Dec. 14, 2002.

Remembering Dachau to Defen

A survivor of one of the worst atrocities in history speaks up about what

Elly Gotz shows a photo taken of him, in the centre, in

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school inside the Ghetto. Morrison Photo

By Adam W. Morrison

A survivor of one of humanity’s great injustices spoke at UPEI recently to draw attention to anoth- er travesty currently unfolding.

Elly Gotz, a survivor of the Holocaust, spoke at MacMillan Hall on Nov. 13th.

From the Holocaust came the belief, never again. Never again would there be a genocide, regard- less of scale..

Yet, the summer of 1994 saw close to a million people murdered in Rwanda and the world refused to respond.

Now, 40 years after the discovery of Auschwitz, the world stands watching as another genocide is occurring in Darfur.

The crisis in Darfur, a region in Western Sudan, began in February 2003. The United Nations esti- mates 450,000 have been killed . thus far, and two million people have been displaced. The Western World has yet to respond. Prompted by this current human rights violation, Elly Gotz has been traveling around Canada, telling his story.

Born in Kovno, Lithuania in 1928, Gotz gained an interest in science, flew model airplanes, and read a lot. In 1941, everything changed.

The German army, on their way to Russia, marched into the city and became a pogrom against the Jews, said Gotz.

“The Germans announced for the Jews to move into the Ghetto. The SS went to each house in the Ghetto, demanding valuables.

“They told us if they found some- thing that was hidden, they would kill not only us but everyone in this house... , oe

“One day, everyone in the Ghetto was ordered into an open field,” said Gotz. “An SS officer divided the people into two groups. Over 10,000 were murdered after the first selection.”

That SS officer was Helmut Rauca. In 1982, he became the first Canadian citizen charged with war crimes.

On May 20, 1983, he was extra- dited to Frankfurt, Germany, but died on Oct. 29, 1983, while awaiting trial.

Come 1944, the Germans told the Jews that there was a new place for work.

Not believing this, Gotz and his family hid themselves.

“We saw our people walking to a train, it seemed like they didn’t lie to us” recalls Gotz. “Over 100 people were packed into the cattle- car, which turned into a two day journey.

When the train did stop, the men and women were separated within five minutes, and the men were taken to another camp, Dachau No. 1.

“Working 12 hour shifts, the biggest concern became the lack of food. We had a bowl of soup and slice of bread once a day. Hunger is a total pain. When you sleep, nothing but food is your thoughts,” said Gotz.

There were no cleaning facilities either, at the camp.

“The taps were frozen, and I was full of lice, always scratching.”

When the Allied Forces began to draw closer, the Germans hoped to erase evidence of the mass mur- ders. This included bringing pris- oners, including Gotz, to Central Camp Dachau.

“Many trains arrived from all over. There was the smell of dead bodies across the yard, and I’ve carried more dead bodies than I could count,” said Gotz.

The moment Gotz remembers as his liberation was not when the Americans arrived at Dachau.

“TI told my father the Americans

arrived, and he just asked if I had

any bread.”

Gotz did return to Dachau. He wanted his wife to see the camp, that was his home for most of Second World War.

and metal department of a trade

“She had a poor image of Germany, and I wanted to show it’s a country like any other and genocide can happen anywhere. We have to overcome prejudices in ourselves, and not be overcome by

d Darfur

he witnessed in Darfur

people who are different.”

To help convince politicians to take positive action in Darfur, con- tact your Member of Parliament, by either calling or writing a for- mal letter. Also check out www.savedarfur.org to learn how you can effect change.

Shawn Murphy, Liberal MP for Charlottetown

Call, 1-902-566-7770, or send your formal concerns to Shawn Murphy at

76 Fitzroy St., Suite201

Charlottetown, P.E.I. C1A 1R6

“My mother, being a nurse, was in charge of suicide for everyone. For three days and nights, we sat in front of those syringes. They were designed to give you a heart attack.

‘Tis the season to be studious

Ten easy steps to surviving your finals without pushing yourself over the edge

By. Krista McLean

The end of the semester smells strongly of two things on the UPEI campus- excitement and fear. Happy thoughts of holidays and New Year's Eve bashes are quickly followed by the dreaded realiza- tion that hours of studying and exam preparations are quickly approaching.

It's the time of year that defines you as one of two types of stu- dents: the keener and the slacker. Have you been diligently attending your classes, taking notes, doing the readings and reviewing the information? Or have you procras- tinated endlessly only to be left with a stack of work that now seems insurmountable? If you fall into the latter of these categories, fear not. A regimented study schedule will help you overcome your obstacles and come out on top.

The first step is admitting you have a problem. The second step is deciding to do something about it (and no, this does not include cry- ing into a beer over your failed university career).

Next, create a study schedule that is realistic and attainable. Robertson Library has extended its hours from Nov. 26 until Dec. 14, allowing you to stay until midnight most nights of the week. But make sure to factor in time for friends, eating and sleeping. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for failure.

Step four is organizing your study materials. Try to get notes off a classmate for the days you were "sick." If this doesn't work, check

Moodle. You'd be surprised at how many profs upload all of the lec- ture notes.

Step five is finding a place to study. To do this think about what works best for you. If you're easily distracted avoid places with a lot of people, televisions and comput- ers. Facebook and reality TV shows are even more tempting when you have work to do, so remember that's how you got into this mess in the first place.

Enlist the help of your friends for step six, especially your keener friends! Forming study groups is great way to see what you might have missed in class and have it explained to you in a way that makes sense. You will also be less tempted to blow off your study plans since all of your friends are at the library anyway.

Step seven is going over the material again and again. Bring your notes everywhere you go and read them every chance you get. You may not make many friends during this process but it will earn you valuable points on the exam.

Try to get old or practice copies of the exam for step eight. If this is not possible ask someone to quiz you. This will let you know where you stand and how much work you have left to do.

Step nine is easy- take a deep breath and try to relax. It's easy to get worked up but if you calm down you may realize you know a lot more than you thought you did.

And last but not least, step 10: plan a party! Studying will seem a lot more bearable if you have something to look forward to after ALL of your exams are over.