Call to Action Day

     Call to Action Day was a wonderfully planned event put on by our very own Professor McGarry! Our class was fortunate enough to have close and personal interviews with Holocaust survivors. Even though the events took place long ago, our interviewees had recollections of that dreadful time. I got the privilege of hearing from Ursula Pederson and her journey from Poland to England. She was nine years old at the time her parents placed her on a kinder-train. Ursula wasn't aware of what Hitler and the Nazis were doing to the Jews. She described her feelings as sort of a "numb state". Ursula's mother was Jewish but not her father which made the situation a little more safe for her family. Her mother died of typhus after the war and her father was taken and never seen again. Ursula was picked up by a family in England who lived on a farm in the countryside. She felt isolated as she did not speak the language. However, the Red-Cross was able to float letters back and forth between Ursula and her parents before the war began. Ursula's rescuers were always able to find her safety as she lived in ten homes throughout the war. When the war finally subdued, she requested a Visa to come to America. It took over three years, but in 1949 at the age of nineteen, she sailed over on the Queen Elizabeth. When Ursula landed, she reunited with her younger sister and her uncle and aunt with whom she lived with.
     It was rough listening to Ursula as she described the emotional state she was in. She neglected the facts as a defense mechanism when she was younger. Her parents never told her why they were sending her away which made Ursula angry. It was hard for her as a child because she didn't understand why these events were happening to her. She was finally able to accept it when she revisited Poland this last May. It's now a closed book and Ursula can find peace. She finds calm in calamity with her artwork. She said, "as long as I have my art, tea, and some music...the rest of the world can go to hell". I thought this was a humorous statement as she finds joy in the simple things. Ursula can adapt to situations easily, and that's what I think makes her so respected. I really enjoyed learning about Ursula's and who she is because I believe we are quite similar. Calm, cool, collected, shy, compassionate, mentally tough, and doesn't ask for help. No human being should ever go through such a trauma, especially a child who will remember certain events for the rest of their life. Tears were shed, memories were revived, and hope was latched on to.