i Sverige siden 1945. Hun blev uddannet psykolog og har siden krigen flittigt kæmpet mod fordomme, racisme og antisemitisme.
Det er en meget speciel oplevelse at læse den her bog. At læse om sulten og angsten. Hvordan det var at bo i Auschwitz og få at vide, om nogle af soldaterne var flinke.
Jeg har læst meget skønlitterært om anden verdenskrig. Men at læse om en virkelig persons oplevelser gennem helvede på jorden - det sætter tingene lidt i et andet perspektiv.
Der bliver stillet spørgsmål om hendes oplevelser før, under og efter krigen og svarene er både interessante og grufulde på en gang.
Jeg vil sige, at det er en bog til alle aldre. Man vil få noget ud af den, både som 12-årig og som 50-årig. Fried siger selv, at hendes største fans er de 10-12 årige elever, som er enormt nysgerrige og videbegærlige.
En klar anbefaling herfra!
Bonusinfo: Hédi Fried lever stadig her i 2018. Hun er 94 år🤓
October 8, 2019
Ich kann mich nicht erinnern, bisher so einen eindrücklichen Zeitzeugenbericht über den Holocaust gelesen zu haben.
Vielleicht lag es an den kleinen Dingen, die man sonst in keinem Sachbuch erfährt. Wie die Frage, nach der Menstruation während der Gefangenschaft im Konzentrationslager.
Ich mochte Hédi Frieds kluge Analyse über die eigene Entwicklung und ihre Erinnerung wie den Abschied vom Hund, bevor die Familie ins Ghetto ziehen musste. Das macht den Bericht viel eindrücklicher, als das es ein Roman oder ein reines faktenbasiertes Sachbuch je könnte.
Eine beeindruckende Frau, der man nur danken kann, dass Sie sich zur Aufgabe gemacht hat, (vorallem Schulklassen) über den Holocaust aufzuklären.
Man kann dem Dumont Verlag für die deutsche Veröffentlichung mit einer hervorragenden Übersetzung von Susanne Dahmann nur danken. Ich hoffe, dass der Verlag Frieds erstes Buch „Fragmente meines Lebens“ wieder auflegt.
Vielleicht lag es an den kleinen Dingen, die man sonst in keinem Sachbuch erfährt. Wie die Frage, nach der Menstruation während der Gefangenschaft im Konzentrationslager.
Ich mochte Hédi Frieds kluge Analyse über die eigene Entwicklung und ihre Erinnerung wie den Abschied vom Hund, bevor die Familie ins Ghetto ziehen musste. Das macht den Bericht viel eindrücklicher, als das es ein Roman oder ein reines faktenbasiertes Sachbuch je könnte.
Eine beeindruckende Frau, der man nur danken kann, dass Sie sich zur Aufgabe gemacht hat, (vorallem Schulklassen) über den Holocaust aufzuklären.
Man kann dem Dumont Verlag für die deutsche Veröffentlichung mit einer hervorragenden Übersetzung von Susanne Dahmann nur danken. Ich hoffe, dass der Verlag Frieds erstes Buch „Fragmente meines Lebens“ wieder auflegt.
August 5, 2017
Simple and clear questions about the Holocaust, and answers from a survivor. This is an important history lesson, about a time we need to remember so that it doesn't happen again.
The book is short and, despite its subject, easy to read. I can imagine that it would be good for children and teenagers.
The book is short and, despite its subject, easy to read. I can imagine that it would be good for children and teenagers.
Read
November 12, 2017Åh. Vad ska jag ens skriva om denna? Svår att läsa ibland. Vettiga frågor och svar. Men väldigt kort. Berör.
Read
December 3, 2018Omöjligt att betygsätta människors upplevelser. Viktig bok.
September 29, 2019
Lesen. Einfach lesen. Dringend. Alle.
April 10, 2020
Lesen. Bitte. Danke 🙏🏼
August 29, 2021
“It is not a matter of forgiving...What has been done cannot be undone, time cannot be turned back, those who are gone will never come again. Today, we have to look to the future.”
As an author, editor, translator, and lecturer, Hedi Fried has lived an accomplished life. She is also a Holocaust survivor, and it is in this capacity and her lectures to young people, that this book was perhaps conceived.
Fried writes in her introduction that people are often reticent to ask her questions about her experiences for fear that they may ask something stupid or even offensive. Fried however takes the opposite view that questions are necessary for understanding, particularly as living witnesses to the Holocaust pass into memory and there is no one to correct those who wish to distort history for their own purposes.
Some of the questions she is frequently asked are often poignant, “What happened to your sister?”
Some are practical, “What was it like to have your period?” or “How were you dressed?”
Some questions seek to gauge her anger, “Do you hate the Germans?” or “Are you able to forgive?”.
Others are more philosophical “After everything, do you believe in God?”
I found her answers to all of these questions to be wonderfully candid and lacking in any bitterness when most would agree that she would have every right to be so.
It’s a fascinating insight into less the astounding evil perpetrated by the Nazis but more on the remarkable ability of people to not only survive, but somehow retain hope in the most dire of circumstances.
I found this book to be full of such hope and an inspiration to anyone wishing to live a full life no matter what horrors life may throw at you. As she writes at the conclusion of the book:
“Death does not scare me. I have lived a long life, longer than I could’ve imagined, and everything comes to end sometime. People leave us, new ones arrive. I have realized that there is no explanation to why we are here on Earth. What matters is how we fill our days, so that those who come after us can carry on in a better world than the one we live in now.”
As an author, editor, translator, and lecturer, Hedi Fried has lived an accomplished life. She is also a Holocaust survivor, and it is in this capacity and her lectures to young people, that this book was perhaps conceived.
Fried writes in her introduction that people are often reticent to ask her questions about her experiences for fear that they may ask something stupid or even offensive. Fried however takes the opposite view that questions are necessary for understanding, particularly as living witnesses to the Holocaust pass into memory and there is no one to correct those who wish to distort history for their own purposes.
Some of the questions she is frequently asked are often poignant, “What happened to your sister?”
Some are practical, “What was it like to have your period?” or “How were you dressed?”
Some questions seek to gauge her anger, “Do you hate the Germans?” or “Are you able to forgive?”.
Others are more philosophical “After everything, do you believe in God?”
I found her answers to all of these questions to be wonderfully candid and lacking in any bitterness when most would agree that she would have every right to be so.
It’s a fascinating insight into less the astounding evil perpetrated by the Nazis but more on the remarkable ability of people to not only survive, but somehow retain hope in the most dire of circumstances.
I found this book to be full of such hope and an inspiration to anyone wishing to live a full life no matter what horrors life may throw at you. As she writes at the conclusion of the book:
“Death does not scare me. I have lived a long life, longer than I could’ve imagined, and everything comes to end sometime. People leave us, new ones arrive. I have realized that there is no explanation to why we are here on Earth. What matters is how we fill our days, so that those who come after us can carry on in a better world than the one we live in now.”
January 26, 2020
This was very moving and such an important yet quick read. I highly recommend this not only for upcoming Holocaust Remembrance Day but any day. We could all learn so many things from this amazing survivor of one of history's darkest times.
May 30, 2019
4.5 stars rounded up.
Questions I am asked about the Holocaust contains forty-four brief essays in response to the questions that Hédi Fried is most commonly asked at the end of her lectures. What struck me most when reading this book was the candour and grace with which Fried answers the questions. Reliving her past must be terribly difficult and yet she does so in order that the past won’t be forgotten, and to try to prevent such an atrocity from happening again. Fried’s clear, concise answers are insightful and thought-provoking and the format makes it a quick read. A must-read for anyone with an interest in the Holocaust.
DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book from Scribe Publications in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Questions I am asked about the Holocaust contains forty-four brief essays in response to the questions that Hédi Fried is most commonly asked at the end of her lectures. What struck me most when reading this book was the candour and grace with which Fried answers the questions. Reliving her past must be terribly difficult and yet she does so in order that the past won’t be forgotten, and to try to prevent such an atrocity from happening again. Fried’s clear, concise answers are insightful and thought-provoking and the format makes it a quick read. A must-read for anyone with an interest in the Holocaust.
DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book from Scribe Publications in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 25, 2018
Vuona 1924 syntynyt Hédi Fried selviytyi hengissä Auschwitzista ja Bergen-Belsenistä ja muutti sodan jälkeen Ruotsiin, jossa hän ryhtyi kiertämään kouluissa ja kertomaan kokemuksistaan. "Kysymyksiä joita minulle on esitetty keskitysleiristä" (Nemo, 2018) on koottu juuri näiden kouluvierailujen pohjalta.
Kyseessä ei ole holokaustin poliittishistoriallinen yleisesitys, eikä teosta ole sellaiseksi tarkoitettukaan. Lasten ja nuorten kysymysten kautta esille nousevat ensisijaisesti konkreettiset, yksittäisen ihmisen kokemuksia korostavat asiat. Oliko siellä koko ajan nälkä? Entä kun teillä oli kuukautiset? Näittekö öisin unia?
Lyhyenpuoleinen teos sopii hyvin nuorille lukijoille, joita myös haastetaan pohtimaan erilaisia ennakkoluuloja, pakolaiskriisin leimaamaa nykytilannetta ja sitä, voisiko kaikki tapahtua vielä joskus uudestaan.
Ihmiset eivät olleet 30- ja 40-luvuilla erilaisia kuin nyt, samat ihmistyypit ovat säilyneet. Sen näkee parhaiten koulun pihalla, kiusaamistilanteissa. Siinä ovat kiusaaja, joka lyö, ja uhri, ja ne, jotka vain seisovat vieressä puuttumatta asiaan, sivustakatsojat. Toivottavasti löytyy myös jokunen, joka tulee uhrin avuksi. (s. 139)
Kyseessä ei ole holokaustin poliittishistoriallinen yleisesitys, eikä teosta ole sellaiseksi tarkoitettukaan. Lasten ja nuorten kysymysten kautta esille nousevat ensisijaisesti konkreettiset, yksittäisen ihmisen kokemuksia korostavat asiat. Oliko siellä koko ajan nälkä? Entä kun teillä oli kuukautiset? Näittekö öisin unia?
Lyhyenpuoleinen teos sopii hyvin nuorille lukijoille, joita myös haastetaan pohtimaan erilaisia ennakkoluuloja, pakolaiskriisin leimaamaa nykytilannetta ja sitä, voisiko kaikki tapahtua vielä joskus uudestaan.
Ihmiset eivät olleet 30- ja 40-luvuilla erilaisia kuin nyt, samat ihmistyypit ovat säilyneet. Sen näkee parhaiten koulun pihalla, kiusaamistilanteissa. Siinä ovat kiusaaja, joka lyö, ja uhri, ja ne, jotka vain seisovat vieressä puuttumatta asiaan, sivustakatsojat. Toivottavasti löytyy myös jokunen, joka tulee uhrin avuksi. (s. 139)
March 14, 2019
A detailed book with answers to questions asked to Hedi, who is a survival of the Holocaust. Hedi is truly a remarkable woman. For many, talking about their survival from the Holocaust is very difficult to share with others or to even think about that terrible experience. Hedi has taken her experience at the labour camps for her to spread awareness to others so that history doesn't repeat it self. She has made many presentations at schools about her survival and how she coped to find her self. This book really goes into extensive details on Hedi's time at the labour camps, her new life after and the person she became. I highly recommend this book. We need to make sure this never happens to anyone ever again.
August 22, 2019
Hedi has compiled some of the most common questions that she has been asked, and composed succinct, elegant, sincere and moving answers to them all as honestly as possible. If you haven't read this book, you need to. As she herself says, their stories must be told and retold and passed on to future generations when survivors like Hedi are no longer around to tell their stories and answer our questions.
August 22, 2018
17:25 gekocht, 19:25 uitgelezen. Beste boek dat ik in tijden heb gelezen. Aanrader voor iedereen.
January 24, 2022
Viktig bok!
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