I was moved and insired by a talk by Rebbitzen Esther Jungreis and have just read her book "Life is a Test". She is a Holocaust Survivor and runs the Hineni Institute of Learning in New York. http://www.hineni.org/rebbetzin.asp
While I was pondering the meaning of life, and one's journey through the good and bad, I was sent the following poem, which I am proud to publish here. I do believe there is a purpose for each one of us in this life. However crazy life seems.
Philip C. Selz wrote this poem about Mr. Liviu Librescu, who survived the holocaust and saved the lives of students at Virginia Tech on Monday and died from gunshot wounds. Philip read it at his synagogue and the Rabbi suggested that he distribute it to as many places as he could. I hope it touches you like it touched me.
My Stand
A Tribute to Liviu Librescu
By Philip C. Selz
In the darkest times we’ve seen, I was sent into the camps
As I smelled the stench of burning flesh, I knew my kin were gone
Survival was my only thought, I knew I must come through
But I didn’t know the reason that my living must go on
And when the war had ended, liberation finally came
And I grew to be a man and shortly after took a wife
And we raised our kids in
And we lived for those who died and worked to make a useful life
Then a teaching job came to me in
And I thought that building new young minds was destiny for me
So I traveled to
And I taught engineering in this homeland of the free
Now I hear the hallways screaming as shots are fired there
And I hear the terror in the screams and understand their plight
So I bar the door from danger and I tell my students “Run!”
And as the bullets breach the door I know that I must fight
And in these final moments as my life is seeping out
I think back over 60 years and finally understand
My own salvation now makes sense as children flee and live
I was saved that day to save this day, I’ve finally made my stand.
