1 00:00:00,633 --> 00:00:03,000 ♪♪ 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:08,266 ♪♪ 3 00:00:08,266 --> 00:00:13,566 ♪♪ 4 00:00:13,566 --> 00:00:15,366 -My father was a Holocaust survivor. 5 00:00:15,366 --> 00:00:18,200 He had survived the same camp as Elie Wiesel. 6 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:20,333 They were both the same age. 7 00:00:20,333 --> 00:00:22,966 And when my dad was alive, and through school, 8 00:00:22,966 --> 00:00:24,633 I was reading "Night." 9 00:00:24,633 --> 00:00:27,000 I was 14 years old, and I went to my dad 10 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:28,466 and I said, "You know, I'm just reading this book. 11 00:00:28,466 --> 00:00:31,333 Is this the same Auschwitz because this is horrible." 12 00:00:31,333 --> 00:00:33,600 And my father said, "Oh, no, it's a different Auschwitz." 13 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:36,466 So for a long time, I really thought there were two! 14 00:00:36,466 --> 00:00:38,200 You know, my father's Auschwitz 15 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:39,166 was a kinder, 16 00:00:39,166 --> 00:00:40,766 gentler Auschwitz. 17 00:00:40,766 --> 00:00:42,466 There was never a moment 18 00:00:42,466 --> 00:00:43,700 where people were dying 19 00:00:43,700 --> 00:00:44,633 in front of him. 20 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,033 They killed his siblings, and they killed his parents, 21 00:00:50,033 --> 00:00:51,633 and then from that moment on, 22 00:00:51,633 --> 00:00:54,700 it was a bunch of strong-willed boys, and they took over. 23 00:00:57,066 --> 00:00:59,833 ...and they could hide it under their striped pajamas, 24 00:00:59,833 --> 00:01:01,400 as he called them. 25 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,233 It was sort of like Robin Hood and his merry men 26 00:01:04,233 --> 00:01:06,766 meet the Nazis in my father's Auschwitz. 27 00:01:06,766 --> 00:01:09,166 And that was the story we were given. 28 00:01:09,166 --> 00:01:12,466 But when he was very, very sick in the hospital, 29 00:01:12,466 --> 00:01:14,466 and I knew I was losing him, 30 00:01:14,466 --> 00:01:16,400 I realized that there was no going back 31 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:17,766 and that if I didn't make my move, 32 00:01:17,766 --> 00:01:19,666 I could not return to the moment 33 00:01:19,666 --> 00:01:22,166 of having access to his memories. 34 00:01:22,166 --> 00:01:23,533 And this time he was really tired 35 00:01:23,533 --> 00:01:25,133 and he wasn't feeling well. 36 00:01:25,133 --> 00:01:26,900 And I said, "I need to ask you 37 00:01:26,900 --> 00:01:29,300 about your time there, in Auschwitz, Dad. 38 00:01:29,300 --> 00:01:30,366 It's important." 39 00:01:30,366 --> 00:01:32,100 And I remember he looked at me, 40 00:01:32,100 --> 00:01:35,200 and he had real anger in his face and in his eyes. 41 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:36,866 He said, "You know, Debbie, 42 00:01:36,866 --> 00:01:38,766 from the time that you were a young girl, 43 00:01:38,766 --> 00:01:40,533 you always asked your questions. 44 00:01:40,533 --> 00:01:42,133 And I always told you -- 45 00:01:42,133 --> 00:01:44,300 'We got food, we got bread, we divided it up, 46 00:01:44,300 --> 00:01:46,400 we didn't suffer. It was fine.' 47 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,066 And you keep bothering me and asking me the question. 48 00:01:50,066 --> 00:01:52,866 And I keep telling you, like as if I'm in a room, 49 00:01:52,866 --> 00:01:55,600 'Stop knocking on the door. Go away. 50 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:57,633 I do not want to let you in this room.' 51 00:01:57,633 --> 00:01:59,733 And yet you keep coming back saying, 'Let me in.'" 52 00:01:59,733 --> 00:02:04,366 And he said, "So I'll ask you one more time to go away." 53 00:02:04,366 --> 00:02:07,500 And he said, "If you knock again, I'll let you in. 54 00:02:07,500 --> 00:02:09,333 But if I let you in this room..." 55 00:02:15,266 --> 00:02:17,933 And I said, "Yes, I do, Dad." 56 00:02:17,933 --> 00:02:19,066 And he was crying, 57 00:02:19,066 --> 00:02:21,433 and I remember he had covers on his body, 58 00:02:21,433 --> 00:02:23,800 because he was really skinny and very, very weak. 59 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:25,266 And he kicked all the covers off, 60 00:02:25,266 --> 00:02:26,600 as if he was kicking down a door. 61 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,333 And he said, "Fine. Come in then. 62 00:02:29,333 --> 00:02:31,000 Come in to a room that you can never leave. 63 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,066 Come in." 64 00:02:33,066 --> 00:02:35,233 And then I said, "Can I ask you my questions?" 65 00:02:35,233 --> 00:02:37,833 He said, "You're in the room. You can ask anything." 66 00:02:37,833 --> 00:02:40,966 And I asked him everything that I ever wanted to ask. 67 00:02:40,966 --> 00:02:43,300 I asked him to tell me the real story. 68 00:02:43,300 --> 00:02:46,233 And he did. 69 00:02:46,233 --> 00:02:52,866 It was painful and scary and sickening. 70 00:02:52,866 --> 00:02:56,533 I felt a part of me had died. 71 00:02:56,533 --> 00:03:02,033 And he's right, once you're in that room, you can't get out. 72 00:03:02,033 --> 00:03:03,766 It's always with you. 73 00:03:03,766 --> 00:03:11,133 ♪♪ 74 00:03:11,133 --> 00:03:18,500 ♪♪ 75 00:03:18,500 --> 00:03:25,866 ♪♪ 76 01:00:00,533 --> 01:00:02,900 ♪♪ 77 01:00:02,900 --> 01:00:08,166 ♪♪ 78 01:00:08,166 --> 01:00:13,466 ♪♪ 79 01:00:13,466 --> 01:00:15,266 -My father was a Holocaust survivor. 80 01:00:15,266 --> 01:00:18,100 He had survived the same camp as Elie Wiesel. 81 01:00:18,100 --> 01:00:20,233 They were both the same age. 82 01:00:20,233 --> 01:00:22,866 And when my dad was alive, and through school, 83 01:00:22,866 --> 01:00:24,533 I was reading "Night." 84 01:00:24,533 --> 01:00:26,900 I was 14 years old, and I went to my dad 85 01:00:26,900 --> 01:00:28,366 and I said, "You know, I'm just reading this book. 86 01:00:28,366 --> 01:00:31,233 Is this the same Auschwitz because this is horrible." 87 01:00:31,233 --> 01:00:33,500 And my father said, "Oh, no, it's a different Auschwitz." 88 01:00:33,500 --> 01:00:36,366 So for a long time, I really thought there were two! 89 01:00:36,366 --> 01:00:38,100 You know, my father's Auschwitz 90 01:00:38,100 --> 01:00:39,066 was a kinder, 91 01:00:39,066 --> 01:00:40,666 gentler Auschwitz. 92 01:00:40,666 --> 01:00:42,366 There was never a moment 93 01:00:42,366 --> 01:00:43,600 where people were dying 94 01:00:43,600 --> 01:00:44,533 in front of him. 95 01:00:47,100 --> 01:00:49,933 They killed his siblings, and they killed his parents, 96 01:00:49,933 --> 01:00:51,533 and then from that moment on, 97 01:00:51,533 --> 01:00:54,600 it was a bunch of strong-willed boys, and they took over. 98 01:00:56,966 --> 01:00:59,733 ...and they could hide it under their striped pajamas, 99 01:00:59,733 --> 01:01:01,300 as he called them. 100 01:01:01,300 --> 01:01:04,133 It was sort of like Robin Hood and his merry men 101 01:01:04,133 --> 01:01:06,666 meet the Nazis in my father's Auschwitz. 102 01:01:06,666 --> 01:01:09,066 And that was the story we were given. 103 01:01:09,066 --> 01:01:12,366 But when he was very, very sick in the hospital, 104 01:01:12,366 --> 01:01:14,366 and I knew I was losing him, 105 01:01:14,366 --> 01:01:16,300 I realized that there was no going back 106 01:01:16,300 --> 01:01:17,666 and that if I didn't make my move, 107 01:01:17,666 --> 01:01:19,566 I could not return to the moment 108 01:01:19,566 --> 01:01:22,066 of having access to his memories. 109 01:01:22,066 --> 01:01:23,433 And this time he was really tired 110 01:01:23,433 --> 01:01:25,033 and he wasn't feeling well. 111 01:01:25,033 --> 01:01:26,800 And I said, "I need to ask you 112 01:01:26,800 --> 01:01:29,200 about your time there, in Auschwitz, Dad. 113 01:01:29,200 --> 01:01:30,266 It's important." 114 01:01:30,266 --> 01:01:32,000 And I remember he looked at me, 115 01:01:32,000 --> 01:01:35,100 and he had real anger in his face and in his eyes. 116 01:01:35,100 --> 01:01:36,766 He said, "You know, Debbie, 117 01:01:36,766 --> 01:01:38,666 from the time that you were a young girl, 118 01:01:38,666 --> 01:01:40,433 you always asked your questions. 119 01:01:40,433 --> 01:01:42,033 And I always told you -- 120 01:01:42,033 --> 01:01:44,200 'We got food, we got bread, we divided it up, 121 01:01:44,200 --> 01:01:46,300 we didn't suffer. It was fine.' 122 01:01:46,300 --> 01:01:49,966 And you keep bothering me and asking me the question. 123 01:01:49,966 --> 01:01:52,766 And I keep telling you, like as if I'm in a room, 124 01:01:52,766 --> 01:01:55,500 'Stop knocking on the door. Go away. 125 01:01:55,500 --> 01:01:57,533 I do not want to let you in this room.' 126 01:01:57,533 --> 01:01:59,633 And yet you keep coming back saying, 'Let me in.'" 127 01:01:59,633 --> 01:02:04,266 And he said, "So I'll ask you one more time to go away." 128 01:02:04,266 --> 01:02:07,400 And he said, "If you knock again, I'll let you in. 129 01:02:07,400 --> 01:02:09,233 But if I let you in this room..." 130 01:02:15,166 --> 01:02:17,833 And I said, "Yes, I do, Dad." 131 01:02:17,833 --> 01:02:18,966 And he was crying, 132 01:02:18,966 --> 01:02:21,333 and I remember he had covers on his body, 133 01:02:21,333 --> 01:02:23,700 because he was really skinny and very, very weak. 134 01:02:23,700 --> 01:02:25,166 And he kicked all the covers off, 135 01:02:25,166 --> 01:02:26,500 as if he was kicking down a door. 136 01:02:26,500 --> 01:02:29,233 And he said, "Fine. Come in then. 137 01:02:29,233 --> 01:02:30,900 Come in to a room that you can never leave. 138 01:02:30,900 --> 01:02:32,966 Come in." 139 01:02:32,966 --> 01:02:35,133 And then I said, "Can I ask you my questions?" 140 01:02:35,133 --> 01:02:37,733 He said, "You're in the room. You can ask anything." 141 01:02:37,733 --> 01:02:40,866 And I asked him everything that I ever wanted to ask. 142 01:02:40,866 --> 01:02:43,200 I asked him to tell me the real story. 143 01:02:43,200 --> 01:02:46,133 And he did. 144 01:02:46,133 --> 01:02:52,766 It was painful and scary and sickening. 145 01:02:52,766 --> 01:02:56,433 I felt a part of me had died. 146 01:02:56,433 --> 01:03:01,933 And he's right, once you're in that room, you can't get out. 147 01:03:01,933 --> 01:03:03,666 It's always with you. 148 01:03:03,666 --> 01:03:11,033 ♪♪ 149 01:03:11,033 --> 01:03:18,400 ♪♪ 150 01:03:18,400 --> 01:03:25,766 ♪♪