KKL Belgium Dedicates Plaza at Massuah Holocaust Institute

“The heroism of the members of Poalei Zion Left in Belgium is a historical fact that has not been emphasized enough."
- Prof. Yitzhak Kashti, Chairman of Massuah
At the Massuah International Institute for Holocaust Studies, KKL Belgium dedicated a meeting square in memory of the Poalei Zion Left, who risked their lives to save Belgian Jews from the clutches of the Nazis.

 

L-R: Jacky Benzennou, Berthe Hendlisz-Wolfowitz and Betty Dan unveil the sign for the new plaza at the Massuah Institute. Photo: Dennis Zinn

L-R: Jacky Benzennou, Berthe Hendlisz-Wolfowitz and Betty Dan unveil the sign
for the new plaza at the Massuah Institute. Photo: Dennis Zinn


A large delegation of KKL Belgium supporters arrived at the Massuah International Institute for Holocaust Studies at Kibbutz Tel Yitzhak on the Thursday, November 29, 2018, to take part in the inauguration of a new plaza at the facility.
 
This was the 4th day of their 8-day trip to Israel.
 
The event took place exactly 24 months after a similar delegation took part in a declaration signing ceremony at the site marking their intention to fund construction of the new outdoor square in the name of the Left Poalei Zion, the Zionist movement that took part in the rescue of Belgian Jews during the holocaust. 
 
After a welcoming breakfast, the visitors were ushered into the campus auditorium where Massuah Director-General Aya Ben-Naftali told them that Massuah is both an education center and a museum, which focuses on preserving the memory of the holocaust.
 
“We also emphasize the fact that humanity must be kept alert to prevent further genocides in the future. I want to mention the CNN poll that was carried out at the beginning of this very week that revealed, amongst other shocking things, that 34% of the population in Western Europe have never heard of the holocaust; and that 25% believe that Jews have too much influence in business and finance. These are unbelievable statistics that we at Massuah are trying to combat.”
 
Prof. Yitzhak Kashti, the chairman of Massuah and also a holocaust survivor, said that while it is very important not to forget the holocaust, it is also important to preserve the memories of groups such as the Left Poalei Zion and its members, who endangered their lives to save Jews.
 
“The heroism of the members of Poalei Zion Left in Belgium is a historical fact that has not been emphasized enough and the courage of those young men and women must never be forgotten. I also want to acknowledge the connection between KKL-JNF and Massuah, which has proven to be strong, stable and long lasting. We at Massuah are very grateful for this bond.”
 
President of KKL Belgium Jacky Benzennou said that he was proud that KKL Belgium is part of the important ongoing work that is being carried out at Massuah.
 
“Due to the current situation in Europe today it goes without saying that KKL Belgium should be involved in the struggle against racism in general and anti-Semitism in particular. We thank you for giving us the honor to be partners with you.”
 
The final speaker in the auditorium was the Vice President of KKL Belgium, Berthe Hendlisz-Wolfowitz, who further explained the role of the Left Poalei Zion during the time of the Nazi occupation of Belgium.
 
“Poalei Zion was a Zionist socialist group which, during the holocaust era, focused on anti-fascist activities in Europe. In Belgium, where the Jewish population was brutally rounded up and sent to concentration camps, the group carried out armed resistance, and organized the rescue of Jews, including many children. It is estimated that Poalei Zion activists saved between 3,000 to 4,000 Jewish children and some 10,000 adults.”
 
At the plaque unveiling ceremony for the new plaza, the guests from Belgium were treated to a choral performance from a choir made up of talented schoolchildren, all of whom were all new immigrants who arrived in Israel over the past two years. The musical director of the group was musician and composer Menachem Slutzker, who is also a new immigrant, from Lithuania. 
 
Under the guidance of Etty Lankry of KKL-JNF’s European desk, the unveiling was carried out by Jacky Benzennou, Berthe Hendlisz-Wolfowitz, and Betty Dan of KKL Belgium. 
The plaque read:
This meeting square was established at the museum with the support of KKL Belgium in memory of the members of Poalei Zion Left in Belgium who risked their lives to resist the Nazis and save Jews.
 
After the unveiling ceremony the visitors were led through a new wing of the museum, which showcases incitement and racism over the last 100 years. Their guides were Dr. Merom Kalie and Lauren Peer. The tour started at a detailed exhibition on the Eichmann Trial and ended at a section on racial intolerance in the world today. A few members of the Belgian delegation were clearly stressed at the end of the viewing and required consoling by their companions.
 
A walk along the Alexander River, which is a short drive from the Massuah Museum, provided welcome and scenic relief for those participants who were still feeling gloomy after witnessing the holocaust exhibitions.
 
While leading the group along the banks of the river, KKL-JNF guide Arye Cohen told them that at the establishment of the State, the 32 km long river was completely polluted with toxic waste and was in essence clinically dead.  
 
“That situation changed after 1995 when KKL-JNF took the initiative to create the Alexander River Restoration Administration, which revived the river after several years of hard work.  There is still a lot to be done but we have already come a long way as the abundance here of aquatic flora and fauna proves.”
 
While walking along the river, tour participant Mark Moshe Wolf took the liberty to meander and collect discarded plastic bags and bits of garbage he found lying around.
 
“I do this in Belgium too,” he said, “and as an educator I try to teach the youth to follow my example.”
 
Wolf said that he is associated with the Jewish Museum in Brussels and the Holocaust Museum in Mechelen.  “I was very impressed today with the new wing of the Massuah Museum that concentrates on incitement and racism in the world today. I am going to suggest to the Holocaust Museum to adopt the idea because I think it is needed in Belgium.”
 
Over lunch at a restaurant in Caesarea, Mark Wolf said that the quality of life for the Belgian middle class is on the decline and the situation of the Jewish community is particularly precarious.
 
“The middle class in Europe is suffering for many reasons, the most serious being the fact that they have not been able to keep up with the pace of modernity. The digital world has passed them by and they have been left behind in all fields, including in manufacturing and commerce. Ironically that is exactly where Israel’s’ strength lies and the reason why Israelis do not understand Europe’s problem.”
 
Laura Marks joined the conversation and explained why the situation for the Jewish community is so difficult:
 
“The Jews are part of the middle class which has always been comfortable until not so long ago. Now their quality of life is on the decline. It is a sad fact that today even Jews do not have the means to look after their families to the extent that they did in the past. Their children also find it increasingly difficult to find work. This is besides the fact that there is fear from growing anti-Semitism in all of Europe. Our situation is not good.”   
 
During the tour of the Caesarea National Park, tour participant Yehuda Zeitfinger had the opportunity to explain that the anti-Semitism in Belgium has reached a point where it cannot be ignored.
 
“People are afraid. Racism against the Jews comes from all quarters. It is most overt from the Moslem population but the traditional old anti-Semites on the left and the right of the political spectrum who buried themselves out of site for many years are now surfacing once again. There is no shame today in being an anti-Semite.”
 
As they were walking to their bus at the end of their visit to Caesarea, the participants were overjoyed to realize that the day they had dedicated the new Plaza in the Massuah Museum happened to be the 29th of November - the anniversary of the 1947 UN partition plan calling for the establishment of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel.