Gerda Weissmann Klein |
编者:格尔达·魏斯曼·克莱因 (Gerda Weissmann Klein)
Gerda Weissmann Klein (1924 – 2022) 是一位著名的波兰裔美国犹太大屠杀幸存者、作家和人权倡导者。她最著名的作品是她的回忆录《唯有生命永存》(All But My Life),这本书详细记录了她在第二次世界大战期间,从波兰贝尔斯克-比亚瓦的家乡被驱逐,以及她在多个纳粹集中营和死亡行军中的恐怖经历。书名“All But My Life”正对应了您提到的“唯有生命永存”的含义,强调了她失去了一切,但生命和生的意志得以保留。
她一生致力于讲述大屠杀的经历,以教育后人,并促进宽容和理解。2011年,她被美国总统奥巴马授予总统自由勋章,这是美国公民的最高荣誉。
格尔达·魏斯曼·克莱因:“从死亡行军到生命永存的希望之旅”,标题来自对华援助协会。
以下是文章译自脸书账号 History Icon
Gerda Weissmann Klein 她在纳粹的各个集中营中度过了三年时间。1945年1月底,为了逃避推进的盟军部队,格尔达与其他四千名犹太妇女一起被迫踏上了一段长达350英里(约563公里)的死亡行军。
到了五月初,格尔达是仅存的120名幸存者之一。其余的人,包括几位儿时的朋友,都因疲劳、饥饿、随意处决和恶劣天气而死去。
格尔达被美国士兵解放时,距离她21岁生日仅剩一天。那时,她体重仅68磅(约30.84公斤),头发几乎全白,衣服破烂不堪且满是虱子,三年来从未洗过澡。
后来,她回忆起第一次见到拯救她的那位男子时的情景:
“我当时站在工厂的门口,意识到自己已经自由。我看见一辆不熟悉的车辆从山坡上驶下来,车头上印着美国陆军的白色星星。车上坐着两个穿着陌生制服的人,我们猜他们是美国人。其中一人向我走来,我带着极大的敬仰和难以置信的心情看着他,意识到我正面对着一位为我们的事业而战斗的人。当然,我非常害怕。我告诉他:‘我们是犹太人。’他沉默了很久后回答说:‘我也是。’那是我生命中最非凡的时刻。他邀请我和他一起走,礼貌地为我打开了车门。在之后的五十年里,作为我的丈夫,他一直在为我‘开门’。”
格尔达与库尔特·克莱因在巴黎结婚后,搬到纽约州布法罗居住,育有三个孩子和八个孙辈。
格尔达后来成为人权倡导者,并撰写了她的自传《唯有生命永存》。
译自脸书账号History Icon。
She endured three years across various Nazi concentration camps. In the latter part of January 1945, Gerda, along with 4,000 other Jewish women, was compelled to undertake a 350-mile death march to escape the advancing Allied forces.
By the beginning of May, Gerda was among the mere 120 women who had survived. The remainder, including several childhood friends, had perished due to exhaustion, starvation, arbitrary executions, and exposure to harsh weather conditions.
Gerda was just one day away from her 21st birthday when she was liberated by American soldiers. Weighing merely 68 lbs. (30.84 kg), her hair had turned almost white, her garments were ragged and infested with lice, and she had not bathed in three years.
She later recounted the moment she saw the man who would save her life:
"I was standing in the doorway of that factory, aware that I was free. I noticed an unfamiliar vehicle descending the hill, adorned with the white star of the American army on its bonnet. Two men in unfamiliar uniforms were seated inside, whom we presumed to be Americans. One of the men approached me, and I gazed at him with a mix of immense admiration and disbelief, realising I was facing someone who had fought for our cause. Naturally, I was profoundly scared. I told him, 'we are Jewish.' After a lengthy pause, he replied, 'so am I.' That was the most extraordinary moment of my life. He invited me to accompany him, courteously holding the door open for me. He has continued to hold the door open for me for 50 years as my husband."
Gerda wed Kurt Klein in Paris before relocating to Buffalo, New York, where they went on to have three children and eight grandchildren.
Gerda turned into a human rights advocate and authored her autobiography, "All But My Life."