The Importance Of Memorialization In Poland

Memorializing is often the way to remember a very important, intelligent, or rich person who lives above the rest of us. When we memorialize it sets a way to remember someone long after they have passed from life. More often than not those we put in statues and remember are those who change the world for the better or discover something new like Christopher Columbus, and his statue in Riverside Park (Deegan, Jim, source B). Lincoln's memorial isn’t where or had any importance to Lincoln, but it succeeds his most infamous speech he ever had “The Gettysburg Address” (Savage, source A). H. Elroy Johnson a famous lobster trapper, had a statue made but never finished during his lifetime, not until after his death, was the real statue made to memorialize him (Roadside America, source f).

70 years ago (Ochayon) a new Ghetto was established. The Germans built Ghetto’s to hold Jews before they could take them out to a camp. They could be taken to a Death camp, Work camp, or a concentration camp. All the camps had a different reasons for different Jews. The Ghetto was located in Warsaw, Poland and became the largest Ghetto in Europe. It was opened in September, 1939 (“Ghetto”). The German soldiers created it in Warsaw for a certain reason. Usually people think that the Germans build Ghetto’s to take up space in a town. Because Warsaw had the largest Jewish population in Europe pre World War II (Ochayon), they held Jews throughout Poland (“Ghetto”).

6 million jews were killed after world war 2 because the germans thought it was the jews fault that they had lost the war(The Holocaust). By 1945, the germans had set up concentration camps and had inserted the jews into them(The Holocaust). All jews were marked with a yellow star which caused mass hysteria. When the remaining jews were finally found they found it very hard to return home, they were starving to death, and they were very skinny to where they had to be rushed to the emergency room(The Holocaust).

America has made an obsession out of remembering past events by making monuments, like the Lincoln Monument. These type monuments can be used to teach anyone what their country has been through. This is a method that has been in use since long before America was founded, but America is not immune to the influence of Memorials. America uses memorials to commemorate fallen soldiers, influential leaders, founders of peace, and some of the nations most devastating moments, like 9-11. Some of the most important, and well known memorials in the world can be found in America, such as the Washington monument, Lincoln monument and many others.

Some of the most notorious death camps were located in Poland. Some of these include Auschwitz (1 million Jews killed), Treblinka (700,000-800,000 Jews gassed), Belzec (600,000 Jews gassed), and Sobibor (250,000 Jews gassed). These camps were the major centers for the slaughter of Jews and other groups (The Holocaust: An Historical Summary. Article on the Internet).

The most memorable genocide constructed abruptly by German Nazis left both Jewish and German-Jewish residents of Poland in a whirl of destruction. 1933 had been the year that changed the lives of billions, but one young lady by the name of Stefania (Fusia) Podgorska managed to save thirteen, including herself along with her young sister. Upon moving to Przemysl and working a steady job as a grocer, ghettos in Poland had begun to be invaded, and her mother and eldest brother were not too lucky. Podgorska’s family had been sent to Germany for forced labor, like the rest of the Jewish community in that vicinity. While still without question, going through a rough patch at the grocery store, oddly enough, she had also been relieved simply because

Memorials have been the displays that represent the past. Many people from when the memorial was built, can go and learn a lot just from where it was placed. Lasting from the years of 1861 to 1865, the great American Civil War was a war that changed United States history. With American’s fighting against themselves, it was a battle in which over six hundred twenty-two thousand lives were lost. With memorials set almost everywhere in the United States, Gettysburg National Military Park has over one thousand four hundred monuments alone!

The crimes committed during the Holocaust devastated most European Jewish communities and eliminated hundreds of Jewish communities in occupied eastern Europe

Memorials are extremely important to me because it helps people cope with someone or something that they may have lost. It also reminds us of what had happened or a drastic event like 9/11 when the Twin Towers were attacked. We have a memorial to help us not to forget and to teach about what had happened. Without memorials we would not be able to learn as much as we know now about history of wars or attacks like Pearl Habour.

before the holocaust Jewish people lived an almost normal life. Most of them had jobs as farmers, tailors, seamstresses, factory hands etc. Jews lived everywhere all around Europe. In some places like Greece and Italy they had vreated communities that existed for over 2000 years. Children would enjoy going to school. Jews were alowed to speak yiddish before the holocaust and they were alowd to practise their religion.

In Poland, 90% of Jewish citizens died during the holocaust (Holocaust Encyclopedia). On September 1st ,Nazi Germans invaded Poland thus World War II started. During the Holocaust , Jews used armed and unarmed forms of resistance in order to retain their humanity.

As Joseph tells us, “There was no future for Jews in Poland.” The Jewish people were constantly mistreated in Poland. Many children could not walk home alone because someone would take them and beat them.

    The value of memorials is that memorials give you a way to remember an event that happened that affected our history in America in a huge way, good or bad. Memorials remind us of what happened in the past that has shaped what is in the present. So that society itself will be less likely to make the same mistakes as before. For example, The Battle of Fallen Timbers was a final battle of Indians and the United States in the Northwestern Territory in the state of Ohio. The Treaty of Paris gave U.S. the Northwest territory. But there were many battles between U.S. and the Indians, like the shawnee indians. The Indians and the British were allies, so American soldiers to fight two battle fronts at the same time. The

"As the Nazis tightened their grip on Krakow, Jews were barraged with all kinds of insulting caricatures. Demeaning posters appeared in both Polish and German, depicting us as grotesque, filthy creatures, with large crooked noses. Nothing about these pictures made any sense to me....I found myself studying all our noses. None was particularly big. I couldn't understand why the Germans would want to make us look like something we were not." (Pg. ) Not all the Jews had dark hair, and not all polish or german people had blue eyes and blonde hair. They were also discriminated because of their religion. Today I have a freedom, it doesn’t matter what skin color I have or what I wear or what I believe. Back then it was very legal for german people to discriminate Jews. Even if there were people who tried to help them, they couldn’t because they would get killed also. Lion didn’t understand that when he got out of the concentration camp. "As I walked out of the ghetto with its tombstone-crowned walls and along the streets of Krakow, I was dumbfounded to see that life seemed just as it had been before I entered the ghetto...I stared at the clean, well-dressed people, busily moving from place to place...Had they not known what we had been suffering just a few blocks away? How could they not have known? How could they not have done something to help us?...They showed absolutely no interest

After the loss of a loved one, many people want to make sure the memory of the deceased is properly memorialized. Memorial companies such as Dodd’s Monuments in Southwest Ohio are here to preserve and honor the legacy of friends and family members in beautifully crafted headstones and memorials.