EL CAJON, Calif. — A Holocaust exhibit in El Cajon is sharing the stories of survivors still living in San Diego County.
In this Zevely Zone, I visited the Rancho San Diego Library for a tour of the free exhibit.
The Holocaust and Nazi Germany may seem like a lifetime ago but those who survived it are still living among us.
"You get to stand next to Holocaust survivors that are alive," said curator Sandra Scheller who wants everyone in San Diego to visit her exhibit Ruth: Remember Us The Holocaust.
"This is my mom," said Sandra while standing next to a life-size cardboard cutout of Ruth Sax. Sandra's mother Ruth survived the Holocaust and together, they spent decades documenting the atrocities. "This is the real deal. This is an actual star that was on my mother," said Sandra while showing a gold star that read "Jude."
Ruth Sax passed away, but her story lives on at the exhibit.
"You're listening to my mother what her life was like documenting her story and this goes on for two hours," said Sandra while pointing at a television monitor where a recording of Ruth plays continuously.
"Every aspect from when you left to when you were on a train to what you ate to what you did everything. If we forget this is going to happen again, Jeff. We don't want it to happen again," said Sandra.
Part of not forgetting the Holocaust is keeping its history alive. I met 95-year-old Holocaust survivor Ben Midler. He was taken to Auschwitz.
"I was 16," said Ben who survived six concentration camps. Ben showed me the number still tattooed on his arm. "B-2433," said Ben. He never saw his mother, father, brother, or sister again, yet refuses to live with hatred in his heart.
"I don't live in the past. I live for today and I live for tomorrow," said Ben.
The exhibit has 16 life-size cardboard cutouts of Holocaust survivors. 14 of the survivors are still living in San Diego. "I see myself," said Ben standing next to his cutout. The hope is with each artifact the public never forgets people like Sandra's grandmother.
"This is the actual dress that she wore. This is the marking that they did on the dress," said Sandra pointing to the large X on the back of the dress. "Every Friday my grandmother would have to bend over, and this was the mark that they gave her, every Friday," said Sandra.
Although you can hear anger in Sandra's voice, you can also hear victory when she holds a Swastika.
"I still get chilled when I look at this, but I look at it and I say we won. We are here," said Sandra. As the child of a Holocaust survivor Sandra's lifelong mission will be to someday open a Holocaust Museum in San Diego.
"Murdered because they were Jewish. This will not be accepted, this cannot be accepted," said Sandra. "If you were to say to me what was the worst part of Auschwitz, the world ignoring it. The truth, I want the truth."
Sandra Scheller is the daughter of Holocaust survivors Ruth and Kurt Sax. She grew up in the South Bay of San Diego. She's the author of Try To Remember Never Forget.
Her exhibit has been recognized by the USC Shoah Foundation, Chula Vista Cultural Arts, Chula Vista Elementary School District, the City of Chula Vista, Southwestern College, San Diego County Arts and Culture, and Jewish organizations throughout San Diego.
The exhibit is funded by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. The free exhibit runs until May 2024 at the Rancho San Diego Library. Sandra will be at the exhibit every Thursday from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm. She says field trips from schools are welcome. To book her presentation visit sscheller@cox.net. For more information click here.