A major problem with our generation is that no matter how significant a historical event is, we find ourselves forgetting or not understanding the gravity of it. We know the name, but do we know the story? The Holocaust is a crucial event more people need to recognize.
WMS had a great opportunity to further learn the weight of the Holocaust. Survivor Steen Metz was able to speak to us about the severity of the historical event and his first-hand, personal experience. We had the honor to further interview him about his involvement with the event.
Who is Steen Metz?
Steen Metz is a Holocaust survivor who now spreads the word about his horrific story. He said he was very young when he was captured so he didn’t really understand much of what was going on around him but he does deeply remember it. Metz lived in Odense, Denmark and spent three years of occupation before being captured for 18 months.
Mr.Metz grew up a young boy in Odense, Denmark. His parents were Magna and Axel Metz. Mr.Metz was not involved in the Jewish faith because Odense didn’t have Jewish schools nor temples. Therefore, he took part in Denmark’s religion which is Lutheran. When Mr.Metz was only 5 years old, the war started. But then events got dangerously close when he was an 8 year old boy. His life changed when he and his parents were “…arrested and deported to the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp…” on October 2, 1943.
In Camp
Mr.Metz was in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp for 18 months. During those 18 months, he was “fortunate enough to be with his mother” the entire time. Unfortunately, 6 months after arriving at the camp, his father tragically passed away from exhaustion and hard labor. Each day in the camp was identical to the others. Every day Mr.Metz would be “…standing in line for up to 45 minutes three times a day for food. Working as a messenger for a couple of hours in the morning and afternoon. In between I would play with other children.”
While Mr.Metz was in the camp, he also was faced with the struggles of anxiety and distress. His “…biggest fear was that we would be transported to an extermination camp or being shot; the uncertainty was a terrible feeling.”
After 18 long painful months, Mr. Metz and his mother were liberated by the Red Cross in 1945 of April. He returned to his old life. He did not hesitate at all when he was taken, he couldn’t wait, “It had been a very long time in camp.”
After the Holocaust
After the Holocaust, Mr. Metz wanted to live a normal life again. He moved to Canada and then the United States to restart his life. His reintroduction to his life again was a “…wonderful feeling, but difficult in the beginning, especially being without my father.”
Mr.Metz said his friends helped him so much in feeling comfortable and they helped him adapt into this huge change contrasting to his 18 months of being in the camp.
Spreading the Word
Spreading the word is very important to remember the Holocaust and those that lost their lives. Mr.Metz wants people to remember his story and many others for future generations, “Don’t ever give up hope- treat other people the way you wanted to be treated yourself – in other words, the direct opposite of the way Hitler and the Nazis treated the Jews and other minorities.”
NEVER FORGET the importance of the Holocaust and how it changed peoples’ lives. As a result of this article, we asked students and teachers their thoughts on the presentation and in general the Holocaust in a video. Thank you so much Mr. Metz for sharing your story with us.
