A Dialogue of Hope

Today’s blog comes to us from Museum Educator Tracy Bradshaw, who had the opportunity to take part in an extraordinary afternoon and offered to share the experience with us. Thanks, Tracy!

On May 4, I had the pleasure of attending a luncheon and dialogue with Japanese survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. The topic was very intriguing to me mostly because I spend so much time working with Holocaust survivors and I had never given much thought to how the Japanese were —and still are —affected by the Atomic bomb.

This event was held at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew on 86th St. and Amsterdam Ave. The host of the event was Rev. T.K. Nakagaki, a Buddhist priest, who was very warm and helped set an inviting tone. The audience included a group of 20 people, all of whom had some involvement in the two subjects, as well as a strong passion for spreading the message of peace.

The guest speakers consisted of three Holocaust survivors and two Atomic bomb survivors. Greta Elbogen, Sol Rosenkranz, and Rabbi Jacob Jungreis represented the Museum and shared their varied experiences of life during the Holocaust. Nakayama Takamitsu, who survived Nagasaki, and Hiroshi Nakamura, who survived Hiroshima, discussed what they were doing the day the bombs dropped and the lingering after effect of this disaster. The speakers seemed very connected and had a mutual respect for each other’s struggles. Hearing these five very different and extremely moving experiences gave birth to a series of fascinating questions and introspective dialogue.

Working at a Museum that focuses on the Holocaust I believed I was well versed on the events of WWII, but this program made me aware of the other side to the story that appears to be different but yet quite similar. I think we all left feeling enlightened and conscious of our responsibility to work towards change because coming together to discuss the past is important, but uniting to work as one building a better future is even greater.

[Editor’s note: Rev. Nakagaki brought two other Atomic bomb survivors to the Museum the next day to share testimony with Gallery Educators and staff. It was the kind of professional development afternoon made for a Museum like ours.]

In the photo are Rabbi Jacob Jungreis, Sol Rosenkranz, Greta Elbogen, and Hiroshi Nakamura. Photo by Tracy Bradshaw.