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.

Help Wanted continued from page 18

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OR

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and 

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eens
 
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i
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o 
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oduct
i
on 

and 
Repor
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i
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THE 
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est 

 
I
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HOLDI
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AUDI
TI
ONS 

at
 
The 
Ber
man 
Cent
er
for
 
t
he 
Per
for
mi
ng 
Ar
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T
uesdays, 
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ebruary 
1
2, 
1
9 
and 
26, 
201
9 
I 
6-8 
p.m.

To pre-register, please email Taliah Ausby, 
tausby@jccdet.org by February 11

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an 
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