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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, May 9, 2012 · 4 By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Student learns first hand about the Holocaust A 12-year-old Sunningdale Public School student has reached into one of the darkest periods of human history to bring her classmates an important message of equality. Like everyone else in her Grade 7 class, Keleila Handelman-Kerman was tasked with putting together a five-minute speech to present to her peers. With many topics from which to select, Handelman-Kerman chose to write her speech about an interview she conducted with her great, great aunt Judy Lysy, 84. Lysy, a native of the former Czechoslovakia, is a Holocaust survivor. "I had heard stories about the experiences my aunt had, but I had never heard the story personally. So, I guess I was interested in hearing from her exactly what she went through," said Handelman-Kerman. "It was a really emotional journey." In her speech, Handelman-Kerman describes Lysy's early life as a good one, in which she lived in a nice home with her family in Czechoslovakia, attended school, learned multiple languages and went to the theatre on the weekends. All of this changed, however, in 1938 when Hungary occupied the section of Czechoslovakia Lysy was living in, after its ally, Nazi Germany, took control of the rest of the country. SUBMITTED PHOTO family history lesson: Sunningdale Public School student Keleila Handelman-Kerman, 12, with her great, great aunt and uncle, Judy and George Lysy. The Lysys are both Holocaust survivors and were honoured last week at Queen's Park. Lysy's family, who was Jewish, soon found the family's rights being eroded by new anti-Semitic laws. "The changes began slowly... but they were happening," wrote Handelman-Kerman in her speech. "All of Judy's parents' money disappeared from their bank account, then one day some Nazis came and took all of her family's jewelry. And finally her uncle, who was a doctor, was told he could not practice medicine... simply because he was Jewish." Things got worse in March 1944, after Germany took control of Hungary and the sec- tion of Czechoslovakia it controlled. Although the Second World War eventually began going very badly for the Nazis, their efforts to exterminate the Jews of Europe were intensifying. Lysy, then 15, and her family found themselves packed with other Jews into the cattle car of a train, which had only one small window blocked with barbed wire. Those inside the cattle car all had to share a single barrel as a toilet as the train travelled for two nights and three days to its destination, Auschwitz. As Lysy and her family were driven out of the cattle car, she had a deeply disturbing encounter with the notorious Nazi doctor, Josef Mengele. Handelman-Kerman's father, Dr. Kenny Handelman of Oakville, was also present for Lysy's interview and spoke about that encounter. "She said he asked if there was anybody who spoke a lot of languages and she spoke Czech, Slovak, Hungarian and German so she said, `Yes I can help'," said Handelman. "He was asking her to help sort people getting off the cattle car to go right or left. These people didn't know what was going on and he said to her, `Tell mothers if they are upset about being separated from their children not to worry. They will be reunited with them after.'" Lysy would only find out later those who went to the right were sent to work in the camp while those who went left were sent to immediate execution. Lysy now lives with the knowledge that her voice translated the order that sent her own grandmother, aunt and young cousins to the gas chamber. After this experience, Lysy and the other women from the transport were taken to a room where they were made to undress. Handelman-Kerman said the women then had their heads shaved and were given uniforms. Lysy would confide to Handelman-Kerman that she was deeply humiliated by this experience See Dark page 5 Mother's Day Special 4 DAY PANT SALE MAY9,10,11,12 Some exceptions apply Fashions 25 % OFF MAPLE GROVE VILLAGE, OAKVILLE (905) 845-0655 W e celebrate the community health care nurses who have touched our lives and continue to make a difference! To find out more about our nursing services call 905-827-8800 or visit w w w. a c c l a i m h e a l t h . c a At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. ~ Albert Schweitzer 2370 Speers Rd Oakville, ON L6L 5M2 Charitable Registration Number: 11928 4602 RR0001 THANK YOU