tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post8887944045258833996..comments2023-10-11T03:49:53.934-04:00Comments on The Gold Puppy: YizkorReya Mellickerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13076092659507965666noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-10821374712040148512011-02-01T16:25:06.375-05:002011-02-01T16:25:06.375-05:00Tragic time period. My earliest exposure to people...Tragic time period. My earliest exposure to people who had been in a concentration camp was seeing a series of numbers branded on a woman's forearm. Her sleeve had slipped down while she drank a coffee at a table across from where I was sitting with my mother. I was about 5. When the woman caught me staring, she pulled down her sleeve and put her coat back on. I still recall how tired and stressed she looked. My mother explained to me later what the numbers were, and this view has stayed with me ever since. That this couple were so very lucky to have been set free after their ordeal.<br /><br />As for what the Nazis did at that time, not all of them agreed with what was going on. One of my cousins was taken from a camp by a Nazi officer who had had enough of what was transpiring, had authority to take 5 prisoners with him. My cousin, Norman, was one of the lucky ones. He was taken as far as Bavaria where the officer came from, and Norman made his way to Italy and then home to Canada.Barbara Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00610140328527165017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-10549449382909100062011-01-30T18:15:50.544-05:002011-01-30T18:15:50.544-05:00I don't even hope to completely prepare ... I&...I don't even hope to completely prepare ... I'll do what I can and fly by the seat of my pants when I get there. <br /><br />YES excellent comments!Reya Mellickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13076092659507965666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-17085510267706250462011-01-30T12:33:20.975-05:002011-01-30T12:33:20.975-05:00What a lot of excellent comments have been left he...What a lot of excellent comments have been left here. When you go to Poland I imagine it will be some kind of roller coaster ride for you, both exhilarating and haunting. The forethought that you give it will certainly help to ground you, but how can anyone completely prepare for such an experience?Kerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15281288495129054688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-6832423865905641762011-01-30T09:23:01.481-05:002011-01-30T09:23:01.481-05:00Thanks California girl.
Nazi Germany was not a r...Thanks California girl. <br /><br />Nazi Germany was not a rational mind space. There was madness there, and demons. I don't blame anyone for what happened. Something swept over the land. I have theories; looking forward to reading A.G. Adler, who wrote poetry while he was in concentration camps. He never refers to Nazis, but he often speak of craziness, insanity.<br /><br />When people talk about how the Germans turned their backs on what was happening, this is a judgment based on the idea that they consciously, and rationally, decided not to address what was happening. My guess is, nothing could be further from the truth.<br /><br />Clearly I'll have to write more about this.Reya Mellickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13076092659507965666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-56232432611548166522011-01-30T08:50:35.990-05:002011-01-30T08:50:35.990-05:00Angela left a powerful comment; it answers questio...Angela left a powerful comment; it answers questions I've had for years since visiting Germany. <br /><br />A close friend and I toured Western Europe in 1971. We were <br />19 and spent 3 mos overseas. My cousin was stationed in Frankfurt so that was our home base and we spent a good amount of time in Germany even though we backpacked through many other countries. My GF is Jewish; I'm Protestant. We decided to spend a day @ Dachau. It is considered the best preserved of all remaining concentration camps, i.e. American soldiers left bldgs & showers & crematorium standing. It was an intense experience and we cried like children but we educated ourselves. I've never forgotten it and to this day I'm glad I did it. It led me to read much of the history of Hitler, Germany & WWII. To read that it was not discussed in German schools or by much of anyone perhaps does not surprise me. In 1971, Frankfort still showed the remains of bombing in some areas as did other parts of Germany. It must have been a daily reminder that people had to face. I don't understand the mentality of a nation following someone like Hitler and turning their faces from facts but learning from the past is key to the future. <br /><br />I wish you well on your journey.California Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12582691517303132274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-41080587953452681982011-01-29T21:59:15.262-05:002011-01-29T21:59:15.262-05:00Thanks Natalie and Polly. I actually think I'm...Thanks Natalie and Polly. I actually think I'm making progress with this! It feels right and good.Reya Mellickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13076092659507965666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-86306092772076672702011-01-29T21:42:34.622-05:002011-01-29T21:42:34.622-05:00Reya, I feel a strong sense of trust in your proce...Reya, I feel a strong sense of trust in your process on this. I think you're right on with the stay in the moment strategy - I believe this will be the key to your healing around this in an amazing way.Susan Carpenter Simshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13566372904106529839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-59382556145992010742011-01-29T17:26:23.543-05:002011-01-29T17:26:23.543-05:00Wrap yourself in lots of beautiful shiny light, Re...Wrap yourself in lots of beautiful shiny light, Reya, and keep looking at the ground.♥Nataliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12919764140075852854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-86632886277598421692011-01-29T12:17:19.061-05:002011-01-29T12:17:19.061-05:00Hi Reya, no problem. I find it fascinating that yo...Hi Reya, no problem. I find it fascinating that you only connected with these memories or post-memory until recently in your life, especially because in Maus, the son grew up with post-memory. Thanks for explaining your religions.Ashley Ashbeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05268928207063175136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-10185106563387982922011-01-29T11:42:50.174-05:002011-01-29T11:42:50.174-05:00Oh Reya, what a powerful post, and equally powerfu...Oh Reya, what a powerful post, and equally powerful comments. <br /><br />I was particularly struck by what your mother said to you as a child. I had an instant flashback to my father telling us once, as all six children sat around the dinner table, that "if you were to be burned at the stake, inhale the smoke to render yourself unconscious before you burn to death." <br /><br />I have no idea what parents are thinking sometimes. I guess that's why I've always been so careful about what I cause to be inserted into the souls of children.<br /><br />I wish you peace and wisdom on this very important journey.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14937847762010497687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-22557617830604315942011-01-29T09:17:10.388-05:002011-01-29T09:17:10.388-05:00I had a friend who believed that our feelings of p...I had a friend who believed that our feelings of past lives and our occasional sense of deja vu came from the memories of our ancestors imbedded in our genes; perhaps we had not been in a given place or century before our birth into this one, but THEY had and their memories are as much a part of our genetic makeup as any other trait. He believed they were triggered by any of our five senses. Whether or no, each of us has unique experiences that oftentimes can't be explained successfully to someone who holds different beliefs or has never had similar experiences.<br /><br />I'm old enough now to realize that the only person I ever have to convince is me. I've also come to see that going with my "gut instinct" is more often than not the right way to go. Over-thinking a situation has always made a muddle of my ability to act in beneficial ways. Intuition is a survival mechanism; rational thought comes immediately on its heels. It will be interesting to follow along as you make your choices. I'm hoping that whatever unsettled feelings you have find their way into a place where you can deal with them.Paulinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14555472024981357622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-36886680983725705202011-01-29T07:58:13.418-05:002011-01-29T07:58:13.418-05:00Maus was so great! Thanks for reminding me; I had ...Maus was so great! Thanks for reminding me; I had forgotten all about it.<br /><br />I am Jewish, yes - also a priestess of Mongolian shamanism, a sometime Buddhist, sometimes Christian (at Easter, mostly). There may some other traditions I borrow from. <br /><br />Post memory is an interesting way to describe it. I have felt the fear but didn't connect with the memories until very recently in my life.<br /><br />Thanks so much for your thoughts!Reya Mellickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13076092659507965666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-84200439375012094292011-01-29T04:50:06.713-05:002011-01-29T04:50:06.713-05:00Beautiful piece. You seem to feel that maybe your ...Beautiful piece. You seem to feel that maybe your readers will think it's weird that you think this way. I don't. I think a lot of people do. I do.<br /><br />I think you're experiencing something called post-memory. I did a presentation on this a few years ago in university, relating it to a book called "Maus" that may interest you.<br /><br />This kind of horror surely survives generations through witnessing not only the stories from family members and others who lived it, but through the choices they made, through your knowledge that if you had been born earlier, you may have gone through the same thing, to hurt knowing that people of your religion were hated so much, to know that this hate still exists in the world.<br /><br />I inferred that you are Jewish. Please correct me if I am wrong.Ashley Ashbeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05268928207063175136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-68874728212081953532011-01-28T21:18:18.969-05:002011-01-28T21:18:18.969-05:00very powerful post Reya. I have always felt a dee...very powerful post Reya. I have always felt a deep connection to soldiers from both World Wars, but have never explored that connection. Your post brought me to tears. I will live vicariously through you as you visit Poland. <br /><br />Thanks for sharing. <br /><br />Peace!Barbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11530080925040791624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-80189427505408521422011-01-28T20:15:10.771-05:002011-01-28T20:15:10.771-05:00i've always thought that there is some big wei...i've always thought that there is some big weird universe thing going on with Hitler. The persecution of the Jews in history is weird enough and significant, but Hitler was this force, so abberant it seems. I think what you feel is so real. Not only ghosts from battlefields, but your ancestors run through your veins. I love your word palpable. I ache too by the memory of those images, especially the childrenWinston Rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12660986634479086490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-19119469638474185192011-01-28T20:13:29.988-05:002011-01-28T20:13:29.988-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Winston Rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12660986634479086490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-81145484682667473482011-01-28T19:32:36.262-05:002011-01-28T19:32:36.262-05:00Reya, It was many years ago, and no, I didn't ...Reya, It was many years ago, and no, I didn't try to stay in the present moment, I didn't even think about it. But I'm sure that would make a huge difference in how you experience it- and I know you can do it. I went in and out of the present and the past-but the pull of the past was very powerful.Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17726323303095176736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-58114389479030539092011-01-28T18:35:14.606-05:002011-01-28T18:35:14.606-05:00Wow, what great comments! Thanks to all who weighe...Wow, what great comments! Thanks to all who weighed in here.<br /><br />Cyndy, did you TRY to stay in the present moment?<br /><br />Linda Sue - you and me, we were there. No wonder ...<br /><br />Rebecca it really is nauseating, isn't it?Reya Mellickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13076092659507965666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-71631763458443578712011-01-28T18:34:23.802-05:002011-01-28T18:34:23.802-05:00Maybe I'll write more about how I'm thinki...Maybe I'll write more about how I'm thinking about the Nazi thinking. It was not rational, and it was not healthy but we accept similar mindsets, we do.<br /><br />Such as: research scientists. Even though they know that chimps are more closely related to us than they are to apes, and even though we know chimps to be intelligent, sentient. They can communicate, they grieve over their dead - they aren't that different than we are. Still, research scientists are only too happy to torture them in the lab. It's OK by our cultural standards. <br /><br />I also think of industrial farming, the way the animals are treated. We think this is perfectly ok when it's clear as a bell that it is unthinkably cruel. I think the Nazis had the research scientists/industrial farming thought form going on - directed at Jews, gypsies, gay people, old people and such, but still, not any different.<br /><br />This is NOT an excuse for what happened. The Nazis were bedeviled. They were knocked down by evil. I don't blame them.Reya Mellickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13076092659507965666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-85569953424365648522011-01-28T18:30:58.749-05:002011-01-28T18:30:58.749-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Reya Mellickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13076092659507965666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-11231265993512321732011-01-28T13:51:28.010-05:002011-01-28T13:51:28.010-05:00Such a deep wound for so many people in the world ...Such a deep wound for so many people in the world to bear. I think this will take calling in all of your guides and protectors. I remember visiting Dachau. It was impossible for me to stay in the present moment.<br />I will keep you in my prayers.Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17726323303095176736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-43901780505699726202011-01-28T12:53:33.810-05:002011-01-28T12:53:33.810-05:00Growing up, my brother and I were sheltered from t...Growing up, my brother and I were sheltered from that horror- but it was in the air- we knew of it through to our very cores...I had hiding places chosen, my brother had magazines hidden depicting the horrors and the torture and the methods-he was curious- I was terrified, very sad, a bit of doubt that such things could actually have happened.<br />There were German people in our little town and only a few Jewish families- there was a hush re: both. <br />I don't know how you are going to do it, Reya...but you will - there will be protection for you when you need it. Choose good hiding places.<br />Oddly enough on a much smaller scale - our town doctor had made a lamp shade, an ash tray and a pair of shoes out of one of the outlaws that my Great Grandfather tracked down and hung. They , of course were on the side of "right" ...such disconnect and cruelty from "upstanding" folks multiplied by dozens and dozens coupled with hypnosis (propaganda) and fear and there you go-Linda Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03070050388987072100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-61631334282696360932011-01-28T12:36:02.912-05:002011-01-28T12:36:02.912-05:00Wow, Reya. What your mom said.
I first read abou...Wow, Reya. What your mom said. <br /><br />I first read about the Holocaust in 1967 in the Saturday Evening Post, when I was 11. The article was called "Escape from Treblinka," and I had no idea what I was going to read about--an exciting adventure?<br /><br />After I was done throwing up, and, really, ever since, I've wondered and worried about what would make people march children into gas chambers. I don't mean people in command, I mean the people running the trains, patroling the fences, living next door, following orders.<br /><br />I really worry about following orders.<br /><br />Please keep yourself safe.Rebecca Claytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06494730619850791609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-34406868201300183052011-01-28T10:54:17.618-05:002011-01-28T10:54:17.618-05:00Angela I don't even blame the Nazis for what h...Angela I don't even blame the Nazis for what happened. When we blame them, it comes from the assumption that they were in their right minds. I promise you, they were not well. Something swept over your country, like the dementors. I think Hitler and all those in charge were riddled with demons and I think those demons appeared to them in a very definite form: they looked like Jews. <br /><br />Angela, do you think you can let go of feeling any kind of responsibility for what happened? It happened, and it's done now. I think part of the healing that needs to take place is a release of the energy, while remembering what went down.<br /><br />The passing away of that generation will help another layer of this unwind. Onwards and upwards.Reya Mellickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13076092659507965666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607471777855707790.post-42452728391007110912011-01-28T10:50:16.189-05:002011-01-28T10:50:16.189-05:00This post brought tears to my eyes - it's just...This post brought tears to my eyes - it's just so incomprehensible. And then Angela's comment - I can't even imagine what that would be like. <br /><br />But I think you should go. It might be harder than you can imagine, or it might be easier than you think. But I know it will be healing - I just feel that it will.The Bughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07509037206264761261noreply@blogger.com