Last month our class, together with other schools, took part in an important meeting. The subject was Auschwitz and the importance of remembering the persecution and the slaughter of the Jews.
There was a large participation, an interesting debate, and some statements in particular made us consider how wrong a useless war is.
I was particularly impressed by a sentence of the subprefect of Matera: “War is a defeat for mankind”. I think this is a very important truth, mainly if by “defeat” we mean a moral defeat because our souls are destroyed by the evils which have always caused distress and suffering to mankind.
The subprefect pointed out also the fact that man uses his intelligence to build a world where every day we can see bloodshed, frightened children and mothers shouting and crying.
The journalist Schwarberg, present at the meeting, said that “we shouldn’t just cry, we should fight”; and by “fight” I mean to attack war, evil, discrimination, abuse, illegality. We can be defeated not by arms but by a strong sense of brother hood and peace.
In Auschwitz there was only violence, abuse, suffering; no peace, no love, only some acts of solidarity among the convicted.
We can’t forget what the Jews suffered there, we can’t be indifferent to today’s war and violence.
Indifference is the worst sin-said Monsignor Riboldi. It’s not enough to devote a minute of silence at school, to say we have a clear conscience and do nothing to change the world.
A person deeply involved in the tragedy of the innocent Jews was Elisa Springer, spared from death by destiny or by God because she was a Jew, too. She died a few months ago. She wanted to take part in this meeting and I can say that on that day she was there with us, she was in our hearts, our memories, our prays and in the strong emotion I feel while I am writing about her. She was one of those extraordinary people to be loved and appreciated, and it’s impossible to forget her.
That meeting was a very interesting experience and useful lesson. I hope I’ll be able to put into practice the teachings I received on that day.
Written by Dattoli Federica
Translated by De Dominicis Federica
Ferri Agnese
classe V ginnasiale F
Liceo Classico "E. Duni" - Matera (Italy)
