The following photo is the PROMPT. Can you get lost in it? What kind of story does it tell you? Share it in a hundred words or less.
My story follows the prompt and the blue inLinkz frog. I appreciate honest comments and constructive crit.
PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Melanie Greenwood
Perhaps it seems I’m late to the party as last week, 27 January, commemorated the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In my opinion, every day is a good time to remember.
Shalom,
Rochelle
***
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Word Count: 100
YIZKOR
There is a museum in Jerusalem called Yad Vashem. Although I live five miles from it, I’ve never wanted to visit.
“Come with me, Hannah,” says Zvi. “The candles are pretty.”
My brother is relentless.
“No, Zvi. Let me forget.”
_________
The maze of mirrors is filled with reflections of six candle flames.
“Shoshana Stein, six years old. Romania.”
Disembodied voices intone names in an endless requiem for the dead.
“Moishe Lapinsky, sixteen years old. Poland.”
One point five million children murdered.
“Zvi Goldberg. Four years old. Ukraine.”
At my brother’s name, I sink to my knees.
I will never forget.
Original Artwork – © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
The names I used in my story are fictitious. The names in the following snippet are real. Haunting in its simplicity, the candle room is an experience I’ll never forget.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
The video is terribly sad.
LikeLike
Dear Latasun,
That museum is even more haunting in person.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haunting, the story and that photograph. 😦
(The video is blocked here by the firewall, will get to it once I can.)
LikeLike
Dear Vinay,
As they were meant to be. Thank you for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Out of unspeakable tragedy, such beauty. Your story hurts, but in the way it should hurt. The pain of some stories is that they have to be told at all. May we never forget.
LikeLike
Dear Patricia,
As I said, every day is a good day to remember. Indeed, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Alas, there’s repetition going on all over the world.
Thank you for such kind comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Very haunting theme, beautifully done. That video is almost unbearable to watch and listen to. Well done, Rochelle. Very well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Sandra,
If you think the video was hard to watch, you can imagine what it’s like to stand there in that hall of mirrors. I still weep thinking about it.
Your glowing comments mean the world to me.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow Rochelle, you describe it so well! What a moving piece.
LikeLike
Dear Jessie,
It’s always nice to start my morning with comments like these.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Hauntingly beautiful.
LikeLike
Thank you, Betty.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are very welcome!
LikeLike
Powerful and moving piece of prose. Fiction is a great way to remind us of the truth.
LikeLike
Dear Patrick
think fiction can make history seem more personal.
Thank you for such high praise.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Goodness gracious. Chills so early in the day is an anomaly. You continue to educate us Rochelle. Kudos for your wisdom.
LikeLike
Dear Joe,
The Nazis were so proud of their accomplishments, they kept impeccable records and photographed their atrocities. We must make sure all their documentation survives so that no one can ever say it never happened. It is chilling. And genocide continues.
Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Rochelle i cannot even begin to imagine what kind of hatred drove Hitler and by subjugation the Nazis. Even now there is a subsect that seems to try to revive the old ideas and perpetuate their arc of terror.
LikeLike
When this hits on such a personal level.. it becomes so much more than the disasters.. That is why the personal histories are so important to keep.. it goes from abstract to real.. Thank you for a well told story..
LikeLike
Dear Björn,
Unfortunately, the number of survivors are dwindling and their stories with them. It’s up to us and the next generation (I can only hope) to keep their memories alive.
Thank you for such a nice comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Pressing “like” on this seems wrong.
Well written, Rochelle.
LikeLike
Dear Peter,
There are stories like that. I’m not offended if you don’t click “like”. It’s not a like-able subject matter.
Thank you for such a wonderful compliment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Haunting and powerful. You tell a huge story in 100 little words.
LikeLike
Dear Sonya,
Thank you for such a huge compliment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haunting and painful indeed. This prompt is stirring up some sadness as I read the entries. How interesting.
LikeLike
Dear Joseph,
So far as I’ve read, and that’s not a lot at this point, there seems to be quite a few different takes on this prompt. I love to see where people’s heads will go with a prompt.
For me the maze put me immediately in that hall of mirrors at Yad V’shem, an experience I’ll never forget.
Thank you for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautifully poignant, as always.
LikeLike
Thank you for such a sweet comment, Dawn.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your story had me feeling the sadness and shock that I continue to feel as I read about this terrible stain in world history. The videos and your story reinforced my unending question, “Why?”
LikeLike
Dear Joy,
There are so many unanswered ‘why’s’ in the world, aren’t there? Genocide continues.
Thank you for your thought provoking comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, that is very true. Sadly
LikeLike
The most depressing stories can be the truest stories (or vice versa). A sad story well conveyed.
LikeLike
Dear Caerlynn,
There’s no getting around the sadness of this theme.
I appreciate your time in reading and commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Such a moving and beautiful tribute.
LikeLike
Thank you, Susan. I appreciate the feedback.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
The real tragedy of human race is the everlasting forgetfulness, accompanied with a short term memory. Very deep and poignant story.
LikeLike
Dear Loré,
The news these days has me wondering if anything was really learned from the Holocaust. There’s so much evil in the world.
Thank you for your comments and compliments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unfortunately, the Holocaust is just one of many tragedies. We forget to look back, our history is intertwined with so much darkness. But out of the dark ages came The Renaissance. We must dare to hope.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When you mentioned the disembodied voice naming the children my heart fell. All those people, all those children – and why? Great story.
LikeLike
Dear Alicia,
That’s the exhibit I remember most at Yad V’Shem. There was something about those voices reciting the names and ages of the children nonstop. The memory reduces me to tears. Why indeed?
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
May we never forget.
LikeLike
Amen, Louise. 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed. We mustn’t forget.
LikeLike
No we mustn’t, Lisa.
LikeLike
Dear Rochelle
You at your best. Hauntingly moving, I am close to tears. The world must never forget those lost through man’s inhumanity, may we always remember them.
Dee
LikeLike
Dear Dee,
From the looks of the world’s condition, I fear the memories are fading.
Thank you for such a high compliment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Rochelle,
Great take on the prompt. The labyrinth in this garden is sure to bring some excellent stories to us this week, and you’ve started us off with a fine example. Not sure I would ever be able to spend much time in that particular museum. I managed to stay in the Houston Holocaust Museum for about 20 minutes before I was overwhelmed and had to leave.
I like the way you put a personal touch to this story with the name of a family member. Well done.
All my best,
Marie Gail
LikeLike
Dear Marie Gail,
Yad V’Shem was a tough place to walk through. For me one of the hardest things was looking at pictures of people who looked like they could’ve been related to me. There three of us who were born Jewish and of Eastern European descent and we all had the same feelings.
But the hall of mirrors was the toughest. I’ll never forget it.
I appreciate your comments, support and friendship.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rochelle,
First, I want to say it is never too late or the wrong time to bring up a subject as important as this. Commemorations and anniversaries are important because they bring things into the public eye, but so are the quiet memories and reminders of stories well-told.
And yours is just such a story. The balance is perfect; you lead us into one place with the first half, and although it’s somewhere that is hard to be, when you throw us somewhere much less comfortable in the second, it is a reminder that those of us who ‘remember’, have so much less pain than those who remember.
Sincerely, this is one of your best, and I don’t say that lightly. I wasn’t aware of this exhibit; it sounds and looks incredibly powerful. Proof that simplicity is often the strongest thing.
Jen
LikeLike
Dear Jen,
I certainly don’t take your compliment lightly. In fact I treasure it.
It’s true, I can write memorial fiction and feel it deeply as a Jew but I’ll never fully understand what it’s like to be one of those few left among us with a number on her arm. Still, this is a “pet theme” of mine, so no matter what time of year, a Holocaust story is bound to pop up here and there as my muse leads.
Thank you so very much.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Heartbreaking.
LikeLike
Thank you, Hilary.
LikeLike
‘Lest we forget ….’
Beautifully remembered Rochelle
LikeLike
Dear Siobhán,
Thank you for your lovely words. Never again.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
With writing like this, the world will remember longer and better, Rochelle. Thank you for being one of the pre-eminent voices that continue to speak and continue to give the world at least a chance to keep it from happening again.
LikeLike
Dear Sandra,
Comments like yours are ones that help spur me onto keep writing these types of stories. Amalek lives and he needs to be exposed at every turn.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
You storytelling always moves me 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you for saying so, Helen. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
A beautifully written, terribly sad story.
LikeLike
Dear Ali,
Thank you for such a nice comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Oh man, that is just crushing. It’s a terrible thing, but I will never forget. Humanity cannot afford to forget, ever. We cannot let anyone else experience such a heinous crime. We must be on guard against it, forever. Your story touches down deep, Rochelle.
LikeLike
Dear Eric,
It was an unreal piece of history. Systematic and cruel. There’s a lot of genocide alive and well today, but there’s something chilling about the way Hitler did it right under the world’s nose.
Thank you for your kind words. As always I appreciated your feedback.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ripping my heart once reading your story wasn’t enough – 1.5 million more times can never be forgotten.
and what incredible lines. one complex, and one so simple – but both so powerful:
“Disembodied voices intone names in an endless requiem for the dead.”
and
“At my brother’s name, I sink to my knees.”
Bless you, Rochelle.
Randy
LikeLike
Dear Randy,
Your comment brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it. A birthday isn’t the only thing we share, is it?
Sorry but not sorry for the heart ripping. Never Again.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
i agree with you that any day is a good time to remember. your story this week has touched me deeply.
LikeLike
Thank you for saying so, Plaridel. That means a lot.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Dear Rochelle, What a moving, emotional story! How can people be so wicked and brutal to one another? The museum is a wonderful memorial to the holocaust. Right now, the world is going through another hideously evil group out to kill all those that don’t agree. I don’t know how their so-called religion could be a good one. I’m ashamed of the human race that can do things like this. God help us all and May we never forget! Nan 🙂
LikeLike
Dear Nan,
There’s evil all around us. I don’t understand these animals either.
The Holocaust shocks us on a different level because of the systematic and cold way it was carried out right under the world’s nose.
Thank you for your comments and for being such an active part of Friday Fictioneers.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Incredibly moving, and told with precision and just the right amount of emotion. The characters come alive. A most valuable reminder, as the readers before me have said.
LikeLike
Dear Margaret,
You may have already noticed that I write these little stories from time to time. Since I was a small child the Holocaust has been a constant reality. I remember relatives and friends of the family with the numbers tattooed on their arms. My mother would never let me forget and I strive not to let others forget either.
Thank you for your kind comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Dear Rochelle,
It’s essential that such horrors are remembered, and it’s wonderful that you are willing to use your talents to this end.
Cheers
Marg
LikeLike
That was heartbreaking, Rochelle. I have children, and I taught 1st and 2nd Grades. I started to cry. It was a time of terrible evil. Well written as always. — Suzanne
LikeLike
Dear Suzanne,
Tears are a high compliment. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Elegant and emotional. The simplicity of the writing is key to how effective this story is. The to-and-fro in the dialogue of the brother taking the reluctant sister is an excellent lure before the cold, brutal statistic (1.5m children) and then… the gut-punch reveal of Zvi’s name being intoned.
This is probably one of your best.
KT
LikeLike
Dear KT,
You get the comment prize this week. I think you’re the first one to see the reveal. In the first section, Zvi is a relentless ghost who noodges his sister out of her denial. Not that it’s the most important part, but it’s there. 😉
Elegant is a lovely word. Thank you for ascribing it to my story.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Noodges… I’m sure I read that in another post – it means pester, correct? I wasn’t sure if Zvi were really a ghost or merely the embodiment of a nagging memory of his sister, but the whole story turns on that twist that he was dead at the time of the… noodging(?). It’s pivotal (as any twist should be) 🙂
Cheers
KT
LikeLike
The embodiment of a nagging memory works, too. 😉 Yes noodge means to pester. It can be a verb or a noun. A noodge is a pest.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I clicked like for the way you depict and touch heart, very effectively.
LikeLike
Thank you, Indira. I always appreciate you sweet words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
A beautiful sketch and maybe one of the best 100-word stories of yours that I’ve read. Soon all the survivors will be gone 😦 and it’ll be up to us to continue to remember to never forget. I hope, even though I have doubts, that we’re up to the task. I don’t know if you saw this video or not – It was a New York city council meeting last month where the council was voting on whether or not to officially honor the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. A group of pro-Palestinian activists in the balcony began to disrupt the meeting and after they were removed Councilman David Greenfield had this to say:
LikeLike
Rochelle, I am in awe at your writings and posts. So thankful for our present freedom to express. For me, no words can paint the pain, but you so beautifully and in 100 words did it. Thank you for the video of Yad Vashem, and thanks to Michael Fishman for his post of Councilman Greenfield’s speak-out at the NY City Council recently. Totally worth sharing-I did on my FB page. Again, may we never forget.
LikeLike
Thank you Teresa for your words and for being part of my mishpokhah.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Dear Michael,
I had not seen this video. Thank you for sharing it here. I’m weeping as I type. I weep first because I’m Jewish, I never knew the family members I lost in the Holocaust or the pogroms before it, but I know of them…I am a part of them. I weep also because this cancer continues.
I can’t stop writing such stories. I won’t stop writing such stories.
Thank you for commenting and sharing.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Rochelle, a poignant reminder of a horror we must never forget!
janet
LikeLike
Dear Janet,
Thank you for stopping by to read and comment. It means a lot.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
We are all so moved, and yet, in our world it happens still. Terribly haunting story. We are privileged to be reminded of our good fortune to be alive to hear those who never forget.
LikeLike
Dear Stephonie,
I are indeed privileged. I think the most frightening things about the Holocaust is the way it was carried out. Cold, calculating and with such precision. We are horrified because the Nazis recorded everything down to the names of their victims and left photos. I know it haunts me.
Thank you for coming by to read, remember and comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Thank you for the story, Rochelle. It is beautifully told. I cannot watch the video at this time, though. Too sad for me. Maybe another time I will be strong enough.
Lily
LikeLike
Dear Lily,
Thank you for your kind words on my story. While the video is hard to watch and hear, being there in person was a powerful experience.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
So tragic and so sad. Your post is very well done. I like the artwork drawing of the little boy, btw, very nice.
LikeLike
Dear Arlene,
Thank you for commenting and for noticing the artwork.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
An incredible memorial for so many lost small souls.
LikeLike
Thank you, Liz.
LikeLike
Very interesting and emotional piece. I had a vision in my head of these children then to cross over to the end of the story that speaks of tragedy turns that vision into emotion: sorrow.
Well done. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLike
Dear eLPY,
This is a favorite recurring theme of mine. Glad you came by to read and comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
I hit the “like” button for the wonderful skill you use to write such a haunting and tragic story. Well done.
LikeLike
Dear Tiffany,
Thank you for such glowing compliments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
My heart aches for all the children lost. I like the idea of the candle room to remember them. Listening to them reading the names and ages of the children was haunting. It made it real. Very powerful post!
LikeLike
Dear Kirsten,
I stood in that candle room nine years ago. The memory haunts me and still brings tears. If I came close to conveying the experience my mission’s accomplished.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
You came more than close! You expressed it vividly and your picture if the Jewish child was beautiful!
LikeLike
Incredibly moving and beautifully written.
LikeLike
I appreciate you saying so, Claire. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Dear Periwinkle Plum,
You really are a purple-winged fairy, taking us on journeys and opening our eyes and hearts to things we might not stop to ponder. This is a very touching story and written in such a personal manner than we all feel the pain. A writer can’t do any better than that–as all the comments above testify.
Now, have Jan give you a good tickling for me.
– Tickle Monster
LikeLike
Dear Tickle Monster,
Neither purple-winged fairy nor writer can ask for a better compliment. I’ll pass along your message to Jan. (maybe…I’m very ticklish 😉 )
Shalom,
Periwinkle Plum
LikeLike
I thought the link to the prompt very flimsy honestly … but the story is fine and no occasion to talk about the Shoah is to be lost in any case.
Thanks for the video from the candle room.
http://definitivelapseofreason.com/2015/01/27/out-of-auschwitz-in-ten-images/
Tay.
LikeLike
Dear Tay,
All my links to prompts tend to be flimsy. That goes back to the Thoreau quote, “It’s not what you look at that matters it’s what you see.” However, this one “maze of mirrors” was my link. Have you ever been there?
Thank you for your comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Such a hauntingly beautiful story, really well told.
LikeLike
Thank you, Fairymind. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is so heartbreaking, but still so important. Humanity shouldn’t forget what happened.
LikeLike
Dear Emilie,
Alas, humanity forgets all across the globe.I agree, we should never forget.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Dear Rochelle, that must have been terribly eerie and haunting to experience this memorial in person, so sad because they are children, just innocent children. Thank you for writing this story in light of the 70th anniversary. We can never forget. Shalom, Amy
LikeLike
Dear Amy,
It was on of the most profound experiences of my life, one that I can hardly recount without tears.
Thank you for your lovely comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
The background chanting, in the video, and the announcer’s low voice vibrated within me. Beautifully told story, Rochelle…the reality of it left me breathless.
Ellespeth
LikeLike
Dear Ellespeth,
The exhibit itself was powerful. The video pales by comparison.
Thank you for your breathless comments. I’m honored.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
Beautifully written, Rochelle and that video was heartbreaking but I am grateful to have seen it. I have heard from friends who have visited and students I have taught sharing their sadness but never regretting the experience. We must never forget and I am hopeful we shall not…many youths continue to share the stories of their grandparents. Shalom,Oliana
LikeLike
Dear Oliana,
It pleases me to hear about the grandchildren sharing their grandparents’ stories. Their memories must be kept alive.
I stood in that hall of mirrors myself and will never forget it. It still brings tears to my eyes to think about it.
Thank you for your lovely comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful and powerful words to remember. I have visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, three times. Each time the horror of what happened hits just as hard and I moved to tears as I hear the survivors stories. What the Jewish people endured should have never happened. And the fact that they now, once again being threatened, is unconscionable.
Let everyone remember the words of Martin Niemöller:
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
LikeLike
Dear Sheila,
I’ve never been to the museum in Washington DC but I’ve been to the one in Jerusalem. It was a profound experience. I saw in the photos faces that could very well have been related to me. And the hall of mirrors, the children’s museum, left a wound that I’ll never all to heal.
I’ve read this poem before. It is appalling that it’s happening again…and terrifying. I’ve heard some say they believe it’s 1939 all over again. They may be right.
Thank you for your wonderful comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
This is an extremely moving post, Rochelle, and so beautifully written. The truth of such events will surely never be forgotten. As Hannah says, ‘I (she) will never forget’. The video of the Candle Room is particularly haunting.
LikeLike
Dear Millie,
As haunting as the video is, it doesn’t hold a candle (pun always intended) to actually being there. It was one of the most profound experiences of my life. I will never forget, either.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can only imagine the effect the experience had on you, Rochelle. That you will never forget it speaks for itself.
LikeLike
A very powerful and moving combination of fact and fiction.
LikeLike
Dear Subroto,
I’m glad you thought so. Thank you for coming by to read and comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
A powerful visual reminder of the horror of what happened then and is still happening the world over, to children, murder in one form or another. As you said in response to a comment: ” … those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” I hadn’t heard of The Maze of Mirrors. And good story to the prompt.
LikeLike
Dear Ann,
That exhibit at Yad Vashem was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever experienced. The voices intoning those names of murdered children reduced me to a puddle of tears. It still does when I think about it. Sadly, it is still happening. 😦
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person