Page 28 - Jewish News_May-June-2020

28 May/June 2020 JEWISH INTEREST

Eyewitness to Dachau

By Liz Coursen
n April 29, 1945, soldiers of Chuck wasn’t at Dachau the day heard about Dachau. Who told you? clear. Stopping this evil was the reason
the 42 Infantry, Rainbow Di- of its surrender. He was busy liberat- Chuck: A buddy of mine, he’d we were fighting. The war was over.
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Ovision, arrived at a concentra- ing small villages around Munich at been there. You have to understand Everyone knew it. Germans were sur-
tion camp nine miles to the northwest the time. But Chuck did visit the camp that a GI has very little understanding rendering faster than we could keep
of Munich, a mile outside the village three days later, and he saw everything. of the “big picture” – where, exactly, up, but still the S.S. shot the survivors
of Dachau. He saw everything because General you are, what day it is, things like that. in that train, to make sure there were
As the men approached the iron Eisenhower encouraged the men of the We went where we were told to go no eyewitnesses. And I knew some-
gates, upon which Arebeit Macht Frei 42 , 45 and 20 Armored Divisions and did what we were told to do. But thing else: the dead were dead. I could
nd
th
th
– “Work will make you free” – was em- and all troops nearby to cycle through we’d been hearing rumors about a big do nothing for them. It was the living
blazoned, they passed a train. A train of people who mattered, those who were
30 box cars. Thirty box cars filled with suffering.
2,300 corpses. Liz: What happened next?
The soldiers of the 42 were battle- Chuck: A week later, I was on
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hardened veterans, having just come duty in Munich when I saw a group
through some of the bloodiest, most of Dachau guards being escorted to
brutal fighting of the war. But nothing our command post by former inmates.
they’d experienced prepared them for These guards, risking their own lives,
the horrific sight of what’s now known had smuggled food, blankets and other
as “The Death Train.” supplies into the camp for the prison-
A Tech Sergeant was walking down ers. The former inmates were accom-
the row of box cars. He saw movement. panying these guards to make sure we
He saw a hand waving. He yelled to his knew that they’d behaved decently – as
commanding officer, who jumped into decently as possible – to the inmates.
the box car and pulled a young Pol- Liz: Tell the story about the bullet
ish man from the tangled bodies. The holes.
young man, near death, looked up and Chuck Palmeri Chuck: Shortly after the camp was
asked one question. the camp – before the bodies were bur- concentration camp. At the time, few opened, a group of Dachau citizens
* * * ied – to be eyewitnesses to what had of us had ever heard the phrase “con- complained about the treatment of
My name is Liz Coursen. I’ve been happened there. centration camp.” the inmates. The S.S. commander had
publishing books now for 10 years, So Chuck saw the 2,300 corpses in Liz: Why did you decide to go? those people lined up and shot. I heard
mostly autobiographies, and I’ve heard “The Death Train.” He saw the 4,000 Chuck: Because I didn’t believe this story when I returned to Dachau
wonderful stories told by remarkable corpses inside the camp, and he saw what I’d heard. I didn’t believe it could in 1995. The bullet holes are still in
people. But I despaired of hearing a many of the 32,000 starved and typhus- be as bad as all that. I didn’t believe the wall, and I was told that the bullet
firsthand account of World War II un- ridden former prisoners. that men could be so inhumane. holes will be there forever.
til last year, when 93-year-old Chuck I sat down with Chuck recently, Liz: So you went. Who went with Liz: How has Dachau affected
Palmeri walked into my office carrying and we talked about Dachau and how you? you?
a manuscript – a manuscript about his his experience there has influenced his Chuck: The jeep driver, Sergeant Chuck: I came home and I focused
experiences in the 42 Infantry, Rain- life. Walker – he’d been there before – and on life. I focused on finishing my edu-
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bow Division. Liz: You were in Munich when you another GI. cation, finding a job and starting a fam-
Liz: Were you encouraged to go by ily. I put the war behind me. I didn’t
your officers? think about Dachau much at all until
Chuck: Yes, to a certain extent. about eight years ago, when I spoke
sarasota LIBERAL YESHIVA The generals – Harry J. Collins – and at a school about my experiences, and
then I decided to write a book.
the other officers made it known. There
PRESENTS APRIL – MAY 2020 COURSES was no official order, but we knew it Liz: There are so many interest-
was important to go. ing stories in your book in addition to manage the arrival of students into JFK (photo credits: JNF-USA)
Staff from High School in Israel and Jewish National Fund-USA
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE: FROM BEGINNING TO END Liz: So, basically you went be- Dachau: Wolfgang Robinow and the
cause you didn’t believe it could be as liberation of Munich, the release of
FRIDAYS 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM Starting April 3 (Eight weeks) bad “as all that.” Was it? Was it as bad Archbishop von Galen, the Marcus W.
On the continuum of “coupling,” Judaism has prescribed and “as all that?” Orr POW camp. So, as we approach
proscribed behaviors which, as a goal, were based on the first Chuck: It was worse than I ever the 75 anniversary of the liberation of
th
biblical imperative: pru irvu—be fruitful and multiply. Marriage could have imagined. Dachau, what is your advice to us right
has evolved into a ritually-laced elaborate life-cycle event that Liz: What was the first thing you now? Jump In!
demands considerable attention and resources to achieve. Then, Chuck: Vote. That’s my advice.
after the huppah rituals, the fun begins: intimacy, finances, saw?
love, children, their education, etc. Not all marriages work out so there is an Chuck: We saw a train. There Vote.
elaborate remedy to dissolve the marital bond. This course will include the were two or three open cars, and the * * *
Jewish history of marriage and divorce as well as the status of each in Israel. train cars stretched way down the But there was one survivor of “The
Instructor: Marden Paru; fee $70. tracks. The cars were full of dead bod- Death Train,” there was one eyewit-
ies. There were so many bodies. They ness. The young Polish man. What was
THE HISTORY OF BRITISH JEWRY looked like piles of rags. the question that was uppermost in his
Liz: What did you think about mind? This young man, whose name
MONDAYS 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM Starting April 6 (Eight Weeks) what you saw? and fate remain unknown, looked up at
It is believed that the first Jews in England arrived during the Norman Conquest Chuck: I was angry. Seeing the his American liberator and asked, “Am
of the country by William the Conqueror (the future William I) in 1066. The bodies in the box cars…this was differ- I free? Am I free?”
ALL CLASSES
first written record of Jewish settlement in England dates from 1070. They
suffered massacres in 1189-90. In 1290, all Jews were expelled from England ent from “war.” In war, you expect sol- The soldier replied, “The Ameri-
by the Edict of Expulsion. And so it went for centuries: The Jews are in or diers to die. Death is a part of war. But cans are here. And, yes, you are free.”
POSTPONED
expelled. Covering a millennium of Jewish history, this course will include what I saw at Dachau * * *
significant developments and the status of Jewry through contemporary times. was something else. Boy Soldier: Rec-
Instructor: Marden Paru; $70. What I saw was evil. ollections of World
Liz: Did you go in-
War II is available on
ASTROLOGY AND THE JEWS
side the camp?
Amazon.com. Charles
TUESDAYS 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM Starting April 7 (Eight Weeks)
is an active Sarasota
Liz: What did you
In the Babylonian Talmud astrologers are known as kaldiyyim — a term used see? Chuck: I did. J. “Chuck” Palmeri
Re/Max Realtor with
by the Greeks, Romans, and SyrianS. Iztagninin (“astrologers”) and iztagninut Chuck: I saw more $25 million in current
(“astrology”) were also common terms. In the Jerusalem Talmud and in
Palestinian Midrashim, astrologos and astrologiyya are the most frequent bodies, all piled up. listings. A Buffalo,
terms. The majority of the Talmudic sages believed in the decisive role played Stacks of bodies. I New York, native,
by celestial bodies in determining human affairs in the sublunar world. Many saw people stumbling Chuck received the
sages and famous rabbis were astrologers. The fascination among Jews has around, men whose Bronze Star Medal Friendship is our Promise.
been pervasive. Instructor: Marden Paru; fee $70. legs had no “meat” and the Silver Star as
on them. Poor guys, a member of the 42
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Inquire about multi-course discounts. Scholarships are also available.
Inquire ab out m ulti- c ourse disc ounts . S chola rships a re also av a ilable .
trying to eat. And the Infantry, Rainbow Di-
smell was indescrib- vision, in World War
NEW— CLASS LOCATION: able. Terrible. I’ve never smelled any- II. Boy Soldier: Recollections of World • Full-time Director of Life Enrichment
Brookdale Sarasota Midtown • 2186 Bahia Vista • sarasota thing like it. War II is Chuck’s first book. • Over 100 activities, classes, and programs offered monthly
Liz: What else did you see? Did Liz Coursen attended Southside and • Programs designed by and for residents
Classes are held at Brookdale Midtown Sarasota, Activity Room-2nd Floor, you go into any of the barracks? Pine View schools in Sarasota. She
2186 Bahia Vista Street, Sarasota. To register or seek more information, please contact Chuck: I did. The cots were so graduated from Atlanta’s Emory Uni- • On-campus monthly live concert series featuring multiple genres
Marden Paru, Dean and Rosh Yeshiva at 941.379.5655 or marden.paru@gmail.com. close together. I remember there was versity, where she put herself through
Please make checks payable to the Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva and mail to: • Aviva University provides weekly classes on the arts, history,
Marden Paru, 5445 Pamela Wood Way #160, Sarasota, FL 34233. sooty dirt on every surface. college by starting a lawn care service science, literature, and more
Liz: And? and played ice hockey all four years
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS: The Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva admits Chuck: I went outside and threw – as the only girl on the team. She • Heated outdoor pool & shaded patio
students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities up. The other two guys kept going, but has written 14 books, 10 of which are • State of the Art Fitness Center
generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis I walked back to the jeep. about punctuation and grammar, and
of race, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other school-administered programs. • Over a mile of tropical walking trails
Liz: When you got back to the has lectured about American English
The Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva is a 501(c)3 non-profit jeep, what’d you think? best practices from Sarasota to Seattle, • Complimentary transportation to Sarasota hubs of art, culture, 1951 N. Honore Ave. | Sarasota, FL 34235
agency. It is funded, in part, by a grant from Chuck: I understood why we were from Maine to Mumbai. and entertainment 941.377.0781 | www.AvivaSeniorLife.org
The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.
fighting the war. Things became very

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