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says "that something like this could
have happened in the 20th century."
In the early '70s, she broke her
silence in response to the anti-
Semitism of revisionists who were dis-
torting and minimizing the terrible
truth about the Holocaust. "I did not
want the Holocaust to be forgotten,"
said Opdyke.
"I started speaking in schools, in
churches, everywhere I could. Then I
recorded my memoirs just for myself.
Those memories had such power over
me that it took five years for me to
record my first book, Into the Flames.
"It was a kaleidoscopic experience
because that book deals even more
directly with my personal experiences.
There were pictures before my eyes
that kept changing — pieces of my
heart and soul."
Each time Irene Gut Opdyke tells
her stories she gives generously of her
heart and soul. And each time it is a
precious opportunity to listen to a
woman who not only witnessed the
Holocaust but did something to miti-
gate its awful consequences.
Judith Bolton-Fasman is books editor
of our sister paper the Baltimore Jewish
Times.
Holocaust
Rescuer
Appears
Locally
"My favorite groups are the
children," says Irene Gut
Opdyke about her experiences
speaking to groups across the
country. "They give me stand-
ing ovations, and then the big,
macho boys come and give me
a big hug and a kiss. This is the
most important thing for me
now, to reach the young peo
ple.
"I tell them, 'You can do
what I did. Right now! Stand
up when you hear name-call-
ing, when you see skinheads.
You are the future of the
nation.' I don't tell them what
to do; I tell them I believe in
them, that they can do it
They're the last generation that
will hear firsthand accounts of
the Holocaust. They are the
future."
The Book Beat will present
Irene Gut Opdyke in a pro-
gram from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday,
Sept. 28, in the Berkley High
School Auditorium, 2325
Catalpa (at Coolidge) in
Berkley. She will discuss her
experiences during World War
II, as told in her memoir In My
Hands: Memoirs of a Ilolocaust
Rescuer.
The book is suitable for
adults and for mature young
readers of middle and high
school age. The School Library
Journal praised In My Hands,
saying, "No matter how many
Holocaust stories one has read,
this one is a must, for its
-impact is so powerful."
Opdyke also will speak and
sign copies of her book at l 1
a.m. Monday, Sept. 27, at the
D. Dan and Betty Kahn
Building of the Jewish
Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit in West
Bloomfield, in conjunction
with a program hosted by
Borders.
There is no admission
charge for either program.
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Detroit Jewish News
9/24
1999
99