January 17 • 2019 19
jn

Events To Mark
Remembrance
Day At HMC

The Holocaust Memorial Center
(HMC) will host programs to
comemmorate International
Holocaust Remembrance Day on
Sunday, Jan. 27, including a presen-
tation by a Holocaust survivor, a
docent-led tour of the museum and
the screening of new documentary
film about the Warsaw Ghetto, Who
Will Write Our History.
“We are proud to be part of the
global screening of Who Will Write
Our History, a new documentary
about courageous resistance fighters
in the Warsaw Ghetto who used the
power of pen and paper to tell their
harrowing story,
” said HMC CEO
Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld.
At 12:15 p.m., Paula Marks-
Bolton, a Holocaust survivor from
Ozarkow, Poland, will share her
memories and experiences during a
45-minute presentation.
At 1:30 p.m., there will be a one-
hour docent-led tour of the HMC’
s
core exhibit spaces. Visitors are
encouraged to ask questions. Tours
are recommended for children ages
12+.
Who Will Write Our History will
be shown at 3:15 p.m. The film takes
place in November 1940, days after
the Nazis sealed 450,000 Jews inside
the Warsaw Ghetto. Led by historian
Emanuel Ringelblum and known by
the code name Oyneg Shabes, a clan-
destine group of journalists, schol-
ars and community leaders in the
ghetto vowed to defeat Nazi lies and
propaganda, not with guns or fists,
but with pen and paper. The Oyneg
Shabes members detailed life in the
ghetto from the Jewish perspective,
which resulted in a diaries, essays,
jokes, poems and songs, as well as
documents detailing Nazi atrocities
with eyewitness accounts.
Their story is told for the first
time in the documentary written,
produced and directed by Roberta
Grossman and executive produced
by Nancy Spielberg.
All three events are free with
museum admission or membership.
RSVP for the film to (248) 536-
9612 or tinyurl.com/HistoryHMC.
The film is supported by the PNC
Foundation. ■

The longer I waited to tell my par-
ents about what was going on, the
worse it got. Because I was no longer
able to function normally, my parents
watched their little girl live a life of
fear and discomfort. Day after day, I
was faced with obstacles to overcome.
While my friends were hanging out
and having sleepovers, I was repeat-
edly washing my hands and analyzing
my belongings to make sure they did
not touch each other.
On a winter day in December, my
parents told me that I was going to
a therapist. A once-naive and anger-
filled teenager walked into therapy.
Little did I know that this unfamiliar
place would become my safe haven
— a place of expression and free of
judgment.
A a 12-year-old girl having
struggled with anxiety my whole
childhood, therapy was the best
choice my parents ever made for
me. Throughout my life, I struggled
with my temper; and leading into
my teenage years, I was diagnosed
with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Little did I know this diagnosis would
change my life forever.
After my first therapy session, a
spark ignited inside of me: It was my
time to make a change. I would learn
to talk back to those stupid thoughts.
During therapy, I learned how to
think rationally and conquer my fears.
My illogical and absurd thoughts were
overpowered by realistic ones. I was
finally learning how to cope with my
mental illness. Without this coaching,
I never would have been where I am
today: functioning, happy and healthy.
One important lesson I took away
from therapy is to embrace the strug-
gles of everyday life. As my therapist
Ellen would always say, “You have to
be uncomfortable to be comfortable.
”
I received this piece of advice five
years ago. It has stuck with me ever
since. For this reason, the best advice
I would give anyone is to get help, just
like I did. Despite my nerves, I was
able to speak to a therapist and get the
help I needed. My once-irregular life-
style has turned into one of a normal
teen. Based on my own experiences,
I encourage everyone to seek help,
no matter how hard it may be. This, I
believe, is the most beneficial change
someone can make in her life. ■

Aerin Fink, 16, is a student at Cranbrook. She
and her family attend Congregation Shaarey

Zedek in Southfield.

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