Attention

By Air Force photo by Rudy Purificato [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

After reading my story about David DeFrances, a friend told me he lived next door to an older gentleman for many years.  The older gentleman was a holocaust survivor.  He had a number tattooed on his left forearm.  He showed my friend the tattoo and spoke about the horrors of the concentration camps.  He apparently had been transferred to a few different camps and spoke about the abominations of each camp.

This older gentleman became very sick and passed away.  It was then that my friend learned that the gentleman was born and raised in Ohio.  He was not in the holocaust and may have had just a smattering of Jewish blood.   The first indication his story was fraud is that the vast majority of holocaust survivors never speak about their experiences. Not even to their own families.  It’s only in their very old age that they feel they can even begin to mention it.  Some have thankfully written their memoirs, and the Shoah Project gives survivors an opportunity to come forth with their histories.

Why would anyone make up such a terrible story about himself?  The need for attention and sympathy must be so great.  How sad. 

Let’s state the truth - we are all okay, just as we are.  Always were, always will be.