The Wind Still Mourns: Reflections on the Holocaust

By DAVID HELLER PhD.

THE WIND STILL MOURNS is the culmination of David Heller’s reflections

on the Holocaust, first studied as an adult while completing his honors

thesis at Harvard. With this compendium of poetry,Dr. Heller brings a survivor-

child’s heartfelt emotions along with his scholarly perceptions

to capture the agony and horror of man’s inhumanity. At the same

time, he expounds on the infinite lingering questions of faith and doubt that

follow the Holocaust, as well as the very nature of mankind. Among the topics

that his poems address are the following: his father’s harrowing experiences

and losses, the anatomy of evil, the contempt of “the other”, fascism,

the world’s indifference and passivity, the mixed nature of life, the importance

of remembrance, making sense of the senseless, the question of justice,

modern versions of Nazism, the struggle over faith, and the unique life journey

for a descendant of the Holocaust legacy. These selections are as moving

as they are thought-provoking, as relevant today as they were in the last

barbarous century.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664183902

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 by David Heller, PhD.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-6641-8389-6

               eBook             978-1-6641-8390-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 07/09/2021

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Contents

Dedication

Introduction

Part One My Family Background

Dark Journey

Earliest Memory

This Is My Heritage

Accepting The Inheritance

Dad

Mommaw

Missing Chairs

Our Family

Special Occasions, Troubled Memories

I Always Felt Different

Part Two Anatomy Of Evil

Train Car Images

Camps Of Hell

Stormtroopers

When Darkness Reigns

Contempt Of The Other

The Lingering Image Of The Swastika

When Hate Has A Breeding Ground

Eighty Million

Wherein Lies The Responsibility?

On Fascism

Nuremberg

On Germany

Numbers

And The World Stood By

Part Three An Enduring Impact

Remembrance I

Here Comes Pain, I Know It Well

Embracing Life, Remembering Death

A Drive To Survive And Thrive

The Mixed Nature Of Life

Legacy Of Loss

One Life Lived In The Shadow Of Survival

Lesson Learned

Expectations For A Third Generation

Ode To The Victims

Remembrance II

Part Four Making Sense Out Of The Senseless

Essential Questions

Justice In This World ?

Oh, Humanity

How Can You Teach The Incomprehensible?

Quest For Understanding

Jew-El

Religion As The Enemy

Faith In What?

Further Thoughts On The Question Of God

Part Five Epilogue

Remembrance III: History Remembers

Hatred Lives On: Charlottesville As A Classic Symbol

Forgiveness?

Forgetting Is Not Even A Question

The Long Journey Of Faith, Interrupted

Dedication

F OR MY FA THER,

MARCUS HELLER,

FOR OUR FAMILY THAT HE LOST,

HIS PARENTS BERTHA AND BERNARD HELLER,

HIS SISTERS CHAVA LEAH HELLER AND CHAYA ESTHER HELLER,

AND FOR MY MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER,

MOLLY ESTHER GOLDMAN,

FOR OUR FAMILY THAT SHE LOST,

AND FOR ALL VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS OF THE HOLOCAUST

Introduction

W hy resurrect all this pain?

What is there to gain?

Well, I was moved by listening to a narration

Offered at the initial survivors gathering occasion.

The year was 1983

It took place