PEACE-OF-MIND

say, Now let me show you what
happened during an act of cruelty.'-
"Beyond that, every generation
will take their own lessons from
the Holocaust."
Calling him a "one-man
Holocaust-education industry,"
Rabbi Bergman said his father
was a pioneer, lecturing in schools
and making slide presentations
Laurence, David and Rabbi Aaron Bergman
and sculptures.
pose at the gates of Auschwitz.
David still teaches lessons, but
questions still loom.
"He was very open about his expe-
"After I was liberated, I wanted to
riences," said Annette Gajda, a
know where God fit into all of this.
marcher from Farmington. While she
"You hear from Elie Wiese', who
was placing flowers for her descen-
asked God, 'Where were you?' To me, I
dents at a stone monument in
couldn't relate to that type of belief,
Treblinka, "He came up to me and
because if I would have believed that
asked me if I was holding up all right."
God was aware of what was in
"He was so strong," added Rachel
Auschwitz, I would have believed that
Borman of West Bloomfield. "I asked
God is a cruel entity." What David does
him how he thought he made it, how
believe in is balance, free will and choice.
he survived when so many others
"When I think about the solar sys-
died. He said that right from the
tem, I see the Earth circles around the
moment that he arrived in camp, he
sun, but never close enough that it
had a little voice inside his head that
would be too hot to live and never
told him, 'Do this if you want to sur-
that far away that we would freeze to
vive, do this and don't give up hope.'"
death," he said, his hands becoming
David said the voice was what he
expressive, his voice remaining calm.
called a survival force that took over,
"Wh.at a higher power has created is a
taking control over his emotions,
system that would allow life to exist on
leading him.
this planet Earth. There is a balance.
"It took me many years to under-
"We have a balance between planet
stand what that force is about. You
Earth and us," David said. "We have
wouldn't know the capabilities you
choices, and God does not punish all
have within you until you have to use
those who have been evil, nor has he
them," he said. "Some people panic,
rewarded all those who have been good."
and some people can handle it. I was
"It is easier to believe in no God than
given the gift that I didn't panic.
a God who would permit the
"All these terms, 'Nazis' and 'fas-
Holocaust," Rabbi Bergman said. "I
cism' — those are just words. The bot-
believe we do have free will, but at some
tom line is that they wanted to make
point if you believe in God as parent,
money and profit at our expense. They
any parent at some point will prevent
may say 'Nazism,' 'fascism,' but the
his kids from killing each other."
bottom line was money.
Rabbi Bergman said his father's dis-
cussion of God is new, just within the
Lifting The Rock
last couple of years. "He stayed away
David Bergman walked up the rocky
from shuls for quite a while," he said.
path near the now-Christian grave-
yard in Plaszow, reaching the now-
A March 'Resource
crumbling wall that he helped build
David Bergman had no inclination to
over what had been a Jewish ceme-
return to Poland until his sons
tery. He bent down, grabbed a stone,
became guides for this year's March
then stood — this time lifting the
of the Living, and the Agency for
rock over his head in triumph.
Jewish Education of Metropolitan
He said God had given both him
Detroit offered to pay his way to be a
and the Nazis the ability to strive to
"resource" for the marchers.
the limits of their capabilities.
"I know personally the sacrifices
"It became more like the interac-
that my sons had to go through in
tion between my survival skills within
order to be with him, but that's the
me and the destructive tools within
thing that they wanted to do the
them," he said.
most," said Sharon Bergman. "There's
"I prevailed." LI
a closeness now from what they saw
Harry Kirsbaum can be reached at
that is wonderful, but it's tragic that
(248) 354-6060, ext. 244, or by e-mail
it had to come about that way."
at hkirsbaum@thejewislinews.corn
The marchers felt close to him, too.

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Detroit Jewish News 11