The Holocaust- no reason needed

At the same exhibit I was talking about earlier, the presenters were saying how we used to remember it so that it wouldn't happen again. But that the thing is, it happened again and again. It happened in Cambodia. It happened in the Balkans. It's happening in Darfur, Sudan. Some may say that there is no longer a reason to remember because the world is going to hate no matter what. People are going to hate and discriminate no matter what. Maybe that is true, but the Holocaust is remembered so that maybe someone that hates doesn't hate. Maybe it does change someone. I know that the Holocaust has changed me- in so many ways. There doesn't need to be a reason why people educate others about what happened during the Holocaust. It's an event that changed the world and will only continue to change people if it is known. People need to know about it, and they shouldn't have an excuse why not.

The Holocaust

Today I visited a Holocaust exhibit at my Temple. It was a collection of letters, stamps, money, and other types of artifacts that lived through the Holocaust. The collection belonged to a very wealthy man, whose name I forgot. He looks a little like Borat and is altogether quite hyper. However, he spoke to some members of the congregation about the artifacts that he had collected. Each piece had a story behind it, and it was so interesting to actually see how history could be applied to real life. The Holocaust was much more than numbers and facts. It was about people. It was about their personality, their family, their life. Each of those six million Jews who was murdered had their own story. Each of them had their own background, and it was powerful to see actual things they had written on and used during this tragic time in history. It was not the most heavy Holocaust presentation or moment I've experienced, but it was strong nonetheless.

The man and Dr. Feller, a member of our congregation, talked about the Holocaust in ways which I've never even heard of. They brought in new angles of the Holocaust story that I hadn't thought of in a very long time. For example, one postcard came along with some money. The postcard said something like, "Here is your due for this month for entertaining the men." It was a letter from one concentration camp called Ravensbruck to Buchenwald. Ravensbruck was a women's camp, and it was found that many of the women were sent to other camps to "entertain" the Nazi workers in brothel-like buildings. This postcard is proof of the sex-slavery that occurred during the Holocaust. Who knew?

Among the artifacts was a piece of Torah scroll. The piece was ripped out of the Torah (the most holy scripture in the Jewish faith) in a synogogue in Russia that the Germans had taken over. It was used as parchment, for a German troop wanted to send a package to his family in Austria. He used the most holy parchment to do this like it meant nothing. Since it went through the German mail it was stamped with a Nazi stamp. A Nazi stamp on the Torah- one of the most symbolic pieces of history I think I have ever directly encountered. It was overwhelming.

I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about the Holocaust, but there's so much more. They opened up some doors for me that I really want to take. I really want to learn more about the Holocaust now, and I want to really understand it. Perhaps the Holocaust is so compelling to me because I am Jewish and I am usually the only Jew in one given place at one time (i.e. I'm the only Jew in my whole Junior class of 408 people). At the presentation, Dr. Feller was saying that I was the most important person there because I was the youngest. He's absolutely right. When everyone else in that room is gone from this world, it is my responsibility to keep the remembrance of the Holocaust alive. It's so important to remember the Holocaust. It is everyone's responsibility to remember how awful it was for everyone. Not just Jews, but everyone's. I cannot wait to tell my children and my grandchildren about the Holocaust. I want them to know about it. I want them to be able to understand it and its complexity. It's so important.

And back to show choir...

So this weekend was a very exhausting weekend for my show choir, Happiness, Inc. We all arrived at school yesterday at 6:30 in the morning, and we got on the charter buses at 7:00 to leave for Urbandale, Iowa which is two and half hours away. As soon as we got there we started getting settled in our room and checking out the school. The theatre was amazing, with a balcony that had been specially made for music and acoustics. The whole school was new, and everything looked really nice.

The competition for us was Ankeny, Linn-Mar, Johnston, and Waukee. These are all great show choirs, with Ankeny ranking 1st nationally according to the Show Choir Rating System for 2008. Earlier in this season, we had beaten Ankeny and it was a great success for us. We couldn't believe that we had beaten the number one show choir in the nation. At this same competition we had also beaten Waukee and Johnston, but since Linn-Mar held this same competition, we had no idea how we compared to them (except for the Show Choir Rating System for 209 which had Linn-Mar at second and us at fourteenth going into the competition). So we were pretty anxious competing at Urbandale. We wanted to prove that us beating Ankeny at the Linn-Mar competition was justified and worthy, and we wanted to prove that we could beat Linn-Mar. Linn-Mar and Kennedy have always had a friendly competition between them, and we've always wanted to beat one another.

So we performed at 4:50 and everyone seemed to feel good about the show. We had a pretty good critique (the time when a judge from the panel comes and talks to us about our show and how we can improve it). The critique said that he loved our show. He thought it was amazing. Then he went on to tell us some things that we needed to change and fix. He said that we needed to work on our diction in the second song, our emotion in the ballad and the fourth song, and our cleanliness of our moves in the last quarter of the last song. So we had some things to fix for the night round- the finals.

Day round awards came next. Our prep group-Protege- won first in their division. They were all extremely happy, but most of Happiness was only worried about their results. For the day round, Linn-Mar suprisingly got fifth, behind Waukee and Johnston, fourth and third respectively. We got second for the day round behind Ankeny. We were behind them by five measly points. We knew we had to bring it during the night to beat them.

So we tried our best. We, I mean most of us, really got focused on our show. We wanted to put on the best show possible, and hope that would mean we would beat Ankeny. So the show came and gone, and we all thought we had done a pretty great job- except for the ballad which had some intonation problems. In the end, Ankeny ended up receiving best vocals and best choreography, which made them Grand Champions and us second. However, I wasn't that dissatisfied. Coming into this season, before Linn-Mar, Happiness had no intentions of ever beating Ankeny. They are basically show choir gods, so we didn't even think we had a chance of getting close to them. Yeah, beating them was really cool, but we should've realized that our expectations had to start all over again after Linn-Mar. They were a new group, a revitalized one at Urbandale, and they showed it. However, I'm a very proud of Happiness' accomplishments this year. It's amazing how well we're doing. My expectations have been reached and what has happened is beyond all of my goals.

Wicked- For Good

Wicked is a musical that piggy backs off of the story of the Wizard of Oz. It's about how the Wicked Witch of the West, whose name is Elphaba, is actually a good witch in heart. It's about Elphaba's friendship with the Galinda. They led separate paths, but each path was affected by the other. Here is a video about the works behind this song, For Good.



Although this song is a pretty girl one, I feel it hits the spot when singing about compassion between friends. Usually friends don't tell each other how they appreciate one another (maybe just guys don't) and I think that's why I like it so much. It's a way for me to tell my friends that I appreciate them. I really enjoy listening to this song and singing along with it. The thing is, every single person you come into contact with changes you. Sometimes it changes you just for that day and then you forget about it for the rest of your life. However, some people have the capacity to change you for your whole life. Teachers can do this. Parents can do this. Friends can do this.

West Side Story- Somewhere

West Side Story is a musical dealing with adversity, diversity, and the power of love against all odds. It's a modern tale of Romeo and Juliet- and by "modern" I mean the 50s and 60s. The musical is filled with some of the most beautiful songs ever written. For this entry, I am just going to talk about the song titled "Somewhere." "Somewhere" is a song between the two main characters- Tony and Maria. Tony was a main leader of the New York gang (the Jets) and Maria moved from Puerto Rico with her family to New York. Her brother is a Shark (the Puerto Rican gang). Just before this song, Tony killed Maria's brother in a rumble which Tony was trying to stop. Both Tony and Maria are madly in love, and they want all of this violence to stop. They are talking about how somewhere they will be accepted to love each other. There is a place for them to go and live and love. There will be a time when they can be together and not have to worry about what everyone else thinks.

It's an important concept that I think will never fade. Some people believe that white people should only fall in love with other white people, and similarly with blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and so forth. However, this notion is unbearably false. If two people love each other, they should be able to stay with each other. This brings the issue of gay marriage. I think that gay people should be able to marry and love each other. Their marriage is not affecting me and it should not make any other person unhappy. I am not threatened by a gay marriage, and nobody else should be either. If that's what they truly want, then they should be able to do it. It's bringing no harm to others whatsoever. It is only bettering the lives of the married couple.

So you see how deep this song can get. Nearly every couple has had to face adversity through their love. Some couples only get a small dosage, such as through angry in-laws, while other couples may get more criticism. Every person can truly connect to this song. Everyone wants to find a place where they can be themselves and love whom they want. Everyone wants to find that perfect place- maybe not even just for love, but for people who they can feel loved around. Listen to this song from the movie West Side Story. Perhaps this song will connect to you in a way or two. Think about the lyrics, and they won't be hard to forget with the powerful melody.

RENT- Will I?

Rent is a musical that is one of the greatest of our time. In my opinion, the power of the music is perahps comparable to The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, Wicked, and West Side Story. It is one of the most thought provoking musicals out there, and it is also one of the most risky musicals. For those of you who don't know, Rent is about a group of people who are living in poor parts of New York City at the turn of the twenty-first century. The characters have to deal with drug addictions, relationships, sickness, and money issues. It is a very mature play, and the roles call for outstanding acting and vocal ability. Each character has been through a ton of ordeals in their lives, and to play a role in the show is truly an honor.

Now I haven't seen the movie in its entirety, but I think I have seen all of the parts separately. Although all of the parts together create a magnificent story, each part has its own morals and teachings. The most powerful part of Rent for me is the meeting of the people who have AIDS. The song they sing is called Will I? It's a very powerful song, especially when everyone starts singing. These people are dying and they don't know if they will wake up tomorrow. That's a horrible thought for everyone, and the song cuts to the heart with its simplicity and strength. Here's a video of the song from the anniversary show about a year ago. Perhaps you will understand the people and their trouble just through this song.

This Is One of Those Moments

Read the lyrics to this song, and maybe you'll see why it's one of my favorites. (The lyrics are changed a bit-these are the ones my show choir sang last year).

There are moments you remember all your life
There are moments you wait for and dream of all your life
This is one of those moments

I will always remember this stage, these people
The way the light streams in
The clothes I'm wearing
The words I'm hearing
The face I'm seeing
The feeling I'm feeling
The smell, the sound
Will be written on my mind
Will be written on my heart
As long as I live!

I can travel the past and take what I need
To see me through the years
What my father learned and his father before him
Will be there for my eyes and ears

I can walk through the forest of the trees of knowledge
And listen to the lessons of the leaves
I can enter rooms where there are rooms within rooms
Wrapped in the shawl that learning weaves

I remember
Everything this taught,
What this gave me
Look at what it's brought me

There are certain things that once you have
No man can take away
No wave can wash away
No wind can blow away

I can open doors and take from the shelves
All the books I've longed to hold
I can ask all the questions, the whys and the wheres
As the mystery of life unfolds
Like a link in a chain from the past to the future
That joins me with the children yet to be
I can now be a part of the ongoing stream
That has always been a part of me

There are certain things that once you have
No man take away
No wave can wash away
No wind can blow away
No tide can turn away
No fire can burn away
No time can wear away
And now they're about to be mine!

There are moments you remember all your life
There are moments you wait for and dream of all your life
This is one of those moments

Last year, my show choir sang this song, but it deals with much more than show choir. To me, it means a time that I will never forget- The Music Man national tour. Every time I hear I song from that show, I can feel what I was feeling when I was hearing it during the actual thing. When I hear the "Iowa Stubborn" I hear it through a monitor, and I smell fresh cotton. You see, during "Iowa Stubborn" I was in my dressing room putting on my thigh-long white socks that went in the wash after every performance. Nearly every moment in the show is accompanied by a feeling, a smell, a more specific sound. "The Music Man" was one of those moments.

This song is almost exactly how I feel about The Music Man. I will always remember the stage, the people I was with and the lights shining on the stage in all the different forms. Everything will be written on my mind and my heart for my whole life. No one can take away those great feelings. No one can take away the memories. Those memories are mine. Those moments are mine.

There are some songs that you just want to sing over and over again. This is one of the songs that I could sing over and over again. Every time I see the lyrics I just want to burst out in song. Everyone has a song like that. Everyone has a song that when they hear they just want to join along. Music is something that everyone enjoys, and everyone wants to be a part of it at some point- even the worst voices. Although the song that people sing out loud is different from person to person, the fact that there is a song is great I think. There is always an opera lover singing opera and there's always a teen singing along with songs such as "I Kissed a Girl," whose tune is actually pretty catchy.

I couldn't embed this video in my blog, but here's a link of the This is One of Those Moments with Barabara Streisand singing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMoV6Uc-03Y