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Tag: Holocaust
Leaked Memo Suggests a Top U.S. Agency Will No Longer Recognize Pride, MLK Day, and Holocaust Remembrance
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Update 1/29/25 5 p.m. ET: In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the Defense Intelligence Agency told Them that the DIA is “working with the Department of Defense to fully implement all Executive Orders and Administration guidance in a timely manner.”
Original story 1/29/25: The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is reportedly canceling all future LGBTQ+ Pride observances, along with a host of other significant events for marginalized communities, according to a leaked internal memo obtained by independent journalist Ken Klippenstein.
Klippenstein, a former reporter for The Intercept (and sometime Twitter prankster), posted the memo on social media Wednesday, claiming that an intelligence official had leaked a photo of it directly to him. According to the document, which appears to have been stamped January 28 and bears a letterhead with DIA and Department of Defense seals, the agency is putting an indefinite “pause” on at least 11 “Special Observances” scheduled annually between January and November.
That list includes the entirety of Pride Month, federally observed in June since 1999. Other canceled observances include Black History Month in February, Women’s History Month in March, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, and Juneteenth on June 19. Women’s Equality Day on August 26, National Hispanic Heritage Month and Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, and National American Indian Heritage Month in November are also canceled, as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and any Holocaust Remembrance Days, according to the leaked memo.
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Them attempted to contact the DIA’s Public Affairs office to confirm the leaked memo’s authenticity, but did not receive a reply at time of writing. The department forms the intelligence wing of the Department of Defense, and is the “primary manager and producer of foreign military intelligence” in the U.S. government, according to its website.
“DIA will pause all activities and events related to Special Emphasis Programs effective immediately and until further notice,” the memo reads. (“Special emphasis programs” are employment programs within the federal government that, as the name implies, place special emphasis on marginalized communities like people of color, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ people.) The DIA will also be pausing “Agency Resource Groups, Affinity Groups, and Employee Networking Groups, effective immediately” upon issuance of the memo.
Recently, a leaked memo from a top U.S. agency has caused shock and outrage as it suggests that the agency will no longer recognize important cultural and historical observances such as Pride Month, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Holocaust Remembrance Day.This memo has sparked concern among many who see these observances as important symbols of diversity, equality, and remembrance of past atrocities. The decision to no longer recognize these observances raises questions about the agency’s commitment to promoting inclusivity and acknowledging the struggles and triumphs of marginalized communities.
The potential erasure of Pride Month, MLK Day, and Holocaust Remembrance Day from the agency’s calendar is a troubling development that highlights the ongoing challenges faced by marginalized communities in the U.S. It is imperative that we continue to fight for equality, justice, and remembrance of the past to ensure that we do not repeat the mistakes of history.
As this story continues to unfold, it is important for us to stand in solidarity with those who are affected by these potential changes and to advocate for the recognition and celebration of these important observances. We must continue to push for a more inclusive and equitable society where all voices are heard and all histories are remembered.
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- Leaked memo
- Top U.S. agency
- Pride recognition
- MLK Day
- Holocaust Remembrance
- U.S. agency memo
- Diversity recognition
- Civil rights
- Historical events
- Government memo leak
#Leaked #Memo #Suggests #Top #U.S #Agency #Longer #Recognize #Pride #MLK #Day #Holocaust #Remembrance
Holocaust survivors recall horrors of Auschwitz as Prince William and Kate attend London memorial
‘Of those who lived to see freedom, now there is only a handful’published at 15:21 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
We are now hearing from Marian Turski, a survivor of Auschwitz. He is a member of the International Auschwitz Council.
He begins by giving his “warmest thoughts and feelings” to fellow survivors, “who have shared this misery with me. The inmates”, he says.
“It is absolutely understandable, if not downright obvious, that people, that the media, turn to us, to those that survived, so that we share with them our memories,” he adds, according to a translation.
He says this small minority of survivors “went though all those selections”.
“Those who lived to see freedom, there were hardly, hardly, none. So few. And now, there is only a handful.”
Turski says this is why he believes their thoughts should go towards the millions of victims “who will never tell us what they experienced or they felt, just because they were consumed by that mass destruction.”
He mentions a poem that has survived, which he says “goes beyond anything that the mind can imagine”.
He reads a bit of the letter that the poet wrote to her friend, she was killed.
The letter reads: “‘I’m going to a very distinct place, a station which is unknown for it is not on any map. There is the sky hanging over the station like a huge black lid.”
On January 27th, Prince William and Kate Middleton attended a memorial event in London to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. Among the attendees were several Holocaust survivors who shared their harrowing experiences at Auschwitz, one of the most infamous concentration camps during World War II.As the survivors recounted the horrors they endured, including the loss of loved ones, forced labor, and starvation, Prince William and Kate listened intently, showing their respect and empathy for the survivors.
The event served as a stark reminder of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust and the importance of remembering and honoring the millions of lives lost. It also highlighted the resilience and strength of the survivors who have bravely shared their stories to ensure that future generations never forget the lessons of history.
As Prince William and Kate paid their respects at the memorial, they reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Holocaust education and remembrance efforts, pledging to continue the fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination.
The memorial event was a powerful and moving reminder of the enduring impact of the Holocaust and the importance of standing up against injustice and intolerance. It serves as a call to action for everyone to remember the past and work towards a more peaceful and inclusive future.
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holocaust survivors, Auschwitz, Prince William, Kate Middleton, London memorial, WWII, genocide, Jewish history, survivor testimonies, historical tragedy, Nazi atrocities, remembrance ceremony, royal visit, Holocaust memorial, WWII memorial, concentration camp survivors, historical remembrance, WWII history, Holocaust remembrance, Holocaust education
#Holocaust #survivors #recall #horrors #Auschwitz #Prince #William #Kate #attend #London #memorialHolocaust survivors recall horrors of Auschwitz as Prince William and Kate attend London memorial
Princess of Wales to attend UK Holocaust memorial this afternoonpublished at 14:27 Greenwich Mean Time 27 January
Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent
Image source, PA MediaCatherine, the Princess
of Wales, will be attending a Holocaust Memorial Day event in the UK this
afternoon.It was already known that Prince William would be at the
memorial, but it’s been announced that Catherine will be there alongside him,
as she continues her return from ill-health.The event will bring together religious and civic leaders, as
well as survivors of the Holocaust.The royals have been very committed to these commemorations.
King Charles is taking part in the memorial at Auschwitz in Poland.Queen Camilla, at a reception last week hosted by the Anne Frank
Trust, delivered a strong speech about the need to prevent prejudice.“Today, more than ever, with levels of antisemitism at their
highest level for a generation; and disturbing rises in Islamophobia and other forms
of racism and prejudice, we must heed this warning,” said the Queen.“The deadly seeds of the Holocaust were sown at first in small
acts of exclusion, of aggression and of discrimination,” she said.
Holocaust survivors gathered in London today to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the infamous concentration camp where over one million people were killed during World War II. Prince William and Kate Middleton attended the memorial service, listening to the harrowing stories of survivors who recalled the horrors they endured at the hands of the Nazis.As the world commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day, it is crucial to remember the atrocities that took place during this dark chapter of history. The survivors who spoke at the memorial shared their heartbreaking experiences of losing loved ones, enduring starvation and torture, and witnessing unspeakable acts of cruelty.
Prince William and Kate expressed their solidarity with the survivors, laying a wreath in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. They listened attentively to the stories of survival and resilience, honoring the courage and strength of those who lived through such unimaginable horrors.
As we reflect on the past and pay tribute to those who lost their lives, let us also remember the importance of standing up against hatred, intolerance, and discrimination in our own time. The lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten, and we must continue to work towards a more inclusive and compassionate world for all.
Tags:
Holocaust survivors, Auschwitz, Prince William, Kate, London memorial, World War II, Nazi atrocities, survivor testimonies, Holocaust remembrance, historical trauma, concentration camps, genocide, remembrance ceremony, royal visit, Auschwitz-Birkenau, war crimes, survivor stories, Nazi regime, anti-Semitism, Holocaust education, historical significance.
#Holocaust #survivors #recall #horrors #Auschwitz #Prince #William #Kate #attend #London #memorialKate Middleton Has Emotional Reunion with Holocaust Survivors
Kate Middleton‘s warm way was on display at a ceremony commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz-Birkenau liberation.
On Jan. 27, the Princess of Wales, 43, joined Prince William at a London service honoring Holocaust Memorial Day on what doubled as the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. The event was Princess Kate’s first engagement since announcing Jan. 14 that she is in remission, and the royal reunited with two Holocaust survivors that she previously photographed for an exhibit marking the 75th anniversary of the Auschwitz liberation.
The Princess of Wales voiced her joy to see Steven Frank and Yvonne Bernstein, who both lived through the Holocaust as children and previously posed for photos Kate took at Kensington Palace, unveiled in 2020. “I want to give you a big cuddle,” Princess Kate told Frank, 89, when she saw him again on Jan. 27, the Daily Mail reported, and wrapped him in a hug.
Kate Middleton and Steven Frank in London on Jan. 27, 2025.
ARTHUR EDWARDS/POOL/AFP via Getty
According to the outlet, Frank thanked the princess for giving him a Christmas card and they spoke about his family.
Princess Kate had another huge hug for Bernstein when she saw her on Jan. 27, and sat down to chat beside her.
“[It is] such a treat for me [to see] an old friend,” the Princess of Wales told Bernstein, 87, who gently touched Kate’s face.
Kate Middleton and Yvonne Bernstein in London on Jan. 27, 2025.
ARTHUR EDWARDS/POOL/AFP via Getty
Kate also had a tactile way with other survivors she spent time with, and laughed when one man paid her a compliment. According to the Daily Mail, Robert George Berkowitz said, “William is the luckiest man in the world to have you!”, to which Kate giggled and relayed, “I will tell him that!”
The Prince and Princess of Wales first spent time with Holocaust survivors at the event to hear their personal stories, and then moved to a ceremony. There, Prince William, 42, delivered a reading and the couple lit candles to honor all lives lost in the Holocaust and other genocides.
Kate Middleton and Prince William light candles during a ceremony commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day on Jan. 27, 2025 in London.
Dan Kitwood/Getty
Holocaust Memorial Day honors the six million Jewish people who were murdered during the Holocaust, as well as the millions killed under Nazi persecution and later genocides around the world. The annual commemoration’s Jan. 27 date is timed to the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland, and Princess Kate previously picked up her camera to photograph Frank and Bernstein for the 75th anniversary.
The Princess of Wales has a well-documented photography hobby, and took individual pictures of the Holocaust survivors with their grandchildren for the “Generations: Portrait of Holocaust Survivors” exhibit before Holocaust Memorial Day in 2020. The display was organized by the Holocaust Memorial Trust, Jewish News and Royal Photographic Society (which Kate back as patron) and unveiled at the Imperial War Museums in London in 2021 after a pandemic delay.
ARTHUR EDWARDS/POOL/AFP via Getty
Frank previously told PEOPLE that Princess Kate is “quite talented” and used a Canon camera with tripod to photograph him with his granddaughters, Maggie and Trixie.
“She transmitted it to a screen on a monitor, and she would be looking at the monitor at the same time to see if everything was right. She took quite a lot of photographs,” he said then.
The survivor, who helps keep the history of the Holocaust alive by sharing his story of surviving the Theresienstadt concentration camp in what is now the Czech Republic, praised Princess Kate and Princes William for helping to keep Holocaust history in younger generations’ minds.
Prince William and Kate Middleton speak with Holocaust survivors in London on Jan. 27, 2025.
ARTHUR EDWARDS/POOL/AFP via Getty
“Both she and Prince William have been extremely interested in the Holocaust and the Memorial Day. William has been in the press with Holocaust survivors and his father [King Charles] is patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. There is an interest particularly in letting people know what happened, getting their testimony and passing it along to other generations,” Frank said.
“It started with Princess Diana walking through the minefields,” Frank said in reference to the impact that Prince William’s late mother had in using her royal spotlight to illuminate important issues. “They are genuinely interested in what we are doing and the Holocaust Memorial Trust and what we are trying to do for the younger generation.”
King Charles lights a candle during commemorations on the 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Oswiecim, Poland on Jan. 27, 2025.
WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty
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King Charles traveled to Poland on Jan. 27 for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, becoming the first British monarch to visit the site of the former concentration camp.
A royal source described his visit as a “a deeply personal pilgrimage for the King — paying tribute both as man and monarch.”
Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, recently had an emotional reunion with Holocaust survivors as part of her ongoing work to support those affected by the atrocities of World War II.During the meeting, Middleton listened intently to the survivors’ stories, expressing her deep sadness and empathy for the unimaginable suffering they endured. The Duchess was visibly moved by the survivors’ accounts, which served as a powerful reminder of the importance of remembering and honoring those who were affected by the Holocaust.
In addition to listening to the survivors’ stories, Middleton also spent time discussing the importance of education and remembrance in ensuring that the horrors of the Holocaust are never forgotten. The Duchess’s dedication to raising awareness about this dark chapter in history is commendable and serves as a testament to her commitment to promoting tolerance and understanding.
Overall, Middleton’s emotional reunion with Holocaust survivors highlights the importance of acknowledging and learning from the past in order to create a more compassionate and inclusive future. Her compassion and empathy towards those who have suffered only further solidify her role as a respected and admired member of the royal family.
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Kate Middleton, emotional reunion, Holocaust survivors, royal family, Kate Middleton news, inspirational stories, royal events, uplifting moments, historical significance, powerful encounters, heartwarming reunion
#Kate #Middleton #Emotional #Reunion #Holocaust #SurvivorsElon Musk’s call for Germany to ‘move beyond’ Nazi guilt is dangerous, Holocaust memorial chair says
The chairman of Israel’s official Holocaust memorial has accused Elon Musk of insulting the victims of Nazism and endangering Germany’s democratic future after the billionaire addressed a rally for Germany’s far-right party on Saturday.
Musk, the world’s richest man, made a surprise virtual appearance at a campaign event for Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party on Saturday, doubling down on his support for the group he has said can “save Germany” ahead of snap elections in February.
In an apparent reference to Germany’s Nazi history, the head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, whose smiling face was projected onto a vast screen, told a roaring crowd that “children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great-grandparents.”
“There is too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that,” he added at the rally in the eastern German city of Halle.
Musk’s remarks, which came the same week that he faced criticism for a gesture during a speech in Washington that many people said resembled a Nazi salute, came two days before world leaders are due to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
“The remembrance and acknowledgement of the dark past of the country and its people should be central in shaping the German society,” said Dani Dayan, chairman of Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, in a post on X.
“Failing to do so is an insult to the victims of Nazism and a clear danger to the democratic future of Germany,” he added.
Musk has openly supported numerous hard-right causes in Europe, including the anti-immigrant AfD, which last year became the first far-right party to win a state election in Germany since World War II.
Moving past guilt over the atrocities of Germany’s Nazi era is a key pillar of the AfD’s platform.
In echoing the party’s attitude to Germany’s past — a point of view that has drawn outrage inside Germany and abroad — the tech billionaire threw his support behind a party whose co-founder Alexander Gauland once dismissed the Nazi era as “just a speck of bird’s muck in more than 1,000 years of successful German history.”
The AfD denies being extremist, although its leaders have said that Germany should stop apologizing for the Holocaust and the Third Reich.
Musk greets Donald Trump at the launch of the SpaceX Starship rocket in Texas in November.Brandon Bell / Getty Images The timing of Musk’s appearance at the AfD rally was also notable in that it came just days after he made a gesture in Washington that sparked widespread condemnation.
Abraham Foxman, the former director of the Anti-Defamation League, said on X that Musk’s appearance in and comments at the rally, just days after his speech in Washington, “help place the hand gesture in perspective.”
Foxman’s comments on Musk’s actions came in contrast to those of the ADL’s current leadership.
The ADL defended Musk after the gesture, suggesting on X — the social media platform that Musk owns — that the billionaire had made an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.”
“In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath,” it said.
In his own attempt to downplay the allegations, Musk posted a joke referencing names of prominent Nazi leaders on X, also sparking a backlash.
The ADL’s chief executive, Jonathan Greenblatt, responded on the same platform saying that “the Holocaust is not a joke.”
Musk’s comments at the AfD’s rally also played into familiar AfD talking points on national identity and immigration.
Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, in Berlin before a live discussion with Elon Musk on X on Jan. 9.Kay Nietfeld / AFP – Getty Images “It’s good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything,” Musk said.
The AfD has successfully used Germany’s debate over immigration to bolster its popularity. The party adopted an explicitly anti-Islam policy in May 2016, and its 2017 election manifesto included a section on why “Islam does not belong to Germany.”
The topic of immigration was one of many Musk discussed during an X broadcast earlier this month in which he spent more than an hour speaking with AfD co-leader Alice Weidel.
As he has become increasingly vocal about his apparent move to the right of the political spectrum, Musk has thrown his support behind numerous right-wing causes, including the United Kingdom’s hard-right Reform UK party and Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, calling her a “precious genius.”
But his most zealous support has been for the AfD, which heads into February’s elections polling in second place after the collapse of Germany’s left-led coalition government.
While other German political parties have refused to join coalitions with the AfD due to its extreme positions, Musk has given the group a significant boost, most notably — before Saturday at least — with his X interview with Weidel.
In the conversation, Weidel said that AfD is “exactly the opposite” of Adolf Hitler’s party, adding that it’s Europe’s left-wing political parties who are antisemitic.
“We are wrongly framed the entire time,” she said.
Elon Musk’s recent comments calling for Germany to “move beyond” its guilt over the Holocaust have sparked outrage and condemnation from Holocaust memorial chairpersons and historians. In a series of tweets, the Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder suggested that Germany should not dwell on its past atrocities and instead focus on building a better future.These remarks have been met with fierce criticism, with many arguing that they trivialize the horrors of the Holocaust and demonstrate a lack of understanding of the importance of remembering and acknowledging the past. Dr. Charlotte Knobloch, the chair of the Munich Jewish community and former president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, called Musk’s comments “dangerous and deeply troubling.”
Knobloch emphasized the need for Germany to continue to confront its history and ensure that the memory of the Holocaust is preserved for future generations. She warned against attempts to downplay or dismiss the atrocities of the past, stating that doing so could pave the way for history to repeat itself.
Musk’s remarks have also been criticized for their insensitivity and lack of empathy towards the millions of victims of the Holocaust. Many have pointed out that Germany’s commitment to remembering and learning from its past is crucial in preventing similar atrocities from happening in the future.
In light of the backlash, Musk has since clarified his comments, stating that he was not trying to minimize the significance of the Holocaust but rather advocating for a focus on progress and innovation. However, his initial remarks continue to be seen as problematic and divisive.
Overall, Musk’s call for Germany to “move beyond” its Nazi guilt has ignited a heated debate about the importance of remembering and learning from history, and the dangers of forgetting the past. It serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing need to confront the atrocities of the past and ensure that they are never repeated.
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Elon Musk, Germany, Nazi guilt, Holocaust memorial, dangerous statement, Holocaust remembrance, historical responsibility, Elon Musk controversy, Holocaust education, anti-Semitism, Nazi atrocities, historical memory, Holocaust survivors, Elon Musk comments, World War II atrocities, German history, Holocaust denial, Nazi regime, historical accountability.
#Elon #Musks #call #Germany #move #Nazi #guilt #dangerous #Holocaust #memorial #chairIn ‘A Real Pain,’ Jesse Eisenberg follows 2 cousins on a tour of Holocaust sites : NPR
Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin star as cousins who take a Jewish heritage tour in Poland in A Real Pain.
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A few years ago, actor Jesse Eisenberg was writing a movie about two men on a road trip in Mongolia when an ad popped up on his screen, offering “Auschwitz tours, with lunch.”
“I clicked on the ad and it took me to a site for what you would imagine: An English speaking heritage tour of Poland that culminates at Auschwitz,” Eisenberg says. “And it … just posed all these interesting philosophical questions like: Why do we do tragedy tourism and why don’t we try to connect to this kind of history in a way that feels less comfortable?”
Eisenberg shifted the setting of his Mongolia script to Poland, and borrowed details from his own family history. A Real Pain, which Eisenberg also directed and stars in, follows two American cousins who go on a Jewish heritage trip to Poland, culminating in a tour of Majdanek concentration camp. The trip is funded by their recently deceased grandmother, who wanted her grandchildren to see the home she fled when the Nazis were coming to power.
Each cousin is dealing with mental health issues, which are exacerbated by the trip. Eisenberg’s character, David, is introverted, and takes medication for his OCD. His cousin Benji, played by Kieran Culkin, has severe depression at times, but outwardly is charismatic and lights up the room. Eisenberg says one of the themes he wanted to explore in the film is the validity of pain.
“What is real pain?” he says. “Is my character’s manageable, medicated OCD pain valid? Is Kieran’s pain valid … [if] he’s experiencing the worst of what a psyche can experience, but at the same time he is in a comfortable life? Or is the only pain that’s valid and should be acknowledged is the pain of war, genocide and mass trauma?”
A Real Pain was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, including the award for best supporting actor, which Culkin won. Eisenberg is grateful for the recognition his film has received, but he also acknowledges the disconnect between the subject of his film and the celebratory nature of the award season.
“There’s some kind of irony there, and it certainly sums up probably a lot of my inner life,” he says. “I have a materially nice life and I walk around kind of feeling bad for myself, being miserable over minor things. And yet I’m also incredibly fascinated by my family’s history in Poland and learning about the suffering. And I don’t know how to reconcile those two things: Feeling bad about my very fortunate life and also understanding the horrors of my family’s past or the horrors of people around the world today.”
Interview highlights
On shooting part of the movie at Majdanek concentration camp in Poland
[The authorities at Majdanek] get asked every day [for the camp] to be turned into essentially war sets that take place in 1942 and have extras running around in Nazi uniforms. Of course they’re not going to allow that at this kind of site, which is a cemetery, which is a site of mass horror. And so over the course of the next eight months before we made the movie, I just tried to reach out in any way possible to this concentration camp, Majdanek, to explain what I wanted to do, which is I wanted to film a scene of a modern tour group going through this place, in an attempt to have it be part of the movie, but also to show audiences what this place is. And my kind of plea to them was that I want to do the same thing you’re doing. You exist as a museum to show people today what happened on this site. And I’m trying to do the same thing through my movie. …
We went over every word in the script. We went over every angle that we wanted to film, and it took a long time, but they agreed to it and we had two cameras and we basically set up the shots in the most kind of unfettered way. It was written in the script even that these scenes will be shot very simply. There will be no music. The actors will walk in and out of the room. So that’s how I wrote it in the script, and that’s what we filmed.
On needing to be flexible with Kieran Culkin on set
Kieran Culkin, in this movie, didn’t want to stand on any marks, which means, when you’re setting up a shot in a movie, the actor has to stand on their mark to deliver their lines. This is kind of a standard practice. Kieran would never stand on a mark because he didn’t know what he was going to do or where he was going to walk or what he was going to be performing. And so for me, if I had some kind of strict compulsion to wanting the actors to all do my thing, the movie wouldn’t be good because it would be stifling our leading character, Kieran. And so learning to be flexible is helpful. In the arts, that’s really kind of paramount, because you want the most creative, interesting idea to win.
On his own relationship to Judaism and bar mitzvahs
I dropped out of Hebrew school when I was like 12. … I hated, in a real way, these [bar mitzvah] parties that people had. I grew up in the suburbs of Jersey. They turned my stomach in a way that I couldn’t probably even articulate. Just like the deification and celebration of a 13-year-old kid, for doing what? I don’t know. And then, the karaoke celebrating a kid, it seemed so gross to me. The kids in school would talk about the checks they got. … In retrospect, I still feel a little put off by it. Like, why are we celebrating this kid and giving them the kind of false illusion that they’ve done some great deed for the world by learning seven seconds of Hebrew? …
Probably 10 years later, I was playing a Hasidic Jew in a movie called Holy Rollers. And so I was doing all this research on Hasidism and I actually got a bar mitzvah because I was kind of like going to this Hasidic school and I was kind of pretending like I was just a kind of curious, secular Jew, which they, of course, loved to have because they thought they can kind of convert me into their world. And so they gave me a bar mitzvah. … So not only did I not have a secular Jersey bar mitzvah, but I ended up having a Hasidic bar mitzvah with, like, 100 Hasidic young men standing around me chanting … so I had probably the most religious bar mitzvah a person could have, but it was just because I was trying to infiltrate the school to learn about it for an acting job.
On struggling with anxiety, depression and OCD as a child
I cried everywhere. I guess at some point I probably shed the embarrassment that most kids would have probably felt. I was kicked out of preschool … because I locked my mom in the closet because I didn’t want to be away from my mom. … I probably at some point got over the expected humiliation the kid would have about being very emotional in front of people. … I didn’t want attention or pity. I think I was just so miserable. I couldn’t control myself.
On being briefly admitted to a mental hospital as a child – and his parents taking him out because of a swastika drawn in his room by another patient
I was really going crazy. … They kept bringing me to this padded room or something and it was terrifying. … I would go to the soft room and they would put their knee in my back and hold me back to restrain me. …
I remember actually not being bothered by the swastika at all, but for whatever reason [that] was the thing that tipped my parents into taking me out of there. And I was going home and I was like, “I think I should skydive!” I had this feeling on the way home, like, I just love life. I was kissing the car and I was kissing my sister’s arm hair.
I was only in there for like a week. And then after a week or two of being out, then you’re like, you go back to the same problems. But the problem for me was like, if I didn’t at least try to go to school, not to go to class, but to try to go to school and sit in the therapist’s office at least for three hours a day, then [I would] have to go back to the institution. So the institution became this kind of boogeyman.
On finding a place for himself in community theater as a kid
What was really great about it was I was with adults. Somehow I just felt so much more comfortable not only being with adults, but being with adults who are all attracted to the arts. And especially when you’re working on the community theater level. It’s all people that feel outcast in every other part of the world, and that’s why they’re working after their job at AT&T during the day, they come and they have their outlet at night. And just being around people like that was just so life-changing and affirming and made me realize, you know what? I think [I’m] going to be OK when I’m an adult because I could see all these people are more like me. They’re not like the people I go to school with. These people are outcasts and weirdos and artists. And that just was life-changing.
Lauren Krenzel and Anna Bauman produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.
In ‘A Real Pain,’ Jesse Eisenberg follows 2 cousins on a tour of Holocaust sites : NPRIn his latest project, actor Jesse Eisenberg takes on a new role as a documentary filmmaker, following two cousins as they embark on a journey to visit various Holocaust sites in Europe. Titled “A Real Pain,” the film explores the deep emotional and psychological impact of the Holocaust on survivors and their families.
The cousins, both descendants of Holocaust survivors, set out to confront their family history and grapple with the intergenerational trauma that has been passed down through the years. Eisenberg captures their raw emotions and candid conversations as they visit concentration camps, memorials, and other significant sites, shedding light on the lasting effects of one of the darkest chapters in human history.
Through interviews with historians, survivors, and experts, “A Real Pain” delves into the complexities of memory, grief, and healing in the aftermath of the Holocaust. Eisenberg’s sensitive and thought-provoking approach offers a unique perspective on the enduring legacy of this tragic event and the importance of bearing witness to the past.
Don’t miss this powerful and poignant film, now streaming on NPR.
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Jesse Eisenberg, Holocaust sites, cousins, NPR, A Real Pain, tour, historical sites, Jewish history, World War II, family history, trauma, memory, cultural heritage, remembrance, documentary, Jewish heritage, personal journey.
#Real #Pain #Jesse #Eisenberg #cousins #tour #Holocaust #sites #NPR
Oldest living Olympic medalist, Holocaust survivor
Ágnes Keleti, the oldest living Olympic medal winner and Holocaust survivor, died Thursday morning.
The 103-year-old Hungarian died in Budapest, according to Olympics.com. Keleti died after having been taken to a hospital in a critical condition with pneumonia on Christmas Day.
Keleti won a total of 10 Olympic medals in gymnastics, with in four medals for Hungary in the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland and six medals in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. Before competing in the Olympics, she was a survivor of the Holocaust, though not all her family survived.
“You’ve got to love life and always look at the good side,” Keleti told Olympics.com in a 2020 interview.
Following the news of her death, tributes came in from the sporting world.
‘Remembered forever’
Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, honored Keleti in a social media post Thursday morning.
“She will be remembered forever for her inspirational story. Ágnes Keleti has demonstrated the power of strong determination and courage to overcome tragedy when she, born to a Jewish family, survived the Holocaust and went on to win ten Olympic medals after World War II, five of them Gold,” he said.
Who was Ágnes Keleti?
Born in 1921 in Budapest, Keleti was a bright young gymnast in Hungary, according to Olympics.com. At age 16, she won the country’s national gymnastics championships, but the outbreak of World War II threw her world upside down.
After Hungary was occupied by Nazi Germany, Keleti, of Jewish ancestry, had to go into hiding and assume the identity of a Christian maid. Her mother and sister survived the Holocaust as well, according to Olympics.com. But her father and other relatives did not make it, being killed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
She was originally slated to make her Olympics debut at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, but a ligament injury derailed her chance to compete. The Helsinki Games in 1952 were her first, when Keleti was 31.
Keleti went on to win a total of 10 metals across two different Olympic Games, winning five golds each.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
Meet Agnes Keleti, the oldest living Olympic medalist and Holocaust survivor. Keleti, who is now 100 years old, is a Hungarian gymnast who won 10 Olympic medals during her career, including five gold medals.Born in Budapest in 1921, Keleti began her gymnastics career at a young age and quickly rose to prominence in the sport. However, her Olympic dreams were put on hold during World War II when she and her family were forced into hiding to escape persecution by the Nazis.
Despite the hardships she faced during the war, Keleti never gave up on her passion for gymnastics. After the war ended, she returned to the sport and went on to compete in the 1952, 1956, and 1960 Olympics, where she won a total of 10 medals.
Keleti’s incredible story of resilience and determination serves as a reminder of the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity. Today, she continues to inspire others with her positive attitude and zest for life.
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Ágnes Keleti, Holocaust survivor, oldest living Olympic medal winner, dies at age 103
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Ágnes Keleti, a Holocaust survivor and the oldest living Olympic medal winner, has died. She was 103.
Keleti died Thursday morning in Budapest, the Hungarian state news agency reported. She was hospitalized in critical condition with pneumonia on Dec. 25.
She won a total of 10 Olympic medals in gymnastics, including five golds, for Hungary at the 1952 Helsinki Games and the 1956 Melbourne Games. She overcame the loss of her father and several relatives in the Holocaust to become one of the most successful Jewish Olympic athletes.
“These 100 years felt to me like 60,” Keleti told The Associated Press on the eve of her 100th birthday. “I live well. And I love life. It’s great that I’m still healthy.”
Born Ágnes Klein in 1921 in Budapest, her career was interrupted by World War II and the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Olympics. Forced off her gymnastics team in 1941 because of her Jewish ancestry, Keleti went into hiding in the Hungarian countryside, where she survived the Holocaust by assuming a false identity and working as a maid.
Her mother and sister survived the war with the help of famed Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, but her father and other relatives perished at Auschwitz, among the more than half a million Hungarian Jews killed in Nazi death camps and by Hungarian Nazi collaborators.
Resuming her career after the war, Keleti was set to compete at the 1948 London Olympics, but a last-minute ankle injury dashed her hopes.
Four years later, she made her Olympic debut at the 1952 Helsinki Games at the age of 31, winning a gold medal in the floor exercise as well as a silver and two bronzes. In 1956, she became the most successful athlete at the Melbourne Olympics, winning four gold and two silver medals.
While she was becoming the oldest gold medalist in gymnastics history at age 35 in Melbourne, the Soviet Union invaded Hungary following an unsuccessful anti-Soviet uprising. Keleti remained in Australia and sought political asylum. She then immigrated to Israel the following year and worked as a trainer and coached the Israeli Olympic gymnastics team until the 1990s.
Ágnes Keleti, Holocaust survivor, oldest living Olympic medal winner, dies at age 103It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Ágnes Keleti, a Hungarian Olympic gymnast and Holocaust survivor, who passed away at the age of 103. Keleti’s life was a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and her story serves as a reminder of the atrocities of the Holocaust and the power of hope and perseverance.
Born in Budapest in 1921, Keleti was a promising gymnast from a young age. However, her dreams were put on hold during World War II when she was forced to go into hiding to escape the Nazis. Despite the horrors she faced during the Holocaust, Keleti survived and went on to become one of the most successful gymnasts of her time.
Keleti participated in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, where she won four gold medals and two silver medals, making her the most successful athlete at the games. She went on to compete in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where she won three gold medals and a silver medal, solidifying her status as a gymnastics legend.
After retiring from competitive gymnastics, Keleti went on to coach and inspire countless athletes. She was a true pioneer in the sport and her legacy will live on for generations to come.
Ágnes Keleti’s life is a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and hope. She will be deeply missed but her spirit will continue to inspire us all. Rest in peace, Ágnes Keleti.
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Ágnes Keleti, Holocaust survivor, oldest living Olympic medal winner, dies, age 103, gymnast, Hungarian athlete, Olympic history, survivor stories, inspirational women, gymnastics legend, Olympic champion, Holocaust remembrance, Hungarian hero, women in sports
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