Holocaust in Yiddish and Ashkenazic Literature and Film

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Holocaust in Yiddish and Ashkenazic Literature and Film

The two poems, He Was Lucky, and Be Seeing You are largely centered on the horrifying events of the World War II, which led to the death of millions of Jews, communists, and other groups of people that were socially unwanted by the Nazi regime (Landau 3). In the poem, He Was Lucky, the old man who encounters the brutal German soldier that harasses him may have been a European Jew (Allpoetry.com). This was a very troubling time for the Jews. When the soldier leaves, the old man can still feel the books under him in the mud, which signifies a small triumph, in that, he survived the ordeal, and he retained his book. In the poem, Be Seeing You, the persona is in the Jewish concentration camp, where they were being killed slowly by the Nazi government. The author says that they just tell each other ‘be seeing you,’ without saying where or when, and they have given up their old ways. I think that the persona means that they can no longer practice their Jewish traditions and practices while at the concentration camps. I believe that “be seeing you” is a farewell phrase, as they seem to have given up on their chances of survival.

In his speech recently, President Barrack Obama compared the Syrian crisis to the German Holocaust many years back. He further adds that the Syrian refugees can be likened to the survivors of the Holocaust, which is indeed true (The Times of Israel). I believe the Syrian situation is as bloody and treacherous as the Holocaust, which is why the comparison is accurate. From the two poems, it is evident that the Jews underwent severe emotional and physical torture under the Nazi leadership. In the wake of terrorism, the Syrian crisis resembles the Holocaust in that both situations involved marginalizing and terrorizing specific groups of people in the society.

Works Cited:

Allpoetry.com. “He Was Lucky By Anna Swirszczynska.” N.P., 2015. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.

Landau, Ronnie S. The Nazi Holocaust. London: I.B Tauris & Co Ltd, 2006. Print.

The Times of Israel. “Obama Compares Syrian Refugees To Holocaust Survivors.” N.P, 2015. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.