In 1939, she told herself she would wait until the war was over.
In 1945, she told herself she was sure her family would be
reunited.
But in 1989, as Hedy Epstein stood where the cattle cars that
carried her family across Europe would have arrived at the gates of
Auschwitz, it finally hit her that they had not survived.
Epstein plans to give a lecture today on her experiences as a
Holocaust survivor, as well as her experiences during her latest
visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, where she said she
was troubled by some of the practices and policies she had seen the
Israeli government use toward Palestinians.
The 82-year-old Jewish Holocaust survivor has not seen her
family since 1939, when at the age of 14 her parents sent her to
England on a children’s transport to save her from the
Nazis.
Epstein said she remembers a peaceful childhood in Germany. As
an only child, she enjoyed a close relationship with both her
mother and father. But what she called a normal, peaceful, loving
family began to change shortly after 1935, when Adolf Hitler gained
control of the German government.
Her maternal grandfather was taken to jail and exiled from his
village for being a Jew.
Her father was arrested and sent to a concentration camp without
her family’s knowledge. He was released soon after, but never
learned why he had been taken.
Epstein’s father was gone for four weeks, and his family
had no information about where he had been. Epstein said that when
she saw him for the first time after his return, she knew he was
changed man.
“He was a broken, sick old man. He was no longer the
father I knew,” she said.
Later that day, he had a heart attack.
The conditions in Germany slowly worsened until Epstein’s
parents, determined to save her life, sent her to live with foster
families in England.
Epstein said she was not afraid. Her parents painted a picture
for her complete with a big city, new language and a return to
school. But through it all, she remained lonely for her family.
“They said we’d see each other (and) I held on to
that. Over and over again they would say we will see each other
again. Now I don’t know whether they truly believed that, but
I certainly did,” she said.
But Epstein did not see her family again. Shortly after she
arrived in England, her parents and extended family were sent to
multiple concentration camps in France, where they were able to
exchange letters with Epstein.
Years later, Epstein learned they ultimately they were deported
to and perished at Auschwitz.
After a brief stay in England, Epstein immigrated to the United
States and began working for the U.S. government.
When the war ended, Epstein worked as a research analyst during
the Nuremberg Trials, which were conducted to prosecute German
officers for crimes committed during the war.
Epstein was responsible for searching for documentary evidence
of human medical experiments conducted at concentration camps.
During the Holocaust, Nazi doctors at concentration camps conducted
various experiments on inmates, where the human subjects were
subjected to extreme pain, inflicted with wounds and infected with
various diseases, among other tactics. Most died during these
experiments.
Epstein said her first reaction was profound shock. She had no
idea such experiments had been conducted. While reading reports,
she said she often had to run from her desk to vomit in the bushes
outside.
But the most shocking thing for Epstein was the demeanor of the
Nazi doctors on trial, she said.
“I could not believe the total detachment of these
doctors, like it was an everyday activity. None of them denied it,
they just said they had been given orders,” she said.
After the trials, Epstein returned to the United States.
In 1970, she was asked to speak at her son’s junior high
school about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor. Teachers
began to call her regularly and she soon became a speaker on the
topic.
“I continued to speak and it sort of mushroomed. I related
my experiences of the war, Nuremberg, my trips to Palestine,”
she said.
Today, as a guest of Students for Justice in Palestine, Epstein
plans to recount experiences during her most recent trip to Israel
where she demonstrated against Israeli policies toward
Palestinians, such as a security fence that has been built between
Israel and the West Bank and checkpoints along the fence.
Israel built the fence in order to prevent suicide bombings that
were occurring frequently starting in September 2000, but the fence
has been criticized because it separated many Palestinians from
work or school and because some see it as a plan to confine
Palestinians into a specific area.
Khalid Hussein, co-president of Students for Justice in
Palestine, said he hopes Epstein’s lecture will help students
have a more holistic understanding of what is going on in the
conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Hussein said many students, especially those who do not feel
personally involved, have difficulty understanding the nature of
the conflict or deciding which side to support. He added that he
believes Epstein will be able to offer a unique take on the
matter.
“Students can see a perspective that isn’t based on
taking sides (or) looking at a nationalistic ideology but examining
a really dire human situation, what people are really going
through,” he said.
Epstein expressed similar sentiments when asked why a Jewish
Holocaust survivor would be sympathetic to the Palestinian
cause.
“I’m pro-human beings and I’m against any kind
of oppression, discrimination and violence ““ whether
that’s a suicide bomber or by a government,” she
said.
But there are those who have doubts that Epstein’s lecture
will be as neutral or effective as Hussein hopes.
Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller of UCLA Hillel said he believes
Epstein’s lecture plays to a political tactic of using a
member of an opposite group or community to prove a point.
Seidler-Feller said he believes Epstein’s lecture will not
inspire dialogue and change but rather serve to promote the views
of Students for Justice in Palestine. He said he believes Epstein
will be less credible as a speaker because she is a Jew denouncing
Israeli policies.
“You have to work within your community, not denounce
it,” he said, “When you speak for the other side, you
lose your credibility. All you do is serve the self-interest of the
group that has brought you.”
But Hussein said he believes Epstein’s background lends
considerable credibility to her message.
He said that since she was part of the narrative that led to the
creation of Israel, her interest springs from the fact that she
herself has lived through terrible violations of human rights.
“She takes it upon herself to take an active course in
combating human rights violations around the world,” he
said.
Hussein said Epstein’s holistic view of the conflict is
not about supporting nationalistic ideologies but rather about
examining the true problem at the heart of the conflict.
“She’s not in favor of one side. It’s not
about taking sides, it’s about defending human values and
understanding that is a situation that has a lot of human tragedy
involved,” Hussein said. “It’s a community that
really needs attention.”