Houston Chronicle, Written By Melanie Feuk, April 19, 2015
Hundreds of people gathered at Christ the King Lutheran Church on Saturday, April 18, for the Kingwood March of Remembrance to honor the victims and heroes of the Holocaust.
The event began with a service during which Holocaust survivors, World War II veterans and their families relayed stories of strength, tragedy and honor.
The event’s keynote speaker, Anna Steinberger, Ph.D. is the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commissioner as well as a Holocaust survivor. For years, Steinberger did not consider herself a Holocaust survivor because she and her immediate family managed to evade Nazi capture. It was her good friend, and fellow survivor, who made her realize that she did in fact merit that title.
Steinberger lived just south of Warsaw, Poland during the attacks that launched the second World War. After taking refuge in her family’s cellar for days, her uncle arrived in a horse drawn wagon, and insisted that they leave with him.
They fled to east Poland, enduring machine gun attacks from low flying Nazi planes above.
After two days and two nights of traveling, they settled in an abandoned house outside the area of imminent Nazi threat – an area that would later come under Soviet rule via the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
“If my family would have stopped even 16 or 17 miles west of where we did, I would not be standing here today,” said Steinberger. “My story would have faded out of history like the six million other Jews living in German territory.”
After the war, her family returned to their original home to find their entire extended family had been murdered in Nazi concentration camps.
“We felt very fortunate that we had survived,” Steinberger said.
The March of Remembrance service did not only commemorate the Holocaust victims. Several World War II veterans received adoration for their efforts.
Birnie T. “Chick” Havey is a 94-year-old decorated World War II veteran. He was among the first liberators to arrive at the Dachau prison camp. He recalled his impressions of first seeing the state of Dachau and its inhabitants.
“We came along side of the fence and all the prisoners were pressed up, hanging on the fence, yelling,” said Havey. “You couldn’t believe your eyes. The most impressive thing at that point was the stench. It was just overwhelming. Prisoners were yelling, cheering and moaning.
“There were 300 car loads of dead,” Havey said. “We opened some of the cars and some of the bodies fell out. My impression was ‘what did these people do?’ They were like walking skeletons. You wouldn’t believe a person could be that emaciated and still walk. After 70 years I can still see those people.”
Reverend M. Woody Woodward, Pastor of Kingwood Bible Church, explained the importance of spreading knowledge about the Holocaust; specifically to the younger generations.
“This is a humbling experience,” said Woodward. “Sometimes I’ll see TV talk show hosts go on the streets and ask young people “do you know who Adolf Hitler is?’ Many times they do not, so part of the reason we’re doing this is to educate, to remember, to honor, to engage.”
After the remembrance service, the congregation commenced on their two mile march down West Lake Houston Parkway. Pedestrians stopped to watch as the parade made its way to the dedication of The Holocaust Garden of Remembrance at King’s Harbor.
The Holocaust Garden of Remembrance is an initiative of Holocaust survivor, Alex Pollak. Pollak’s father was one of the many lives lost in the Jasenovac prison camp. In memory of the victims of Jasenovac, Pollak began a campaign to build a memorial so that their plight will never be forgotten.
It is estimated that one million people, including 20,000 children, died at Jasenovac.
Pollak worked for years, gaining support from The Crossover Project – an organization dedicated to uniting Jews and Christians.
Rozalie Jerome, co-director and co-founder of The Crossover Project – who also is a member of the National March of Remembrance Leadership team – aided Pollak in his quest to find a site for the memorial.
The Nathaniel Foundation and Midway Investment and Development Corporation joined the cause, becoming founding business partners for the Holocaust Garden of Remembrance.
Finally this year’s March of Remembrance ended in the long-awaited announcement that King’s Harbor in Kingwood, Midway, has dedicated a piece of land to the memorial. The memorial is scheduled to be complete in time for next year’s March of Remembrance.
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