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A celebration of life for your Monday afternoon!
Via The Daily Wh.at: “Well This Is Something You Don’t See Every Day: The most adorable footage of a Holocaust survivor and his family dancing to the tune of “I Will Survive” at various European concentration camps you will see today, guaranteed.
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Bad taste in my opinion.
I think it’s in far better taste than, say, mooning or flipping off the camps. This is this one person’s (and, his family’s) way of refusing to let them (the camps, the camp workers, his memories) fester in his heart and mind. He has chosen to LIVE, instead of to wallow.
Agreed. Bad taste. Well meaning, but bad taste.
Bad taste? Dancing on the land which was meant to be one’s grave is bad taste? Dancing in the land where the graves of those who killed one’s closest family and friends lie?
No…this is a demonstration of strength and humor and of being alive.
semperfidd, you’re insane!!!
I laughed, I cried, I wished for better dance moves! Please watch it again, all the way to the end, and really listen to what the survivor has to say.
I came to the comments just to say I wish there could have been some Hora or Temani dancing thrown into the mix with the more modern steps, but your comment hijacked me. These people are doing something vital and strong and wholesome.
I watched it to the end this time. I can see your point. I am still not sure what to think. I am all for dancing in the face of death etc. I believe that he has earned the right to do whatever he wants as would be the same for a WWII vet or any vet who was in war to do the same thing in Arlington Cemetary. It still does not seem completely right to me but I’m not really sure why.
Semper, I admire your open-mindedness, and Beth’s gentle encouragement. Look at those grandkids. They were the ones who could not have happened if Hitler prevailed. They, too, have every right to celebrate.
And I agree with you. I just can’t shake that respecting “sacred ground” kind of feeling. Again I think he has earned the freedom to do what he wants. I don’t know how to explain it really other than it is like the feeling I had when I did go to Arlington Cemetary or the site of the Oklahoma City bombing. It was a feeling of having to be quiet…respectful??…solemn.
Or maybe I am just being an a$$hat about this and should just STFU
But you’re teh sexeh when you’re an a$$hat
I can see semperfidd’s viewpoint I think. With the note that I’ve never been to Arlington or Auschwitz (so don’t know if they’d be on this list), I’ve been to places where you can more or less literally feel the history coming out of the site at you, and anyone treating those places less than seriously will make you uncomfortable.
Blushes…
Arlington feels different to me, since it’s a resting place rather than a battlefield or a crime scene; if he was dancing, say, in front of a city’s Holocaust memorial, then I’d definitely agree.
I think I’m pretty swayed by your point, though. I’m thinking about seeing an FDNY survivor dancing in front of Ground Zero; I’d applaud his right to do it, but I’d still feel a little queasy about it. (On the other hand, if it were a video of the FDNY turning towards Mecca at prayer time and giving it the finger…I’d ask if I could join in.)
… I think that’s a bit unfair though.
In fell swoop disrespecting an entire religion because of a few overzealous psychopaths?
Are you that biased against Germans because of the Holocaust as well? Or is that before your time and therefore unworthy of your judgment?
Right on cue, here come the PC police…
Let’s put it this way: I have yet to meet a Christian who condones shooting abortionists, but I’ve met more than a few Muslims who condone suicide bombing and the like when things are “bad enough”. More generally, that supposed “few” seems to be substantial in number and backed by the mainstream.
It always makes me sad when people think that the small piece of religion they’ve experienced is representative of the whole. Just because we all saw some angry muslims killing and destroying doesn’t mean they all do; just because you don’t happen to know any christian fundamentalists who shoot abortion doctors doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. A little more open mindedness would be nice these days. Anger is easy, anyone can do it.
Read more carefully, please. I never said anything about the relative sizes of the fringes; I said that support for the Muslim fringe among the mainstream is vastly more widespread than support for the Christian fringe among the mainstream. This isn’t exactly a novel observation.
I think you’re using the term “open mindedness” incorrectly. My mind is open, and through careful and sustained observation, I’ve come to a conclusion you disagree with. I believe you meant to say “agreement” instead.
“Small piece of a religion”? Except for 9/11, I’m still looking for an Arab leader to come out and condone attacks on civilian targets by Islamic terrorists. Actually I recall seeing some Arab countries celebrating in the streets. However when an abortion Dr was murdered a few months ago, except for a handfull of a$$hats on the radio, most Christian leaders were apalled, and I don’t think I saw the Vatican celebrating in the streets. That could just be me though. I guess I’m not looking hard enough.
I loved it! Go gramps!
As a NYer, I’d stand up and applaud if a group of 9/11 survivors and their offspring danced to I Will Survive. It’s a great way of thumbing your nose at those who try to destroy you.
In fact I think they should do it!
Nicely said.
Agreed.
A celebration of LIFE. A celebration of man’s ability to survive even the most horrible of circumstances.
Like some people do not have a funeral, they have a celebration of a person’s life, with love, laughter, and remembrance.
I smiled through the tears.
This was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I laughed and cried at the obvious joy on their faces. What a wonderful man, what a wonderful person.
HOW is this bad taste? It is a courageous man flaunting death in Hitler’s face. This man survived, had children and grandchildren. He deserves to be able to celebrate life how ever he sees fit.
I disagree. If he survived those horrors, he deserves to dance, and to take the grandkids and celebrate LIVING and SURVIVING
Before I watched the video, I thought the same, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to watch it because I thought it might be in bad taste but as I watched I was moved almost to tears by a family who are so grateful just to be alive. This is possibly the most Jewish way possible of showing two fingers to death and to Nazism and it just seemed to me a celebration, pure joy captured on film. I think it was beautiful.
That made me smile.
I actually think it’s brilliant and very much agree with Ducktape Fairy. It’s a fun way to show that no matter what he was put through, he was able to live on and have a family instead of becoming the “Extinct Race” as was intended.
I celebrate each person who survived the Holocaust, but for one of the fortunates who was consigned to Auschwitz I or III, rather than the Vernichtungslage which was the second camp, to dance in the ruins of a horror of this magnitude is beyond bad taste; it is an affront to the two to four million Jews, Gypsies, other undesirables, including prisoners of war, who were slaughtered in a purge driven by hate of the other pressed into the service of nationalism lashed to the war engine of the Krupp corporate dynasty and the occasional invocation of Christian dynasticism.
That we again hear the unmistakable howl from the blackness in the human heart cannot be ignored by dancing, even when done by one whose fate was not the horror that met millions of others the last time the concert of nations allowed sovereignty to trump humanity.
Well spoken. However one should not deny this particular self-expression. And it seems to me, in my limited understanding, that the Nazis were much closer to paganism than Christianity. Hitler put more credence in astrology (and possibly tree-worship) than Christ.
Not true. Nazis, as a whole, were Christian of some form or another. In During the period of the “Third “Reich” Hitler himself did veer towards Ariosophy, and incorporated bits and pieces of other religions into his belief system. Whilst many of these facets were occult in nature, everything came back to Christianity.
From my understanding, Nazism came to incorporate aspects of the old Nordic religions (he sponsored a lot of archeologists to try and discover more about the early Nordic peoples, which has made for interesting ethical dilemmas for current archeologists like my cousin), along with a bit of this and that.
Quite a few Christian priests were imprisoned in the concentration camps.
There’s actually some truth in the first and third Indy films; Hitler did have archaeologists searching those parts of the World that let them in for historical and mythical religious relics.
As for the “moral dilema” aspects of using “Nazi” research, you confront (or ignore) those pretty much every time you make an aeroplane flight these days, since modern engines are based much more closely on the WW2 German Jumo engines than on the British Whittle designs.
Except that jet engine design research never involved going to remote areas of the world and killing some of the natives, just so that you could compare the shapes of their skulls to your theory the historical development of ‘the master race’.
I don’t want in any way to diminish your well-spoken sentiment, but at the same time, I’m reminded of what I think is a quote by Mel Brooks, in reference to The Producers: something to the effect of “the best way for me to beat Hitler is to laugh at him”. Done appropriately, I tend to think that a little levity, coming from a courageous heart and an iron will, isn’t a bad thing.
Dhoti’s right. Laughing at Hitler does not necessarily dishonor the tragedy of the holocaust. If anything, I think his evil plan being mocked and danced upon would infuriate Hitler more than anything.
“Springtime for Hitler” is the song for which the phrase ROFL was invented. Very, and I mean extremely, few films compare with Brooks’ comedies.
I think that if someone who has survived the Holocaust can do this to celebrate his life, then someone like you, who has not lived through the holocaust, can have the dignity to respect him for it. Instead of criticising his actions.
If this is his way of coping, then so be it.
This pretty much expresses my opinion perfectly. If he wasn’t a Holocaust survivor, yeah, I’d question the taste, but since he is, if that’s how he chooses to deal with it, fine by me (and if he wants his family to dance WITH him, great.)
Dudette if you Survived THAT, then you can dance to whatever fvcking song you want, and dance however you fvcking want. IMHO.
That’s the biggest two middle finger up to the a$$hole Nazis.
My thoughts, you be stealin’ them.
I totally agree.
I think it is bad taste to question the intentions of this holocaust survivor.
Thanks for agreeing with me! It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who feels that way.
To put this in perspective I try to imagine how I’d feel if I found someone disco dancing on my brother’s grave. I believe I’d want to do that person harm.
Though I can see the perspective given here, I can’t help but think that other families might experience a complete and agonizing choking horror at watching this video.
Dark-Wraith said “That we again hear the unmistakable howl from the blackness in the human heart cannot be ignored by dancing, even when done by one whose fate was not the horror that met millions of others the last time the concert of nations allowed sovereignty to trump humanity.”
It is a sad truth that we all have that blackness, that heart of darkness. It is, in part, that which makes us human. Not the shadow itself, but the triumph of the light. What makes us human is our conquering of it. Our ability to quiet our dark passenger; to keep caged and controlled our inner monster. Without it, we would not be inclined towards evil, yet could do no good either. Good cannot exist without evil, and vice versa. We need to have the evil to be good. The danger comes when we allow our passenger to become the driver. Tragedy is when those with power do so. How many have died in the history of human kind because of a shadow allowed to grow? How many more may have if those who have done great good had not triumphed over themselves? Yes, there are monsters born in this world to human parents; mental and psychic monsters- monstrous on the inside. They are us, and we are them. They are our inner demons. What makes us good is our triumph over them; evil is their triumph over us. The are a part of who we are yet at the same time, we are part of them. There is no good without evil, and no evil without good. It may be in bad taste, in your opinion, to dance in the ruins of evil. But to each his own- if dancing is your way of celebrating the fall of the evil, to keep it at bay, then so be it. Perhaps it is not your way of dealing with the tragedy beyond tragedy; if so then deal with it how you can. But keep in mind that everyone is different, and sees the world differently, so they deal with it in their own way. If their way is offensive to you, take a moment to look at it from another angle and see how they see, and find the intended meaning of their actions. You have your right to your opinion, but keep in mind it may not be the same as others. If you dislike their ways, then find your own way. Subdue the monster in the way it works for you. The evil is driven by hate; beat it back with love. The monster dines on festering despair; starve it with joy. The shadow gets momentum from ignorance, apathy, and intolerance. Stall it with knowledge, care, and acceptance. I’m not trying to sound preachy or romantic, and am sorry if I come off as so; it’s not intentional. This is just my way of communicating my thoughts. Also, don’t think I’m taking this lightly and making a joke. In a post of mine farther down I rambled about joking through disaster, but I am not doing so here. I know many who have lost family in the concentration camps, and both of my great uncles on my father’s side lost their lives fighting in Africa against the Nazis (they were pilots). My grandfather died just over a decade ago from complications of complications of war injuries (he too was a pilot, but in Hawaii).
Again, I apologize for what will inevitably seem like a repetitive, slightly cheesy rant. If you don’t agree, feel free to say so. I’m simply voicing how I see it, and showing you things through my eyes. You are welcome to show me the world through yours.
(Kudos to those who picked up my random references in this)
Geez it didn’t seem that long before. Sorry about the wall of text!!
very well said, a beautiful comment.
Thank you
A well spoken sentiment, and I would agree with you 100% if it were a group of kids, even if they were doing it as a statement laughing and mocking the Nazis and their Third Reich (is that German for “Epic Fail?).
But it’s not. There was an old man in there that actually survived. And that, in my opinion, moves this from the bad taste category to one persons way of saying “I won. They tried to kill me and failed.”
There are people that will disagree with me. I’m OK with that. There are people who I disagree with. I hope they’re OK with that. But ultimately, this is what they are celebrating. The right — the freedom — to do what you will, even if some consider it bad taste. The freedom to do the absurd.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Freedom of speech must apply to everyone — doubly so to they who you disagree with. To do otherwise is nothing more than totalitarianists agreeing with each other.
Dr. Dot says this is a win.
Epic frakking win!
I wonder if the feelings of other survivors might matter? Would it matter if they were horrified by this and saw it as desecration?
That’s how I’d see it, if I found someone dancing on my brother’s grave.
And I can’t help but see this video as desecration. Not that how I feel about it matters.
wow. how closed-heartedly you speak. he’s celebrating the fact that someone was in a place that he himself may have been in, and thus died. the others are dead, and there’s no bringing that back. he’s, in a way, giving thanks to those who weren’t as fortunate as him. on the other side of the coin, the memories he holds could possibly be worse than death. after all, death in not simply losing. it’s gaining freedom from your troubles. besides, you act as if the dead can somehow feel insult, which is a human thing to do. once you die, you lose your humanity, whether you think it’s through going to heaven, or simply by no longer being conscious. above all, he’s celebrating the overcoming of one of the greatest known evils of humanity.
But dark howls are best dispersed with laughter. They WANTED to destroy the spirit of the people – not just the bodies. Had they been quiet and humbled and broken, then the darkness gets to claim a partial victory.
You may “celebrate each person who survived the Holocaust” but this guy is CELEBRATING SURVIVING, and I really think “bad taste” and “disrespect” lie in those who would tell him to give evil its victory and “quiet down.”
Screw that.
I totally agree with you: about the wish of destroying their spirit and I even agree with the ‘screw that’ part
===
About bad taste: anyone can imagine these places like “holy” and “sacred” and find out rules of “appropriate behaviour” for themself as they wish. But let others decide it for themselves, too. Eg. I would NEVER dare to command a survivor how to behave there. IMHO that is a shame and shows very bad taste.
Since this is not the way I would choose to express myself on this issue it made me feel uncomfortable. Perhaps that is also the experience of those who thought this was in bad taste? Just a thought.
the old guy made me smile
I agree, good for him, to stand in that place with his children and grandchildren where he was meant to die and do something that proves he’s alive and happy. I don’t think he was being disrespectful to the people who died. What a beautiful way to shove it back in the faces of the people who put him and his people there. They say the best revenge of all is to live well and he is certainly do it!! Dance on!
I like the view from the front page — put this lol and the previous one together and you can almost pretend he’s dancing on Ahmadinejad’s grave.
Made me smile and tear up all at once. Beautiful.
It was absolutely beautiful and brought tears to me as well, I think all those who were not so fortunate to have survived those horrors are looking on and smiling as well, I think it’s a fitting tribute to show such a love of life.
Isnt’ it weird how things can do that? For me, that’s when I know a thing is beautiful.
I can see why people may think this is ‘in bad taste’ but I am firmly in the camp of “they can’t beat you if they can’t break you.”
At first I thought it was in very bad taste until I read that the old man was a survivor. He and his family have every right to dance and celebrate life.
Ahaha, I’m glad I’m not the only one. I was like: I will survive…dancing at concentration camps WHAT. DISTASTEFUL HOW THE HELL DID THIS END UP ON HERE…..survivor. Oh, okay.
Exactly my thoughts! I actually had to think about it for a bit if I really liked it or not…
Tremendous! Their next stop should be the parking lot in Berlin over the site of Hitler’s bunker, where they should dance the Hora on Hitler’s grave!
See this 3rd part of the video, where he goes around the camp and talks about being there. Who would think that this man would go back 65 years later with his family to that exact spot. He is a complete and total WIN!
And gutsy too. Imagine going back to a place where you saw so many people die. Where you didn’t know from one second to the next if you would live or die. Where human beings were treated worse and with less regard than the local insects. I didn’t even want to go to my high school reunion. I can’t imagine the courage to face those kinds of memories again.
In B4 butthurt Exploders.
I think we sometimes take dancing too lightly sometimes. Dancing is, at its heart, a celebration of life. I can understand why someone might think this was akin to dancing on someone’s grave, but at the same time is it fair to call that a descration of these graves?
I am in awe. We have the audacity and anemia of spirit to whine about our soft lives. This man survived unimaginable horror only to go back and dance! Not only did they not steal his life they couldn’t steal his joy. What an in your face to the Nazis.
I love this. All I can think of is the wonderful survivors I grew up with. And the love they have/had for life. I was sitting here, crying, watching it.
I believe this was a wonderful thing for the man to do. My old babysitter and family friend was a Holocaust survivor and didn’t even want to think of the camps -she lost her family, and was the only one of her entire class in school to survive. For this man to face his ghosts and return must have taken amazing courage. Likely, the dancing may have been his way of putting those ghosts to rest. If it had not been a survivor and his family doing it, it would have been in bad taste. Circumstances being, however, it is amazing. Laughter and joy combined with courage are an admirable way for him to deal with it.
Oftentimes, when people make jokes about things, people think that they don’t take it seriously, don’t understand, or are being offensive. For many, however, laughter is the only way to deal with tragedy. They have no other way of coping.
Take, for example, the tragedy of September 11th, 2001. Another day to live on in infamy. It was unreal; no one could believe it. All the death, destruction and pain. The confusion, chaos and need for understanding. Images that transcend words; things that cannot be squeezed into syllables. People reacted in a variety of ways. Most got angry. Anger, after all, is a coping emotion- it blocks the pain of others as a natural protection, as it stimulates action. Others became depressed. Still others went into denial. Some were depressed. And some, some made jokes. They found solace in laughter. It does not mean that they wanted to cheapen the event; that they didn’t realize the depth of the disaster; that they intended disrespect. It was, simply, the only way they could cope. With dry humour and nose-thumbing at the pain. For example, a friend of mine, in the months after, would jokingly hit the deck whenever a plane flew over. It was the only way he could keep himself together in the wake of disaster- his father was killed when the second tower collapsed.
In a way, that man and his family are doing what my friend did. The Holocaust was a far, far, far worse catastrophic calamity. But, both deal with their pain through laughter. Both seem to try to get closure through laughter. I believe I will send this to my friend, he’ll like it.
I apologize for the length of my rant. It was actually much longer when I first typed it, but then I realized that most are not fans of text walls.
Im glad your friend was able to find a way to help with his loss, and you make a very good point
As a former RN, my coworkers and I found that at times, laughter was the best stress reliever. Some may have found it inappropriate, but, for us, it was that or take it out on the patients and other staff.
I don’t see it as dancing “on” the graves of those who perished. I see it as dancing, not only for themselves, but for all those who didn’t survive to dance again. This man survived not only in body but in spirit, refusing to be destroyed within, and his loving family will survive him when he is gone. Refusing to let the despair and pain taint the present and future is the biggest kick in the teeth to the murderers that I can imagine.
Yes. Yes.
Like!!
You go old man! You dance where you want, when you want and to whatever music you choose! Frak you Hitler and your band of Nazis! You can’t keep dancin’ man down!
It’s just in time for the 9th of Av….the date that several desasterous events happened for the Jews. I love the video. I think it’s an adorable expresssion of deliverance.
I just visited Auschwitz-Birkenau a few days ago- and to see this man’s celebration of life and ironic sense of humor was wonderful.
L’chaim! I’m shocked this didn’t get 5 heads or whatever. This man survived hell on earth, though it’s great to see him happy. Dance for those who couldn’t!
I first thought it was in bad taste, but two seconds in I was weeping. It is really moving to dance in happiness to show you are still kicking and still strong, when people were trying to kill you. I love that his grandchildren are there with him celebrating! The Nazis wanted to kill him, and here he is with reinforcements, proof of a life well lived. Bravo!
For me what was most moving was the grandchildren (the future!), who the Nazis were *really* targeting, leaping and laughing with their granddad. I wept.
Cried like a little baby.
Mel Brooks said it best; when you laugh at something, you remove its power.
Dance on!!
Well the PC brigade is in the process of jumping all over this wonderful gesture and I am afraid they will be able even to squeal loudly enough to get this taken down…however until then..God bless him…God bless them and good on them for doing this.
And, indeed, the PC brigade has won. They didn’t understand the meaning, they bawled loud and long, now the vid is gone.
I don’t think it was the PC Brigade. I think it was the barrage of comments and complaints from Neonazis that were all over the original videos on youtube. Pretty sure neonazis don’t qualify as “PC,” people.
woah i tought the fartbag under the corpse would be not right
I work at an assisted living facility where 60% of our residents are Jewish and out of those 60% maybe 2% or so survived the death camps (we had more, but you know how aging goes) I don’t know about dancing at Auschwitz, but returning to the place where you gave the proverbial finger to a regime that tried to kill off your entire culture is a definate win. Come to think of it so is seeing the survivors’ grandchildren and great grand children
I;ve read all there is to read about the camps, at least in my town libraries. I;ve dedicated a large amount of time to this issue, being very passionate and thinking it should never happen again. And I don;t care what you;re intention was, i consider you;re a bunch of retards in this action. You failed miserably, you are the scumm of earth and should be taken yourselves to the gas chambers, see how you dance afterwards. What you did there is totally stupid.
Actually, Muresan Adrian, I would consider you the scumbag for referring to a Holocaust survivor in such a way. He lived through the tragedy, all you’ve done is read about it. He faced the gas chambers, the death squads, and the persecution. He lost relatives and friends. . . and you have the audacity to sit at your computer and refer to him and his grandchildren (who wouldn’t be here if he had died) as “retards” and “scum of the earth.” You are a sad example of a human being.
Oh, and I’m sure the old man in the video believes it should never happen again either because it if did it would be those young adults in the video with him that would be facing death.
When I first saw this on the page I thought it was in horrid taste, but then I watched it and loved it. This isn’t dancing on graves or showing disrespect, it’s a man who was given a chance at life and is embracing it fully. If he had died in the camps then not only would he not be there, but neither would the rest of the family that were descended from him. Not only did he survive the camps, but he refuses to get mentally lost in that dark time. This video is a testament to his strength and love of life.
I laughed. I cried. THIS IS LIVING! Mazel tov!
BEST VIDEO EVER! This is an epic win and a great celebration of life.
I’m not sure whether this is in completely bad taste, or completely awesome. I wasn’t there, that man was. I’ll have to think about it.
I got goose bumps! Kudos to this family, and this survivor, for showing the anti-Semitic world that no matter what they do to us, WE WILL SURVIVE!!
This was awesome. What a way to show that you can’t kill the spirit. To bring his grandchildren back to a place of such sorrow, and then infuse it with love and joy. I think this is amazing.
Consider the following. http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2010/05/07/07
In all fairness, he didn’t just survive, he is thriving. I like it.
I applaude this individual’s bravery and spirit, but I must say that I am beginning to find the recent rash of “survivors” who are popping up to be disturbing. I will not go so far as to say that this man was not a survivor, but I have met people claiming to be survivors of the holocaust who later recanted, it is sad. And I feel sad saying this, but giving the timeframe any survivor at this point is at a minimum over 60 years of age and a rare person in this world. There has become an acceptance of people claiming to be survivors simply because they say they are, with no proof and nobody calling them on it.
I will say that I admire this man’s spirit but would not be surprised if we find out that he is just capitalizing on the holocaust because he has a head of gray hair. If that is the case I sincerely hope that he suffers reprecussions for his actions.
WOW!
Your cup is neither half-full nor half-empty.
It’s broken.
I wish I could send it back in time to aggravate Hitler
This brought tears to my eyes. What a triumph!
Screw you all for having the nerve to speak ill of a man who has literally been led to slaughter for his heritage and religion, his race virtually inhilated in one fail swoop because of closed minded ignorant jackasses much like yourselves. You should be ashamed for even thinking you have the right to judge a man for dancing in the face of death and being overjoyed at the idea that he has a legacy to leave because he SURVIVED these horriffic and evil death camps. I only wish I could have been there to see him dance in the face of his demons. Standing O to the man with the courage to even return to such a place!
This made me cry and laugh at the same time. It touched me deeply and it makes me want to dance myself!
I’ve read many of the comments and reactions to the video, but began to wonder what inspired such an unlikely and complex combination of dance and venue, reverance and joy…so I sought the original video on Youtube. And I’m glad I did…. This video is only the first of a 3 part video installation by JaneKorman.
I encourage readers here to view all three of the “I will Survive: Dancing Auschwitz” videos in succession. Read the notes on the videos by the submitter JaneKorman (you’ll find them as a drop down under the video box and next to her name) to gain some insight into the personal history and reasons behind the vids.
Also note that the musical interlude at the end here is Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me to the End of Love” is also the selected music for Part 2 of the trilogy (listen to the words… “dance me to the children who are asking to be born…”). The video is of her parents (and her as a child) dancing in the woods of their adopted homeland near Melbourne, Australia. She explains that dancing had always been intregral to celebrations in her life and her parents (her Dad is the “survivor” with amazing moves in this Part I video, her mom is interviewed in Part 3).
I understand the hallowed ground idea behind some of the comments above. But if you look at the scene in front of the tunnel which is edited to have people appearing as ‘spirits’ who become more visible as the dancers move, perhaps it will shift your viewpoint. This family does not dance only for their own survival, but for those who did not survive to dance themselves.
Have a joyful day one and all!
Well done for looking into the context of where the video came from.
It is so easy to judge when you take something at face value.
I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau a few years ago and it was the most heartbreaking thing to see and feel. To see someone who came through that having the courage to know joy at life in the face of what could have been his death – it’s amazing and I have so much respect for him. The ‘spirit’ part, I thought that was beautiful.
Thank you, B.
What you said about ‘courage to know joy’ is also so important. Very few people know what it is like to live through true tragedy. Even fewer realize that the initial physical survival is only part of it. Spiritual survival takes perhaps even more courage than the physical survival. Such joy takes great strength of mind and heart and, in the face of evil, is the ultimate triumph!
God bless Mr. Kohn and his family for their courage in celebrating, also for expressing their joy and sharing it with the world!
This is NOT in poor taste.
He wasn’t desecrating any graves, he & the kids were dancing OUTSIDE those establishments. He made it OUT and he and his descendants are celebrating & affirming LIFE.
I think it’s GREAT! And I LOVE that the kids & their grandfather were doing it together!!
If anyone thinks this is in bad taste, go survive a death camp. I think you’ll then think you’ve earned the right to dance just about anywhere! Very funny video!
I like to think that tonight in Hell, a whole lotta Nazis are being forced to watch this SURVIVOR and his healthy, happy descendants DANCE on ground that once bore the evil machinery of hate and mass murder.
And I rejoice in the life of this survivor and the love of his family!
l’chaim!
Grampa was so cute! I liked when he charlston-ed. And Dance me to the End of Love was appropriate.
There is something a little creepy about that song. But I like it.
Loving your live is important. Dancing is a wonderful to express it.
But more important:”Nie wieder!”
Never forget. Never make it happen again. Im quite shure, in this world, just in this very moment, there are things going on, quite as bad, jost not that big.
The single most moving, most powerful, most love-filled piece of political theater I’ve ever seen. I cried and laughed, and thought: we will remember those who couldn’t dance on these graves. You lose, Nazis, at the time, today, and in the end. In the end, love wins over all.
Those of you who feel put off by this or just weird and not sure if you think it’s okay: please remember that a people who have been injured are the ones who get to decide what’s okay. They get to decide how to reclaim their lives. Those of us sitting back and watching cannot judge.
This man is so full of life – he’s right, how many would come back to those places? How many would be able to dance rather than be crushed? It’s beautiful. Watching that, and then reading all the comments sharing and supporting that joy of life, got me more than a little misty-eyed.
This is just stupid… I can’t think of anything else to say about it. Just stupid.
yeah, there is nothing right about this………..
my grand-parents would be ashamed…….
Gah… video gone >: (
Aha! I found it after some tricky Googling!
http://videosift.com/video/I-Will-Survive-Dancing-Auschwitz