Thou shalt not be a bystander
NEW HARTFORD, NY – That was the message, so forcefully and succinctly stated, that Holocaust survivor Helen Sperling wanted listeners to remember when she spoke recently to residents of Preswick Glen. She calls it her eleventh commandment. During a nearly two-hour talk Sperling gave to approximately 130 members of the New Hartford community, she spoke passionately about her experience. Sperling, 95 years old and still independent, is a survivor of one of the darkest times in our history, and over the years has been a regular speaker on the topic. Though her public appearances are less these days, the Utica resident embraced the opportunity to speak to this group of her peers, a number of whom lived through the war, and share her experiences of her time in the concentration camps, her family and their hardships, and her journey since.
“If I can stress one thing, please don’t make this story about me,” she said. “I don’t need the recognition. Make it about my message. Please.” Her message, which she repeated often—“Don't be a bystander!”—is born of an experience that she has seen repeated over and over in the decades since the second World War.
Her greatest frustration? “When we were in the concentration camps, we kept asking, ‘Where is the world?’ Now, we are the world, and we still see leaders in other countries around the world condemning people—those who don’t believe as they do—to die, just like Hitler did. No one believed him, either. We haven’t learned. It breaks my heart.” She reminded her audience that every victim of every genocide has a face. Each was a person with a life, and loved ones.
It surprised her that many Preswick Glen residents were hearing the details of Helen’s story for the first time, and didn’t know about some of what happened during the Holocaust. “We were all deeply moved by her words. Helen received standing ovations—on her way in, and on her way out,” said Kyle Leisner, Programming and Events Director for Preswick Glen. “Everyone walked up to her afterward to thank her for being an inspiration, and changing so many lives through her words.”
Attendees were understandably moved. “What an inspiration not just to the our community, but the entire world,” said resident Jim Kirkpatrick after the talk. “Helen empowers you not to be a bystander, and to take a stand, encouraging everyone to speak up for what they believe is right,” said Meg Cardamone, Executive Director of Preswick Glen. “What a powerful woman.” All of Sperling’s family, except her younger brother, who passed away a few years ago, died in the gas chambers. She spoke of the many atrocities committed in the camps, and tried to put faces to the tragedies from that time. Through it all, she made the point of her story a contemporary one: don’t stand by while similar atrocities and genocides occur around the world. It’s never just “us” and “them”, we are all in this together.
Over the years, Sperling has spoken before large crowds at schools, universities, police academies, seminars, monasteries, and churches throughout the northeastern United States. She hopes her message resonates with all of them, no matter their age. It certainly resonated with the people of Preswick Glen.
“Helen Sperling makes you take a step back and appreciate what you have,” added Leisner. “Listening to her story, you realize you can’t take life for granted.”
Preswick Glen independent senior living community is a member of the Presbyterian Homes & Services’ family of services, which also includes the Presbyterian Residential Community, Presbyterian Home for Central New York, the Presbyterian Homes Foundation and The Meadows at Middle Settlement. Presbyterian Homes & Services excels in providing health care, housing and community services while promoting individual wellness and independence in a dignified manner.
For more information contact Kyle Leisner, Programming & Events Director, at 315-734-9586.