Trying Hard
Not To Forget

A German adolescent ends a year-and-a-half stay
with Detroit's Jewish and survivor communities.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN

STAFF WRITER

F

alk Daviter cannot remem- tary service. Those who "consci-
ber exactly when he first entiously object" can instead do
learned of the Holocaust, civil service, providing they write
but books about the Shoah an essay explaining why they
have lined the shelves of his opted out of the military.
childhood home since he was a
"To obey orders because you're
little boy.
part of a system seems awkward
It may not sound like an un- to me," says Mr. Daviter. About
usual situation for America, but half of young German men opt
Mr. Daviter, who is not Jewish, for civil service, says Mr. Daviter.
grew up in Hamburg, Germany.
- While the Holocaust is "quite
Now 21, Mr. Daviter is prepar- a big topic" in German high
ing to bid goodbye to the United schools, Mr. Daviter laments that
States, after spending about a the Shoah is taught mostly from
year and a half working at the a factual perspective, without
Holocaust Memorial Center in emotion. With extensive volun-
West Bloomfield.
teer Holocaust-related work and
This is a young man who chose education under his belt, he
to live with Jewish families, in wanted to feel the event, know
a country foreign to him, to tru- the people who had been affect-
ly learn about the anguish of the ed.
Holocaust and the beauty of the
"What is missing [in German E
Jewish tradition.
Holocaust education] is the oral
After high school, German history part," says Mr. Daviter.
boys are required to fulfill mili- The number "6 million" is a fig-

tire few can grasp, he says. "What midwestern United States to per-
you need, especially two genera- form. That visit prompted Mr.
tions after, is something you can Daviter to seek a civil service post
connect to that." Namely, sur- in the States.
vivors.
His Holocaust options: De-
It is unusual for a young troit's Holocaust Memorial
German to do civil service abroad, Center, the U.S. Holocaust
as only about 100 German young- Memorial Museum in Washing-
sters leave Germany for their civ- ton, D.C., and the Simon Wiesen-
il service every year.
thal Center in Los Angeles.
Mr. Daviter spent most of his
Detroit's is "the only museum
youth playing clarinet and piano in America that has Holocaust
in symphonies and orchestras, survivors speaking to every group
including one that traveled to the ... an experience you don't have

Falk Daviter: German Holocaust education lacks oral history.

in Germany, he says .
Mr. Daviter ,:pent most ofb
work time in the 1•INICslibre,..
handling Germanianguagedoc..
uments and books. He akocom.
piled the HNIC's database,m
make available to the publicsm
formation about letters sentbe.
tween Nazi officials, whichtlii
HMC has on microfiche.
During his stay, Mr. Darner
also wanted to experience J5
daism, by residing, with host fam.
ilies in Detroit's Jewish
community.
"P'ople in Ger.
manv still think if
Jews as victims of
the Holocaust -
!there isl little tort.
late to in tennsof
tive Jewish life.
"One of the vs
amazing partsofmy
stay - in Michigz
says Mr. Duller,
has been observir:
Shabhat andJewis':
holidays, going ti
synagogue and get.
tiny to know Amer,
can Jews.
"You don't reaft
get to see much
Jewish life in Ger•
many, even if its
right around them.
ner. It doesn t have

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