DiverCity Stop One: A Holocaust Memorial; A Story of Hope

It was a gusty Sunday afternoon at the Jewish Community Center located in Milwaukee’s North Shore, where a local Holocaust survivor, Raye David, 87, shared her story with community members.

In an attempt to educate and unify those who may be unfamiliar with the Jewish faith, the Center hosted students from Milwaukee-area universities and provided them with a tour of the facilities and concluding with a Q&A session at the end of the visit.  The “DiverCity” tour then went to two other locations in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, a museum focusing on African-American history and an Islamic mosque. The first stop, though: JCC.

No voice was as powerful as Raye David’s, who exemplified a strong will throughout her poignant storytelling regarding the Holocaust. She illuminated experiences that included the execution of her father, and how she grew to terms with loss, mentioning her small cousin’s.

“You’re so adjusted to death beyond explanation…but… How can you as a human being be so indifferent,” said David, as she stood amidst a Holocaust memorial. “Our life was hanging on a thread, so how could we have thought any other way?”

Through the trials and tribulations David has overcome, she is now having a comfortable life in Milwaukee and had three children who are successful. When asked how David kept her composure, she responded, “If you give up hope, you give up life.”

After David spoke, students toured the inside of the complex under the auspices of Moshe Katz, who is a part of the JCC’s team of educators. He described in the Q&A session how, in an age starving for acceptance, people should be willing to “eat something other than your normal food.”  The goal was to encourage students to get out of their comfort zone.

After many years of indifference and unrequited support from the community, the Center, since its establishment in 1987, has opened its doors to the entire Milwaukee community so much that over 40 percent of its members aren’t Jewish.

The complex holds classrooms, a fitness center, entertainment spaces and a garden sits on the outskirts of the lot. Some of its communal chores include: a food pantry off the site, which is open twice a month, as well as fundraisers that lessen the cost for students to visit Jerusalem.

Katz also said that “people should be encouraged to learn about each other” and that “people shouldn’t play the role of underdog.”

-This story was written and reported by JAMS LLC students Sarah Babcock, Andrew Boldt, Cassandra Bretl, Bianca Camiro, and Madison Schebel.