At the same time as the xenophobic so called Sweden Democrats hovers around 20%
in polls (several polls which vary) and Europe continues to face a huge crisis
of refugees from the Middle East, we have the Holocaust Remembrance Day. The
Nazi extermination camp in Auschwitz was liberated today January 27th, in 1945.
There will be ceremonies in e g Stockholm, on Raoul Wallenberg Square at 5pm.
But already yesterday, the Romanian Culture Institute in Stockholm held a
very well-attended remembrance evening. It was attended by the holocaust
survivor and author Hedi Fried (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hédi_Fried ;), who
was liberated from the Bergen- Belsen camp April 15th 1945, and came to Sweden
together with her sister Livi (who was on the Institute also) through the famed
White Buses organised by count Folke Bernadotte.
Ms Fried, who was born in Romania, was presented with the highest Romanian
order, The Order of the Star of Romania, by the Romanian Ambassador Iulian
Buga. The citation talked about her long-time work - through books, speeches,
school visits etc - to make sure that we will never. never forget the Nazi
crimes against humanity, the Jews, the Roma people and many others. Hedi Fried
has been to the Institute before and talked about the subject, because they
have many years in a row (organised by its boss Dan Shafran) had events around
the Holocaust. The Romanian Culture Institute has done more than most cultural
institutions to make us remember the Holocaust. That is worth all praise.
This may be a way to come to terms with the spotty Romanian history, a
country which was allied with Germany during WWII, and introduced anti-Jew laws
and finally deportations. The Romanian ambassador, Mr Buga, held a very strong
speech saying that we have to keep fighting so that we will never forget the
Holocaust. It is of special importance these days when nationalistic, racist
and even Nazi forces seem to be on the rise and the situation is more volatile,
with the refugee crisis, terror attacks like in Paris and so on. There is an
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance founded in 1998 on initative by
the then Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Holocaust_Remembrance_Alliance ;)
where Romania is the present chairman country. The ambassador said he was very
proud to work together with Sweden in this alliance.
Hedi Fried held a speech as the received her knighthood. She said that the
day of liberation from the death camps was both sad and happy for her. The
death of her family (except her younger sister) was of course a huge loss. But
it was also a day of victory. The Victory was ours, she said. We survived the
evil. She talked about how it felt to go with the White Buses (which liberated
ca 25 000 concentration camp prisoners, after negotiations between count
Bernadotte and Heinrich Himmler who through this move hoped to achieve an
armistice in the west but continue the war on the Eastern front). Finally there
were people who treated the prisoners as human beings, she said. Neutral Sweden
felt like heaven.
The actor Magnus Florin then talked about Hedi Fried and read from her books.
We learned how the WWII fascist regime in Romania introduced anti-Jew
legislation step by step. There would be a drummer coming to the towns every
week, collecting people, and proclaiming new laws. "From now on Jews must...
And Jews are not allowed to... Jews shall...". Similar discrimination and
suffering was also imposed upon the Roma people ("gypsies"), which is something
we shouldn't forget too.
Then there was an Intermission with Romanian wine and snacks. I managed to
get a "selfie" with Hedi Fried and noticed that she also carried the medal she
earlier received from the Swedish king, the famous Illis quorum meruere labores
medal ("To Those Whose Work make them Deserving"). There were lots and lots of
people there this evening. I saw a famous publisher and a well-known
correspondent from Swedish TV, but also Micael Bindefeld, a very high-profile
events organiser who has appeared in TV programs talking about his Jewish
heritage. I don't think even he could have organised this evening better...
After the Intermission, the institute showed the documentary "Aliyah DaDa", a
very interesting film - shown with English subtitles - about the emigration of
Romanian Jews from the 1800's into modern times to Palestine. Their dreams, the
obstacles, their hardships, the new life in what later became Israel. You can
see a trailer for it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnE2mBynpes
An evening worth remembering, about a subject that we must not forget - ever.
--Ahrvid
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