University Chronicle Extras:
Movies
|
Rate a Pic
|
Horoscopes
|
Career
|
Scholarships
|
Travel
|
GradZone
News
Briefly
Calendar of Events
Commentary
Sports
Diversions
World News
Classifieds
Login
Letter Submission
Search
Archive
Publishing Policy
Mail Subscriptions
St. Cloud State University
College Publisher
Home
>
News
Survivor offers hope
By Joe Palmersheim
Published:
Thursday, October 2, 2003
The Holocaust, widely recognized as one of humanity's darkest hours, was brought to life in the Miller Center Auditorium Wednesday. Holocaust survivor Fred Baron spoke to a full house of diverse viewers.
Dressed in a light brown blazer and brown trousers, Baron looked like a neighbor or a distant relative. His appearance does not resemble a man who has survived a death camp. His smile was warm, and he presented a borderline self-depreciating attitude.
Baron started the evening by thanking everyone for coming. He has spoken at SCSU a number of times, so he wished that next time the teachers would invite him to talk about the Twins or the Vikings instead of the Holocaust. Baron then read from a note he had, which called America to be a watchdog for human rights.
Born in Vienna, Austria, Baron was in the ninth grade when the Nazis took power. He could not go to school anymore because he was Jewish. "From that moment, I was an outcast," Baron said. His parents also lost their jobs, as well as whatever money they had in the bank. They plunged into poverty. His sister left to live with a family in England. She was the only one from their family besides Fred to survive the Holocaust.
Baron and his mother tried to escape, but "nobody wanted us," he said. They ended up in Hungary and were not able to find work. They were arrested soon after their arrival. Finding himself in a camp in November 1941, he remained imprisoned in various locations until April 1945.
Even though the events of the Holocaust took place over 60 years ago, the faces of the people he saw during those times remain clear in his mind. He described the sickening detail of a three-day train car ride to Auschwitz. People were crammed into train cars left without food, water or a place to relieve themselves. Brutality in the camps was standard and smoke was always pouring from the crematorium, he said.
Baron's mother died in Auschwitz. He recounted the way she died. She was led along to believe that she was to be taking a shower, and then gassed. Her body was then burned in the ovens. His description was horrific.
Another story that Baron had was the time on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) in 1944, when he witnessed the barbarity of the camp first hand. For no reason, several boys were locked in a cage, and they remained there until they ran out of strength and died. "The cage was gone within a week," Baron said.
Liberated in April 1945 by the British, Baron was taken to Switzerland, where he spent two years recovering. Later, he immigrated to the United States in 1947 with his soon-to-be wife. He settled in Minnesota, and has lived here ever since.
Perhaps the most powerful moment of the evening was during the question and answer session held afterward, when a young child innocently asked him what week his mother died. Baron seemed to harden, but understood and gave the child his answer. "Well, my mother was old, you know, and she couldn't work anymore. It was better for her to die." Several seconds of cold silence passed, and then the questions continued.
Baron left the message that something like this should have never happened in the first place. It is up to the youth of today to learn by hearing these stories and make sure that it never happens again, he said.
