Never Again
I am walking toward the tall wall of seemingly endless rows of barbed wire. I see each step of mine, the foot of a child, exposed, frail and swollen. My fingers graze the fence as I begin a frantic climb. Advancing upward, my hands are shaking as each new grasp cuts abrasions into my skin, widening and deepening with each fresh slice. My head gets light, and blood drips from my palms as I clamp down to muffle screams of pain. I hear shouting in the direction of the guard tower, followed by a gunshot. Then, another. My body freezes, my muscles are shocked. As I fall, everything turns black. Abruptly, I wake up. This is always where I wake up.
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, memorialized as such by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005, approximately 24 years after I was born. Before 2005, I remembered the Holocaust in the ways many other Jews of my generation have; from recurring childhood dreams, to the shaking tattooed arms of elders, and comprehensive Hebrew school history lessons. Genocide was nothing one forgot — it was in your bones, in your body, and in your blood.
Books Unbanned
Librarians, guardians of the people's freedom to read, have come to the rescue in response to the rise of censorship via book challenges across the country. The Brooklyn Public Library recently announced Books Unbanned, their new program focused on combating censorship and suppression. Through Books Unbanned, anyone in the United States between the ages of 13 and 21 can apply for a free Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) eCard. The BPL database will give teens access to 350,000 ebooks and 200,000 audiobooks, along with numerous online databases.