COLORADO — Paulette and David Greenberg's home in Colorado Springs is filled with a traveling library of stories of the Holocaust. They take their display all across the community so people don't forget the unspeakable atrocities that happened under the Nazi regime from 1933-1945.
"We even had a program where we served the food that they had in the Holocaust so that people would know what it was like, what people ate, which was basically water and a little piece of bread," said Mrs. Greenberg.
"It was important to let people know this is what these people went through," she said.
The couple started the non-profit The Greenberg Center for Learning and Tolerance two decades ago to help others learn to tolerate what many will not.
"I think it's our responsibility to help the people learn that respecting people for being different than you is a most important part of your life," said David Greenberg.
The Greenbergs say more than two million people have seen their programs.
"If you can forget the past there could be no future," said Mrs. Greenberg.
They are determined to continue to share the personal stories of Holocaust survivors over and over.
"We had friends who are both in Auschwitz and Birkeneau," said Mrs. Greenberg. "One of our dear friends is Sara Hauptman. She was in Auschwitz and then she went to Birkenau she was one of (Josef) Mengele's children. He did so many experiments on her she said she could never have children again."
Stories like that of Lucy Jacobs.
"Lucy road the cattle cars to Auschwitz," said Mrs. Greenberg. "When she got off with her dad it was her and her dad because the rest of her family were taken. Daddy went to the right and Lucy went to the left and the Nazi soldier asked Lucy, 'How old are you?' She said, 'I'm 14.' And he says, 'No you're not, you're 16.' It was because she said she was 16 that she lived."
Mrs. Jacobs told the Greenbergs about the difficult walk she made the day Auschwitz and Birkenau were liberated on January 27, 1945.
"Lucy said when they were liberated they had to walk and she said they wouldn't let you stop. She said if it wasn't for people holding her up she never could've made it through the walk," said Mrs. Greenberg.
It's a day the Greenbergs want no one to forget.
"Lucy finally told me, 'Paulette, I can't tell the stories anymore. I'm done'," said Mrs. Greenberg. "So, I'm telling it for her."
The Greenberg Center for tolerance has made an entire curriculum available for teachers or anyone in the community to check out. It is available at the Pikes Peak Library District. Contact the PPLD Community Partnership Coordinator, Elyse Jones, for more information at (719) 531-6333, extension 6448 or via email at ejones@ppld.org.
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