2nd generation Holocaust survivor delivers message to inspire youth

Rose Viny, daughter of Holocaust survivor, delivered a powerful speech to inspire students March 22. She began with a short documentary titled “Escape from Treblinka.” The documentary told the story of her father, Joseph Polonski, and his daring escape from Treblinka, a concentration and extermination camp operated and built by Nazi Germany.

Viny spoke on her parents’ relocation to Omaha. She also spoke on the importance of spreading their story. “It starts with education – and it’s not with adults, because they’re already set in their ways,” Viny said. “It’s important for the youth and our children to understand what we’re needing to say.”

“When people are different, they get afraid because it’s the unknown. People were afraid of my parents when they came to my home, because they didn’t speak English. It’s like, ‘Oh they’re weird. Don’t go over to Rose’s house, because her parents don’t speak English.'”

Growing up in an environment where being Jewish was not the norm, Viny faced discrimination and bullying from those around her. “I really think when people are uneducated and they don’t understand where someone’s from, their ethnicity, they’re afraid. That fear comes to hatred because they don’t understand,” Viny said.

What once was a history that caused her to be alienated became one she would carry with pride.  “When I was younger, in high school, it was hard. You don’t know who you are,” Viny recalled. However, with time and security Viny was able to understand that her beliefs and her parents’ experiences weren’t something to be ashamed of. 

Viny learned that as wife, mom and grandmother, she wasn’t afraid anymore. “It’s time to talk,” she said. “It’s time to be myself and feel what I need to feel and get it out there.”

The speech might not have impacted the entire audience, but just one could be the difference. Just one might be inspired; the one who could cause a rippling impact of change.

“We all have to get out there and speak about the tolerance, the understanding, and that everyone has a precious life. Everyone should be able to live their lives and stop the hatred,” Viny said.