I’m a teacher.
This blog is about the Power of Teaching.
If you decide to spend a few moments here, you will see what I mean…
Start by studying the photograph below.
I mean, click on it to enlarge, really look at it.
Study the faces.
Imagine being the man behind the lens…
743rd S-3 After Action journal report- the moment of liberation
This online journal was begun to chronicle the unfolding of something very special in my career – the re-connection of a train transport full of 2500 Holocaust survivors with the American soldiers who liberated them on April 13th, 1945 near Magdeburg, Germany.
As they say, the truth is stranger than fiction. Still, I have to believe that there are other forces at work.
The project has since located 10% of the passenger list, folks who are still alive. Maybe more accurately is that many of them have found us.
Many have had the opportunity to meet the liberators you will meet inside.
The story begins on an April day in 1945. It is rekindled in a summer conversation between an intrigued history teacher and an animated World War II veteran, two generations later. What happens next changes thousands of lives…
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I’ve said for years, since I was first privately shown it by the American tank commander whom I interviewed in 2001, that the above photo would be destined to become one of the iconic photographs of the Holocaust.
Now it looks as if many people agree with me-since being discovered at my website, it’s now apparently being labeled as one of the 40 Of The Most Powerful Photographs Ever Taken “A moving collection of iconic photographs from the last 100 years that demonstrate the heartbreak of loss, the tremendous power of loyalty, and the triumph of the human spirit.”
You can also find it in this online collection.Throughout the past decade or so I have worked very hard to bring the story of the American soldiers and the Holocaust to light. I did my own interview with tank commander Carrol Walsh in July 2001. Walsh mentioned the train, almost as an afterthought following two hours of conversation (ABC video here), when prompted by his daughter, and directed me to his friend on the West coast, George C. Gross, who had a negative of the photo and ten others of the train liberation that he himself took. He gave me his blessings and his narrative of the liberation and I posted to my school oral history website in 2002. It sat there for four years, then we heard from our first survivor in Australia, a grandmother who had been a little girl on the train. Chris Carola of the Associated Press (AP) picked up the story, I organized reunions and today we have had 10 of them, with three major ones occurring at our high school to benefit students.
Today, with the help of soldier liberator Frank Towers and survivor’s daughter Varda Weisskopf of Israel we have tracked down nearly 230 survivors who have been very moved to discover fellow survivors and also the soldiers who freed them and who also nursed them back to health. I’ve created this blog to chronicle the unfolding of this story.
We have not yet found the mother and daughter in the photo here. But we have found others who do recognize themselves in Dr. Gross’ photos.
What makes the photos so special is that they reveal the moments of liberation. When you think Holocaust and Jewish prisoners and trains, the images that stay with you are of victims being transported or offloaded at death camps to extermination. In the words of a recent Israel documentary,
Trains in the Holocaust usually carried people to the last stop of their lives. The train of which Matt Rozell heard was a different one.
It was going from death to life.
The blog also includes other items of interest to the history teacher and teachers in general. Thanks for stopping by.
MATTHEW ROZELL
marozell@gmail.com
History Teacher, Hudson Falls High School, New York State.
NSDAR National Recipient Founders’ Medal for Education 2012
Organization of American Historians Teacher of the Year 2010
NYS DAR Outstanding Teacher of American History 2009
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellow
ABC World News Person of the Week
TO CLOSE: Israeli educational psychologist Haim Ginott writes about a letter that teachers would receive from their principal each year:
I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no person should witness: gas chambers built by learned engineers. Children poisoned by educated physicians. Infants killed by trained nurses. Women and babies shot by high school and college graduates.
So, I am suspicious of education.
My request is this: Help your children become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths or educated Eichmanns. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important only if they serve to make our children more human.
Copyright © 2009,2013 by Matthew A Rozell
Holocaust survivor Ariela Rojek, right, was 11 years old in 1945 when she and 2,500 other concentration camp prisoners aboard a train near Magdeburg, Germany, were liberated by American forces including 1st Lt. Frank Towers, left with his son Frank Towers Jr., center. “You gave me my second life,” Rojek told Towers Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011, at Hudson Falls High School during an event reuniting soldiers and survivors.
Jason McKibben Glens Falls Post Star
Holocaust survivor Leslie Meisels, left, signs a program for Hudson Falls senior Taylor Bump during Wednesday’s “Remembering the Holocaust, Repairing the World” event. Meisels, who currently lives in Toronto, stressed the importance of relaying his experience to young people “so they remember and fight against discrimination, hatred and injustice.”
Jason McKibben Glens Falls Post StarWorld War II infantry veteran Carrol Walsh, top,meets Holocaust survivors at a reunion in New York State, on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009. Walsh’s unit liberated a Nazi train carrying 2,500 Jewish prisoners, some pictured here, from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany during the war’s waning days.The reunion came about because of efforts of high school history teacher Matthew Rozell.
A former student of yours posted links to your websites in response to a Holocaust Remembrance Day posting I made on a woodworking forum I frequent. I’ll be returning there to thank him shortly, but stopped off to thank you for the work you and your students are doing. It is important that the individual stories of those who were there be told. Thank you for your efforts in this.
As the husband of a High School English Teacher, gotta differ with you about what subject matters the most. Gotta be able to read in order to learn history, but I’ll give History (not social studies) second chair.
Over at the woodworking forum we have a saying, “Better to learn from the mistakes of others since we don’t have time to make them all ourselves.” Would that more of those who have the microphones and soapboxes in our world would bother to learn from the mistakes of history, but it seems they are often more intent on rewriting it than in learning from it.
Again, thank you for your efforts on this most important subject.
Jerry Palmer
Cedar Park, TX
Jerry,
Some of my most informed students are non-readers. History Channel, I suppose…that said…
One can’t minimize the importance of being able to read and write well. But, what is “English” anyway? The study of language and literature, inexorably linked to the experience of man, which is history. There is no first or second chair.
Thanks for your comment and your support. Matt
Hello Matt,
Pete at USHMM asked me to contact you and send you a link to my Quad City liberators’ website which was my project as an MTF. The Quad Cities includes four main cities, two on the Illinois side and two on the Iowa side (Rock Island, IL; Moline, IL; Davenport, IA; Bettendorf, IA). and the surrounding area.
http://www.qcliberators.com/
Sincerely,
Terri T.
MTF 2005
I never realized how important history is, and that there is so much around us, that is until this year.
My grandmother took care of a ww2 veteran for many years. For as long as could remember, he would tell me stories about fighting during ww2 and the wounds he had gotten. Because I was just a kid, I never realized he had faught in ww2, and now it seems much more important.
I guess what I’m trying to say, is that you are an amazing teacher. You make people want to care about History, the good and the bad. In one year you can change lives. Especially with the Holocaust reunion.
Keep up the website! I’m no psychic, but I think your grandmother was trying to tell you something. Maybe the “Lucky Penny” will bring you some inspiration and you will figure it out.
Hey Mr R,
I’ve been reading your blog for awhile now and I have to say I am very touched with your devout love for humanity.
You are one of those special teachers students can never seem to forget, myself included
I hope you will still be teaching at HF when my kids get into 10th grade… 5 more years! That would make me very happy indeed.
There are so many beautiful stories posted on this site! Thanks again for sharing them.
Mick
WOW! i’m impressed. what a great effort on your part, the school district and your student’s to put this reunion together. i commend you, especially, mr. mozell for having the vision, inspiration and leadership to make something of this great magnitude happen in a small corner of the U.S. it takes the courageous voice of people like you in every corner of the world to echo the refrain of so many survivors, “Never again!”
Thank you and shalom.
Chris
Never Again! blog administrator
December 28, 2009
Hello
During the World War in 1945 in Belgium, my father saw the soldier Julius M. HELDER (36,459,331) during the month of December 1945. He left the 8-January-1945, the village of Stavelot-Francorchamps and killed 27-March-1945 in Germany at the age of 20 years, buried in Margraten, Limburg, Netherlands. By internet, I was able to verify that Julius Helder property belonged to the 743th Tank Battalion and therefore participate in the great feat of arms (landing on the front line, pierced to Belgium, Battle of the Bulge in Stavelot – Malmedy). I would like to know more exactly the platoon of this company where it belonged and what was its functions during the transition near Stavelot and also its exact route during the war. You can answer me directly to this email “jbfontaine@vincotte.be”.
Thank you for your cooperation
(Google translation)
I am 53 years old and my mother, who was a holocaust survivor died about 32 years ago. Just in the past 48 hours I found out some information about her parents and sisters.
They were all sent to Riga but her sisters were eventually transported to Stutthof Concentration camp. Now I also have their date of birth. Please please tell me how do I begin to look for information about them?? Their names were Herta and Hannelore Stein. They both died in 1944. Could someone please help me get started on this quest. Thank you kindly
I hope someone has responded with assistance before me. Start with finding as many documents on your mother as you can. Some will give you family and transport information: death, marriage certificates; petition and application for citizenship/naturalization; transport records from Europe; yizkor books, etc.
I am only now learning the ropes of genealogy research, so would suggest finding others who can provide more guidance from a Jewish genealogy society in your area or a national group to help you research European and holocaust records. There are discussion blogs where others are often willing to give time, search local records, as volunteers. Debbie
hello
I came across your website while trying to find people who were liberated from a train by American soldiers on Apr 30, 1945 in Staltach (today’s name: Iffeldorf. next to Starnberg see in Bavaria).
Can anyone help me with the mission of finding any survivors or soldiers who were there?
If anyone from the American soldiers, has taken any pictures from the liberation, it will help me a lot.
thanks
hana (israel)
hello hana,
first at all I apologize for my incorrect english. I live in Iffeldorf since 2005 and I am doing researches about the train with prisoners from Dachau, which has ended in Staltach. So far I could make interviews with old people from Iffeldorf and also make some researches at the archives of KZ Dachau but it would be extremly helpful to find people who were in the train.
Was your request from January successfull in any way?
thanks
Hans
Shalom Hanna,
I have found the Army-unit and Names of Soldiers having been involved in the liberation of that train in Staltach. But no pictures so far.
I also found several survivors still alive.
Mail me, if you are interested.
Hans
My uncle-by-marriage was in the Warsaw Ghetto in early 1943, and ended up in Bergen-Belsen, possibly via the Hotel Polski fiasco. He survived and emigrated to Israel. He would have been about 45 years old at the end of the war.
I don’t know his name – possibly Yosef Berg/Barg. His wife — my father’s sister — Franka/Francezska and daughter died in the ghetto. I am trying some long-shots in case someone might remember him.
Thank you.
Roma Baran
This is historical education at its best. In the words of philosopher and writer George Santayana, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Humanity has learned nothing from the Holocaust – witness Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur. Neo-Nazis and skinheads promote the concept that the Holocaust never occurred, or that Jews somehow deserved their fate. They now teach another new generation to deny the Holocaust.
As we continue to live in an age of prejudice, genocide and ethnic cleansing, we must repel the broken ethics of our ancestors, or risk a dreadful repeat of past transgressions. A world that continues to allow genocide requires ethical remediation. We must show the world that religious, racial, ethnic and gender persecution is wrong; and that tolerance is our progeny’s only hope. Only through such efforts can we reveal the true horror of genocide and promote the triumphant spirit of humankind.
Charles Weinblatt
Author, Jacob’s Courage
http://jacobscourage.wordpress.com/
Thanks for your support of my work. I appreciate also your efforts in educating and combating the scourge of Holocaust minimization/denial. MR
My grandfather’s name (Miklos rosenfeld) was in “1945 Manifest List-Names of those liberated at Farsleben, Germany, April 13th 1945″. i’m from brazil. Where can i get more info?
Contact Bernd Horstmann at the Bergen Belsen Memorial in Germany. You may also wish to try the Survivors Registry at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
My name is Haim Guttman my father name is :Guttmann Dezsoe (david) was born at 09.10.1921 in Tornalya and arrived to Bergen Belsen at 14.12.44 was on that train.Unfortunatly he died three years ago.
I am trying to locate sombody who knew or meat him.
My e mail addres is : haim.guttman@doralon.co.il
Thanks.
Thank you for creating this miracle, Mr. Rozell!
I posted this on my FB account along with the blog link: “Do you remember about a month ago when I was so excited about a photograph of a woman and her child being liberated from one of the Nazi trains (see thumbnail below)? (I found it on Pinterest.) Well, I have been following a rabbit hole to discover the people behind the photo. I found him! Mr. Rozell is a history teacher – this is his blog. He lives and works one town over from where I was born! There are NO ACCIDENTS! Read, comment, share! THIS is something special and YOU have an opportunity to be a part of it! Carpe Diem, people! Be part of a miracle!!!”
If you hung around long enough in GF, you would have had the old man as your history teacher. see http://teachinghistorymatters.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/so-i-am-suspicious-of-education-and-history-should-always-be-taken-in-the-morning/
My loss for sure, Mr. Rozell! My parents divorced, so Mom, little sister, and I moved to be with Mom’s parents who retired to Florida in 1975.
…but I did find you!
Kim,
I’m reading the story & comments & found you, a Mogilvesky!
Perhaps we are distant mispocha, as my grandpa John was from Mogilev, Russia. I have a wee bit more information when you reply.
Laraine Mogill
Farmington Hills, Mi USA
Hi, Laraine, I forwarded your message to my father-in-law (my married name is Mogilevsky). Here’s what he replied back:
“I asked my Dad about his name once, he told me that he did not know of any direct evidence to indicate that our Mogilevskys came from MOGILEV, although that is now moot, as all Jews from that part of Europe were murdered by the SS Eizatsgruppen. As immigrants were arriving on Ellis Island, the Immigration officials, who were predominantly of Anglo-Irish descent, used to mangle the immigrants’ names; therefore, they assigned names to them often by the names of the towns/cities/regions they originally came from; hence the “Mogill” name might have been for a family who came from the shtetl of Mogilev. By the way, the town of Mogilev has an interesting history: During the First World War (1914-1918), the Tsar Nicholas II once had his army headquarters at Mogilev, where he had his generals conduct the war in the East against the Kaiser.”
I do know that my father-in-law’s family had converted from Judaism to Russian Orthodox to save their skin in the distant past. My maiden name is Potter (not Jewish), but my mother’s maiden name is Morgenstern. I am Jewish because my mother is.
My father-in-law was born in Java (his parents fled the Bolsheviks and were traveling musicians), raised in pre-WWII Japan and immigrated to the US via California in 1950. His mother was not Jewish, but his dad’s people were. I consider him part of the “tribe” anyway.
I’d love to hear about your family!
Sincerely, Kim
You rock and make the world smile. Thank you!!!!!!
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Belsen was liberated on April 15th so I think you have the date incorrect. 1945 would also fall 68 yrs ago. If he was liberated on May 13 that is 5 days after the war ended.
Hi my name is Sandra from Toronto,ontario. My father -Zelig pilzmacher was from krakow.. death marched to Gross rosen and Dora and finally to Bergen Belsen. He was liberated by the British on May 13, 1945.-70 th anniversay today- I would like to connect with anyone who knew my father from that period.I did speak the curator of the holocaust memorial in Bergen Belsen. But did not find a lot of information.