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| Nazi invaders' systematic round of Jewish Hungarians, 1944 |
Mensch International Foundation executive, Stephen Geiger, led a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the German Nazis' landing in Hungary, on March 19, 1944. The event also acknowledged Rabbi Marvin Hier for his significant impact on the Jewish community as Dean of YULA High Schools and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Hier's Mensch Award brought junior and senior high-school students to learn the lessons of history and today.
Mr. Geiger and the speakers shared personal stories about the Holocaust and expresses concerns over the rising anti-Semitism on college campuses, specifically at Univ. of California at Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.).
Prof. Michael Berenbaum shared his experiences of receiving awards and introduced Rabbi Hier as the recipient of the Mensch Award. The speakers addressed the anniversary of the start of the Holocaust in Hungary. Rabbinic leaders and Holocaust survivors share their experiences of tackling anti-Semitism at UCLA and the challenges faced by Jewish faculty and students on campuses. The speakers express concern over the erasure of symbols related to Israel and the lack of security and apologies from universities in response to disruptions. The importance of community support in fighting against anti-Semitism is emphasized, using the story of Esther from the Purim tale as an analogy. Rabbi Hier is honored for his efforts in fighting against anti-Semitism, and the deputy consul general of Hungary in Los Angeles, Dr. Imola Szabo addressed the event with a mea culpa for her country's apathy (and complicity) in 1944, neglecting to protect her citizens from Nazi deportation and genocide.
On 80th anniversary of Nazi invasion that holocausted Hungary's Jews, educators honored L.A. Rabbi Marvin Hier with teach-in at Yeshiva Univ. High School near Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance, all which he founded.
- 00:00:00 Mr. Geiger pays tribute to the 80th anniversary of the German
Nazis' landing in Hungary and shares a recording from a synagogue in Gyor, the town where his father was born and where his grandparents
and two sisters were deported to. He expresses gratitude to the
musicians, Raymond Domby and Thomas Mochari, for making the recording.
Rabbi Arye Sufrin, YULA's Head of School, acknowledges Rabbi Marvin Hier for his significant impact on the Los Angeles Jewish community and beyond, and presents him with the Mensch Award. The speaker praises Rabbi Hier's influence on countless students and alumni and wishes him and his wife Malka, good health as they remember the 600,000 Hungarian Jews who were killed during the Holocaust. - 00:05:00 Mr. Geiger
screens a film produced by Jewish Hungarian film producer Andrew
Solomon about actual incidents that occurred in Budapest during the
winter of 1944. His wife's grandmother survived the war by
hiding after having an inkling of the impending danger. He
notes that the extermination of Jews in Hungary, as well as in Poland
and France, was not advertised as part of the planned German invasion in 1944, but rather a
surprise and sheer luck for all the few who survived. Mr. Geiger mentions that
Hungary was not initially a part of the plan for the systematic
extermination of Jews throughout Europe.
- 00:10:00
Geiger plays a History Hustle documentary video discussing Hungary's involvement
in with the Axis powers and the German invasion of Hungary in 1944.
Holocaust historian, Rabbi Michael Berenbaum shares his experience of receiving a Silver Angel Award and introduces Rabbi Marvin Hier, who is being honored with the Mensch Award. Rabbi Berenbaum then shifts the focus to Jewish history and that menschlichkeit represents decency, integrity, authenticity, passion, and compassion. Rabbi Hier is praised for his leadership and impactful work, and his wife, Malka, is also acknowledged for her support. - 00:15:00
Holocaust survivor Marvin Hier shares a personal story
about his brother-in-law, Merlin, during the Nazi period in Hungary.
Merlin's mother was taken away, pleading for him to save her young
children. Merlin, believing a doctor would never harm the children,
approached one named Joseph Mengele, who immediately gassed them. Hier
reflects on the idea that destiny sometimes calls upon the unexpected to
do the right thing. He shares his own experience of taking his son to
Israel as his moment to make a difference. Hier expresses shock over
Jonathan Glazer's acceptance speech for his Holocaust film at the
Academy Awards, where he failed to acknowledge the atrocities committed
by the honored film's subject, Mengele.
- 00:20:00 Marvin Hier, the recipient of the Mensch Award, expresses his
strong disapproval of filmmaker Jonathan Glazer's statements accepting an Academy Award for directing "Zone of Interest" (which dramatizes the lives of Auschwitz Death Camp operators) selected as Best Foreign Language Film. Rabbi Hier condemns Mr. Glazer for exploiting his Holocaust familiarity to infer Israel's, instead of Hamas' inhumanity for the Gaza War.
Rabbi Hier is dismayed by the lack of reaction from the audience and believes that Glazer missed an opportunity to use his platform to stand in solidarity with the Jews and condemn Hamas. Hier also recalls the devastating consequences of the world's failure to respond to the Holocaust and warns of the dangers of not taking action against peoples, like Islamists, who seek domination and destruction of Western civilizations. The Mensch Award ceremony concludes with Hier expressing gratitude to those in attendance and acknowledging the importance of fighting for freedom every day. - 00:25:00 UCLA Professor Emeritus Judea Pearl shares his experiences and concerns regarding the rising anti-Semitism on college campuses, specifically at UCLA where he has spent 55 years. He recounts an incident where a music instructor switched the analysis of Wonder Woman's music score due to the Israeli actor's nationality, making students uncomfortable. He describes this as part of a larger campaign to erase the presence of Israel and Zionism from academia, treating it as toxic and nuclear waste material. He calls it a concerted effort and a crusade, and expresses his concern for future college students who may face similar situations
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| Rebbitzen Malka and Rabbi Marvin Hier, Steven Geiger, and Dr. Imola Szabo, Hungarian Consulate's Deputy Consul General (Photo: Orly Halevy) |
