"We heard shots in the air and my father said ‘don't worry children I'm praying to God," Helen Greenspun told an audience of UCF students and faculty. Greenspun was invited to share her account of the Holocaust as part of UCF's Diversity Week.
Greenspun described this day in 1939 as if it were yesterday.
"He [my father] went to synagogue twice a day after that…until one day I was playing with my friends and we heard a man yelling in pain, at the time I did not know it was my father."
Greenspun's father was beaten that day by three Germans and a guard dog as he walked home from prayer one afternoon. In an attempt to search his sack, which contained a Jewish prayer cloth and other holy items, they held a gun to his back, knocked him to the ground, searched him, and eventually released him without explanation.
"He never left the house after that."
Greenspun's lecture " The Holocaust: A Survivor's Story" was held in room 216 of the Student Union – a room intended for an audience of 200 but stretched past capacity with more than 250 people in attendance. Greenspun appeared composed and welcoming as she discussed her recollection of the German invasion.
"Times were bad, there was no food. Sometimes the girls were sent to other farms to work."
Greenspun worked the farms until notices were placed in town asking farmers to give up the locations of any Jews in the area.
By the end of September, people above the age of 16 were being hauled to labor camps. Greenspun, who was only 13-years-old, was sent to bring clothes to her sisters who had been taken earlier that day.
As Greenspun searched the convoy of trucks looking for a sign of her sister, she was forced to join the rest of the imprisoned. Two weeks later, the rest of the people in her town were forced to live in ghettos.
"This is why I believe in God, I was saved, why else would they take me when I was too young?" Greenspun said of her capture.
Carmen Garcia, UCF junior majoring in legal studies, listened intently as Greenspun spoke.
"It is a very sad story, she's just so brave. Her story is unforgettable and I feel blessed," Garcia said.
Throughout her time at the mercy of the Germans, Greenspun was transported through seven camps including Bergen-Belsen and Dachau.
On April 29, 1945 Greenspun was liberated by American soldiers.
"Many people say the Holocaust did not happen – look at me, look at this," she said as she picked up a German record of captured people – her name at the top of the page.
"You should know they can't speak anymore. My voice is their voice," Greenspun said referencing all the girls she saw die in the camps.
Barbara Thompson, assistant director of UCF's Diversity Education and Faculty Engagement, ended the lecture by announcing Greenspun's plan to retire. After 30 years, this lecture was her last. The teary-eyed audience bid adieu to Greenspun with a standing ovation.
"In our lifetime, we meet remarkable people. Helen is one of those remarkable people." Thompson said.
Thompson said giving students the opportunity to hear this story first hand is important Her hope is that people will feel that what we do to each other matters.
"Their [UCF students] children won't have the opportunity to hear this first person account, you can't get any closer to the reality of it," Sam Kauffman, executive director of Central Florida Hillel said. "It is important to, more than just understand, but prevent it from happening again."
This event was one of many being held on campus as part of UCF's Diversity Week ending Oct. 21. The Office of Diversity Initiatives is continuing last year's theme, "Honoring Diversity: A Nation of Nations," by partnering with the UCF community to host programs and projects throughout the week. A list of events can be found by visiting events.ucf.edu.
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