Learning about the Holocaust through Narrative
The Watch-my reflection
The Watch
Elie Weisel
The underlining message of The Watch is a dilemma that faces itself in several options when involved with the Holocaust. The author is stuck in his past. He needs to return to his past and that seems like his goal. It can very well be that his unplanned departure or the tragic memories of his early life are what contribute to his burning desire to return. But either way, it is his sole focus. Yet when he reaches this climax, he quickly changes gears. The way he remembered his past is slightly different. His discovery is a little bit different than the image he had been reflecting and repainting all these years. And that feeling burns him inside. He has come to realize that although what has happened shouldn’t be ignored, moving on might be a better option. He doesn’t want to constantly be remembered of what the days of old were. He is fortunate that he is now in the state of reflecting and his instinct tells him to appreciate that and build on it. The endless rush can quickly folded into a clearer lens gleaming forward.
I have seen this idea reflect itself within Holocaust study. A few short years ago I was in touch with a survivor who was living this same problem. With the growing popularity of the trips and seminars to Poland, a survivor was given the opportunity to go back. Finally go back to her home, her town, her childhood. Something that she has been missing her entire life-since the day she was kicked out that is. Not a day went by where she didn’t dream about going back home. Yet the decision wasn’t so simple. She now lived a ‘better life’. A life with grandchildren, health, food, safety, freedom of religion and full belief in Hashem’s way of running things. So why go back? Just to remember? Just to reflect? Just to share? Not so simple. Life’s decisions are not easier when the balance of both sides is put into perspective.
Elie Weisel
The underlining message of The Watch is a dilemma that faces itself in several options when involved with the Holocaust. The author is stuck in his past. He needs to return to his past and that seems like his goal. It can very well be that his unplanned departure or the tragic memories of his early life are what contribute to his burning desire to return. But either way, it is his sole focus. Yet when he reaches this climax, he quickly changes gears. The way he remembered his past is slightly different. His discovery is a little bit different than the image he had been reflecting and repainting all these years. And that feeling burns him inside. He has come to realize that although what has happened shouldn’t be ignored, moving on might be a better option. He doesn’t want to constantly be remembered of what the days of old were. He is fortunate that he is now in the state of reflecting and his instinct tells him to appreciate that and build on it. The endless rush can quickly folded into a clearer lens gleaming forward.
I have seen this idea reflect itself within Holocaust study. A few short years ago I was in touch with a survivor who was living this same problem. With the growing popularity of the trips and seminars to Poland, a survivor was given the opportunity to go back. Finally go back to her home, her town, her childhood. Something that she has been missing her entire life-since the day she was kicked out that is. Not a day went by where she didn’t dream about going back home. Yet the decision wasn’t so simple. She now lived a ‘better life’. A life with grandchildren, health, food, safety, freedom of religion and full belief in Hashem’s way of running things. So why go back? Just to remember? Just to reflect? Just to share? Not so simple. Life’s decisions are not easier when the balance of both sides is put into perspective.
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