Monsters and Miracles: Horror, Heroes and the Holocaust

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Al Kitmacher and Pearl Harris were heroes. In WWII, Al led his Jewish family to temporary safety, and through miracles he survived the Warsaw Ghetto and Nazi death camps. Pearl, with her military service, helped fellow Jews who were suffering at the hands of the Nazis. The author's family, who were lost to the Holocaust, are given a voice by recreating their lives in Nazi Europe of the 1930s and 1940s. Few methods of examining the roots of antisemitism are more revealing than the study of folklore and stereotypes. This is critical to understanding why the Holocaust happened, and why we are witnessing a resurgence of antisemitism today. The author explores folktales using a cinematic construct of the Holocaust as one part horror story, and the other part hero and superhero story. Longstanding beliefs in monsters, angels, and the supernatural are discussed. By reexamining the Holocaust, and through our joint humanity and hope, we can try to prevent a similar nightmare from happening again.