Last night the students at Yeshiva and Stern ran a different Yom Hashoah program. After many years of powerful emotional talks by survivors (last year Esther Yungreiss spoke) the focus was on the rescuers. Dr. Eva Fogelman spoke about her studies of rescuers of Jews during the Shoah trying to identify the factors that led tens of thousands to risk their lives to save Jews while millions either participated or were indifferent to the slaughter. She was followed by a survivor who described the resourcefulness and determination of her parents and the bravery of a Polish farmer who hid the family for two years. Without making any direct political statement the program led to thinking of the Shoah and its lessons in a more nuanced way.
