Lessons from Rwanda

Hearing a first-hand story of survival during a holocaust is something that will likely stick with a student for a lifetime.

During a collegiate World War II Holocaust literature course, my class had a guest speaker: a Jewish Hungarian, who, as a young adult, survived a concentration camp in Austria that was responsible for murdering a quarter-million Jews in less than five years.

Most Holocaust stories I had read prior to this seemed to have a satisfying conclusion: triumph over adversity or choosing to have a positive attitude despite circumstances. This was not one of those stories.

Although imprisoned during what felt like a lifetime ago, the bitterness and despair was fresh as the speaker delved further into his story. While he survived, his commitment to Judaism died in the concentration camp.

As he rolled up his sleeve and displayed his labor camp tattoo, it was evident he still struggled with haunting memories, well over a half-century later.

Having visited Hungary twice to teach English, the Central European country's people hold special place in my heart. Their hospitality, kindness and friendship is something I will never forget. But amidst the smiles, an ugly undertone of sadness, depression and hopelessness lingers, perhaps the remainder of scars left by devastating world wars or bruises dealt by communism's iron reign.

Prior to this week, I knew little about the Rwandan genocide. It happened when I was six years old, and, as far as I can recall, was surprisingly absent from high school history courses. Our books were well over a decade old, a product of a financially-strapped private school.

Although wounds from the Rwandan genocide are much more fresh, survivor Immaculee Ilibagiza's story and response, presented at St. Mary's Schools on Wednesday morning, posed a stark comparison to the mournful Holocaust account I heard several years ago.

Despite the once-constant threat of death, starvation and eventual brutal slaughter of nearly her entire family, Ilibagiza credits a rediscovered Catholic faith as giving her the strength to forgive her brother's killer, a man whose children had been her playmates at school.

Instead of harboring resentment and anger, Ilibagiza made a difficult choice: love and forgiveness.

Lesson learned.

* Ashley Miller is a member of the Pilot news staff. Reach the columnist at amiller@stormlakepilottribune.com