The
      Children
      of
      Buchenwald
      (en
     
    
   
   
    
     
      And
      they
      wept
      also
      and
      began
      to
      feel
     
     
      again.
      Their
      humanity
      returned.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Over
      time,
      my
      natural
     
     
      optimism
      which
      remains
      to
      this
     
     
      day,
      accommodated
      also
      one
     
     
      area
      of
      darkness
      derived
      from
     
     
      that
      time
      of
      danger
      and
      fear.
      It
     
     
      is
      readily
      tapped,
      a
      reservoir
      of
     
     
      indescribable
      sadness.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We
      do
      not
      know
      what
      happened
      to
     
     
      each
      and
      every
      boy
      but
      many
      stay
      in
     
     
      touch
      with
      Judith,
      and
      I
      know
      several.
     
     
      Lulek,
      8
      years
      old
      at
      liberation
      is
      now
     
     
      Chief
      Rabbi
      Israel
      Meier
      Lau
      of
      the
      State
     
     
      of
      Israel.
      His
      older
      brother,
      Napthali
     
     
      became
      Israel’s
      Consul-General
      to
      New
     
     
      York.
      Elie
      Wiesel,
      age
      16
      in
      1945,
      has
     
     
      dedicated
      his
      life
      to
      remembering
      the
     
     
      Shoah
      (Hebrew
      for
      the
      Holocaust)
      and
      to
     
     
      teaching
      about
      evil,
      particularly
      the
      evil
     
     
      of
      indifference.
      He
      was
      awarded
      the
     
     
      1986
      Nobel
      Peace
      Prize.
      Several
      _
     
     
      Buchenwald
      boys
      became
      nuclear
     
     
      physicists,
      two
      became
      Directors
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hospitals
      and
      one
      of
      Children’s
      Services.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      know
      some
      whaghave
      become
     
     
      successful
      busineSsmen
      and
      who
      are
     
     
      warm
      and
      caring
      husband
      and
      fathers.
     
     
      From
      Judith’s
      home
      at
      least
      three
      boys
     
     
      became
      Rabbis
      for
      she
      was
      in
      charge
      of
     
     
      those
      boys
      who
      decided
      to
      stay
      religious,
     
     
      in
      contrast
      to
      others
      who
      rebelled
      against
     
     
      Judaism.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Some
      failed
      in
      life
      but
      a
     
     
      remarkable
      number
      succeeded
      against
     
     
      incredible
      odds
      to
      carve
      out
      lives
      of
     
     
      worth
      and
      decency.
      How
      is
      it
      that
      they
     
     
      did
      not
      become
      killers?
      Given
      what
      was
     
     
      -
      done
      to
      them,
      why
      did
      they
      not
      seek
     
     
      revenge?
      Was
      the
      trauma
      too
      great
      even
     
    
   
   
    
     
      for
      vengeance?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      All
      I
      know
      is
      that
      the
      wounds
     
     
      remain
      despite
      the
      comparative
      successes
     
     
      achieved.
      We
      emerged
      with
      wounded
     
     
      souls.
      I
      know.
      For
      even
      in
      my
      “best
      of
     
     
      curcumstances”
      hiding,
      shortly
      after,
      I
     
     
      learned
      of
      our
      losses
      and
      I
      saw
      the
     
     
      tortured
      men
      and
      women
      return.
      Over
     
     
      time,
      my
      natural
      optimism
      which
     
     
      remains
      to
      this
      day,
      accommodated
      also
     
     
      one
      area
      of
      darkness
      derived
      from
      that
     
     
      time
      of
      danger
      and
      fear.
      It
      is
      readily
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~
      tapped,
      a
      reservoir
      of
      indescribable
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sadness.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Robert
      Krell
      is
      a
      child
      phsyciatrist,
     
     
      professor
      emeritus
      at
      the
      University
      of
     
     
      British
      Columbia,
      a
      noted
      author,
      and
     
     
      the
      founder
      of
      the
      British
      Columbia
     
     
      Holocaust
      Museum.
      He
      lives,
      with
      his
     
     
      family,
      in
      Vancouver
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      An
      Englishman
      In
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Korea
     
     
      by
      Craig
      Patterson
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      melcome
      back
      students
      /
     
    
   
   
    
     
      IP
      BOOKSTORE
     
     
      E,
       omned
      and
      operated
      by
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tithe
      university
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      prince
      edward
      island
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sa
      ee
      ee
      ee
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      early
      June
      of
      1997
      I
      attended
     
     
      an
      interview
      at
      an
      agency
      that
      sent
     
     
      ESL
      teachers
      to
      Korea.
      Working
     
     
      overseas
      was
      my
      girlfriend’s
      idea,
     
     
      but
      she
      was
      able
      to
      convince
      me
      to
     
     
      go
      along
      as
      I
      wasn’t
      doing
      anything
     
     
      too
      important
      here.
      I
      wasn’t
     
     
      completely
      sold
      on
      the
      idea
      of
      Korea,
     
     
      as
      all
      I
      knew
      about
      the
      country
      was
     
     
      that
      they
      made
      lousy
      cars
      and
      Henry
     
     
      Blake
      died
      there.
     
    

    
     
      However,
      based
      on
      my
      past
     
     
      performances
      in
      interviews,
      I
      felt
     
     
      pretty
      confident
      that
      I
      would
      walk
     
     
      out
      of
      there
      not
      only
      without
      the
      job,
     
     
      but
      completely
      blacklisted
      from
      the
     
     
      country.
     
    

    
     
      I
      was
      soon
      to
      discover
      the
     
     
      desperation
      of
      these
      men
      as
      the
      very
     
     
      next
      day
      they
      phoned
      us
      both
      to
     
     
      inform
      us
      that
      the
      jobs
      were
      ours.
      Of
     
     
      course
      this
      offer
      was
      accompanied
      by
     
     
      the
      information
      that
      while
      they
      were
     
     
      unsure
      of
      my
      abilities,
      they
      really
     
     
      wanted
      my
      girlfriend,
      so
      I
      was
      in
      too.
     
    

    
     
      Right
      again.
      Being
      told
      that
      our
     
     
      working
      visas
      would
      be
      “taken
      care
     
     
      of”
      later
      on,
      two
      weeks
      later
      we
      were
     
     
      on
      a
      plane
      for
      Ulsan,
      in
      the
      southeast
     
     
      corner
      of
      Korea.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      days
      prior
      to
      this
      I
      had
     
     
      tried
      to
      take
      some
      time
      to
      prepare
      for
     
     
      the
      trip,
      to
      gather
      some
      useful
     
     
      Korean
      phrases
      and
      information
      on
     
     
      what
      was
      acceptable
      behavior.
     
    

    
     
      Unfortunately
      all
      I
      was
      able
      to
      do
      t:
     
     
      was
      head
      down
      to
      Chapters
      for
      a
     
     
      book
      on
      Korean
      slang.
      As
      it
      turned
     
     
      out
      this
      wasn’t
      really
      necessary
     
     
      anyway,
      as
      virtually
      every
      Korean
      I
     
     
      met,
      saw
      me
      as
      an
      opportunity
      to
     
     
      practise
      their
      English.
     
    

    
     
      Upon
      arriving
      in
      Ulsan
      we
      were
     
     
      greeted
      by
      our
      two
      new
      employers.
     
     
      While
      in
      Korea
      and
      since
      I
      have
     
     
      returned,
      I’ve
      heard
      many
      nasty
     
     
      stories
      about
      experiences
      had
      by
     
     
      English
      teachers.
      Most
      of
      these
     
     
      involved
      some
      sort
      of
      despotic
      boss