This story is a collaboration with VCU Odyssey writer Keyris Manzanares. You can view her photojournal of the event here.
RICHMOND, Va. (VCU Odyssey) – Two Holocaust survivors visited the Richmond City Justice Center on Wednesday, May 18 to speak to the local incarcerated community about their experience during the historical event.
“My father told me, ‘Whenever you’re going to be in danger, say a prayer,’” Halina Zimm said toward the end of her speech to RCJC residents. The event was open to residents participating in the Justice Center’s REAL program, or “Recovering from Everyday Addictive Lifestyles,” which is designed to internally enhance recovery from addiction through education and therapeutic techniques.
Richmonders and Holocaust survivors Halina and Alan Zimm share their stories with RCJC residents.
Mrs. Zimm grew up in a large city in Poland before her father moved the family of five to a small village to avoid the Germans. She was 11-years-old at the start of the war. She recalled two pieces of advice from her father: “Never tell anyone that you are a Jew, and you can’t trust anyone."
She cried in remembrance of her father’s words; she never saw him again. Both parents were taken to Treblinka, an extermination camp in Treblinka, Poland.
Mrs. Zimm said her father chose to move into the smaller village because he believed the city would be too unbearable. Later, her father managed to obtain counterfeit papers to list the family’s religious affiliation as Christian – the papers helped Mrs. Zimm when a woman reported her for being a Jew, despite working as a cook for the German army and hiding her Jewish heritage in plain sight. Approximately three years after the liberation, she and her husband, Alan Zimm immigrated to Richmond.
“People deny [and] distort history,” Mrs. Zimm said. “[But] we are the witnesses.”
Alan Zimm weighed 90 pounds by the end of the war, having been in and out of various concentration camps. Mr. Zimm said he is the only surviving member of his family, which comprised nine children.
Mr. Zimm said he is a believer of "destination" and "faith"; he always believed he was going to survive. He said his belief in survival "kept [him] alive."
Mr. Zimm told the residents during the forum following the presentation, that “life without belief is nothing, it’s empty, it’s meaningless.”
"Now I feel like I can do anything once I get out, hearing their story has given me hope," said a resident set to release in 12 months in response to Mr. Zimm's message.
It is estimated around six million Jews died during the Holocaust – this event was systematically sponsored by the German government led by the Nazi regime, which came into power in January 1933. Jews were considered racially “inferior” to the desired Aryans. According to research gathered by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Jewish population in Europe amassed at nearly nine million. Rromani, people with mental and physical disabilities, homosexuals, Slavs, and Jehovah’s Witnesses were among the other targeted groups.
An RCJC resident hugs Halina Zimm after sharing her story.
The Zimms spoke to residents for an hour. By the end of Mrs. Zimm’s speech, she told residents, “I just want to hug you all.” Residents lined up to show their gratitude for the two speakers.
“Everyday life is a struggle,” said RCJC resident Angelia Watson, reflecting on the survivors’ chat. “There’s going to be pain. No matter where you go, there will be trials.”
RCJC Intern and Criminal Justice major at Virginia Commonwealth University, Taylor Black said this type of event is important to the incarcerated community.
“What’s important about them coming to speak [to the incarcerated community] is they are teaching [the residents] a way to overcome the struggle,” she said. “Because [when] you hear them speak, you know what they are saying is true.”
Mrs. Zimm displays the news story prompting her to reach out to RCJC.
The Zimms discovered the REAL program in a story run by Richmond Times-Dispatch. After reading it, Mrs. Zimm contacted Dr. Sarah Scarbrough, internal program director at RCJC. She felt she could offer the residents of the jail a lesson on history and "the power of love."
"When Mrs. Zmm called and expressed a desire to speak, it was such an incredible opportunity," Scarbrough said. "As American’s, we often take for granted the little things and become completely pre-occupied with ‘first world problems.’
"And for those who are incarcerated, they have little hope! So, by having the Zimm’s speak, they could show that truly anything is possible, including overcoming situations that look impossible, especially when looking death in the eye daily."
Despite the Zimms’ experiences, the couple remains positive and continues to educate as many people as they can.
“Don’t hate, don’t hate, you should accept everyone,” Mrs. Zimm said. “We are all people. We are all human beings, and being different is what makes the world more interesting."
