Harry Zaslow

A Teenager's Journey in War & Peace Harry Zaslow

Who I am Today - Who Was I Yesterday? As a young person, born and living in the freedom of America, I was innocent and harmless, living in a Jewish neighborhood more than 65 years ago. Although my parents escaped from Czarist Russia in 1912, they enjoyed their new country. The problem was that they were unaware of the persecution of Jews in Germany and Europe in the 30s and 40s. As a result, I was not aware of the German Nazi plan to annihilate all Jews, their tortured bodies disposed like trash. When I returned home after the war, a witness to the inhumane murder of Jews and other people, I could not broach the subject of the Holocaust. Forty years passed and I was content forgetting the ungodliness of man's treatment of man during World War II. With the memory of the past, why would I subject myself to depression by re-living that negativity through the years? But I was wrong! Sweeping the dust under the carpet does not solve the problem. In 1994, I volunteered to speak about World War II and the Holocaust - the genocide of the Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, and Polish people. I was not a born speaker, rather shy and uncomfortable before huge audiences. My mission was to bring to future generations an awareness of war and genocide. At times, I quietly became emotional as I spoke of the brutality of human beings. Whether I was able to speak or not was not a choice. As of this writing, I have spent six years speaking of war and genocide in four states. Although the subject is not pleasant, I have reached more than 4,800 students and teachers. Be aware of tyrants! Missing Generations - Lost Contributions to Mankind, Failure as a Result of Genocide If I would have not survived the war, my lineage - my sons, daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren - would not exist today. Every human being contributes to the world. Every human being possesses talent, worth, and inventiveness, helping provide a better life for our com