2gs reflect on January 6

By Ida Margolis, GenShoah Chair

Most people reading this know what GenShoah SWFL is and may, in fact, be 2gs. But to clarify, GenShoah is shortened from Generations of the Shoah. Shoah, from the ancient Hebrew word for calamity, has become a standard term for the Holocaust. 2gs refers to individuals who are children of Holocaust survivors, the second generation. There are 2g groups in the U.S. and internationally, such as Generations of the Shoah International (GSI), which was one of the inspirations for our group.

I frequently get emails from GenShoah members, often regarding instances of anti-Semitism. On Jan. 6, the date of the storming of the U.S. Capitol, I heard from many people, including a number of 2gs, who expressed exactly what I was thinking. I later asked some 2gs to send comments about how they felt as they watched the events unfold on Jan. 6. Below are some of their comments.

Steve Ludsin, former member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, wrote, “My reaction was that the rioters in that insurrection were in sacred space. It reminded me of Kristallnacht. I have attended the annual Days of Remembrance of the Holocaust in the rotunda of the Capitol since the first ceremony in 1979. The sight of those mobs in that space was shocking.”

Rabbi Stephen Fuchs, whose father had been in Kristallnacht, wrote, “I felt appalled that such chaos actually penetrated the halls of Congress.”

“It was a sad day for our country,” said Dr. Stuart Mest, Museum docent. “The Beer Hall Putsch came to mind as I watched TV that day.”

Richard Stein noted that his immediate reaction was a “stomach-turning realization and revelation who these troops storming the Capitol really are. America agrees, ‘Never Again.’”

Shelley Lieb, daughter of Auschwitz survivors, wrote, “For me, it was getting two hits. My first thoughts were connected to ‘how could this be happening in America?’ My almost immediate second thoughts were connected to what happened in Europe during World War II and imagining my survivor parents’ response if they were still alive and watching these seditious rioters. Did they ever really feel safe in America? I clearly remember them declaring that it could happen here, that we must never forget.”

“I abhor any kind of unwarranted violence, destruction and civil unrest, be it at the nation’s Capitol or mainstream America,” said Sol Awend. “We are Americans, first and foremost, with no room for demagoguery and disrespect!”

“As a 2G, I have a sensitivity to a hostile world scenario and Jan. 6th confirmed to me what I always knew. I know I have a certain inner resilience, and at the same time, a deep vulnerability to outside threats. It was a total catastrophe at the Capitol and [there is] no doubt that, given the right circumstances, potential perpetrators can threaten our world. I had a variety of reactions, mainly disbelief and, at the same time, a real true reality. I felt grateful that my father didn’t live to witness Jan. 6, and for that matter, the last four years of heightened tension in a country that he truly loved. To see my fathers ‘golden land’ torn apart would have broken his heart all over again,” said Betsy Dougatz.

Relly Coleman wrote, “A few days before Jan. 6, I happened to watch a clip showing Hitler addressing a large rally of supporters. The energy was palpable, and a roar was emanating from the mesmerized crowd in response to the speaker’s inflammatory message, ‘Make Germany great again!’ The crowd roared — a sea of people chanting in unison, as one menacing, living creature. We know too well where these mass rallies led.

“Watching Trump address a massive crowd a few days later on Jan. 6 was unnerving. The roar of the responding crowd sounded eerily identical to the German one 85 years earlier. A chill went through my body. I watched with horror as the angry mob then swarmed the Capitol. I remembered my father’s

warning: ‘It happened to us, but it can happen anywhere. It’s up to you to ensure it never happens again anywhere to anyone. When you see it coming, do something! Don’t wait. Later on, it might be too late.’”

When asked her feelings as a Canadian, daughter of survivors and author, Rene Geist, stated, “I was horrified. I have my kids and their families living in the U.S. I have friends there. I live there for five months of the year. I agonized, would the U.S. ever recover? Could the U.S. recover from this most dangerous virus — deadlier than COVID? I think my reaction was the result more of being a Jew than a Canadian or a Floridian.

“The mob forcing its way into the Capitol, causing unrestrained damage, brought the book burnings of 1933 Germany clearly to the forefront of my thoughts. And of course, the Nazi shirt worn by one of the rioters reminded me that anti-Semitism is far from dead in the America.

“Thinking as a Canadian Floridian, I felt so sad that my United States had fallen to such lows. But when I watched the inauguration two weeks later, I shed tears as I saw the heights the U.S. is capable of achieving and remember to where it had sunk just a short time ago. I’m left with a small hope that enough Americans are willing to be upstanders, not bystanders, to make a vital difference.”

That is my hope as well.