30th Anniversary Guardians Commemorative Book - Book - Page 215
BEARING
WITNESS
The Holocaust has
been a defining marker
in my life. My father,
Emanuel Tanay,
survived by being hidden in a
Catholic monastery, spending time
in the Plaszów camp where his father
was murdered, jumping trains and
existing on false papers. He helped
his mother and sister to survive, as
well as his childhood sweetheart. His
father was murdered in front of the
Plaszów concentration camp. His
history has been chronicled in his
memoir of the Holocaust, Passport
to Life. My mother, Antoinette
Hectkopf Tanay, her parents, and
her sister were taken by cattle car to
Siberia, where they subsisted in the
freezing cold until the war ended. My
parents were only 11 when the war
began. They survived, but everyone
else in the family—over 30 people—
were brutally murdered. For my
mother, Poland became a graveyard,
and she did not return for 70 years.
understand what happened and why.
It also serves as tribute to the victims,
survivors, and their families who
were scarred for generations by the
methodical torture and slaughter of
10 million innocent children, men,
and women. It is an unimaginable
atrocity. As my father said, ‘Even
though I was there, I cannot believe
that it happened.’
As George Santayana said, ‘Those who
don’t learn from history are doomed
to repeat it.’ The United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum is our
best defense in ensuring that ‘Never
Again’ triumphs over ‘Not Again!’
I am overjoyed that my gift allows me
to honor my parents and bear witness
to their lives. To quote Elie Wiesel,
‘Yes, the survivors bore witness for
the victims and for the Holocaust, but
the second generation bears witness
to their lives.’ My gift will continue to
bear witness after I am gone.”
The United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum has done a
remarkable job of helping the visitor
SAFEGUARDING TRUTH FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS l 213
