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Student Example
Their Last Steps David Olère. 73x54 cm, Ghetto Fighters House, Israel.
Our Grief Is Over
With each step we’re getting closer, hotter, more afraid.
We hear the screams of the ones who had no more steps to take.
We stare into the the raging fire and could not look away.
One more step, we’re getting closer, we’re getting hotter, more afraid.
We remember the goodness in our lives as we mourn in sorrow,
Our lives flash before us as we fail to grasp the reality of what’s happening.
We grab on to each other, knowing that our lives are over, knowing we are next;
One more step, we begin to mourn in sorrow
Looking at the numbers on my arm I realize I mean nothing.
I will burn like the trees in a forest and the wild fire will spread.
I see the glowing fire, mesmerized by the light wondering, what would happen to us
We step closer and closer to our fate of being nothing.
We hear screams and shrieks that rip through our ears,
The fire gets closer and closer, we can now feel the heat on our skin.
We look at each other and see the terror in our faces,
More screams that we can’t stand to listen to ripping through our ears.
We take our last breath, our lives flash before us.
We are no longer getting closer, or getting hotter, or getting more afraid.
Our grief is over
We hear the screams of the ones who had no more steps to take.
We stare into the the raging fire and could not look away.
One more step, we’re getting closer, we’re getting hotter, more afraid.
We remember the goodness in our lives as we mourn in sorrow,
Our lives flash before us as we fail to grasp the reality of what’s happening.
We grab on to each other, knowing that our lives are over, knowing we are next;
One more step, we begin to mourn in sorrow
Looking at the numbers on my arm I realize I mean nothing.
I will burn like the trees in a forest and the wild fire will spread.
I see the glowing fire, mesmerized by the light wondering, what would happen to us
We step closer and closer to our fate of being nothing.
We hear screams and shrieks that rip through our ears,
The fire gets closer and closer, we can now feel the heat on our skin.
We look at each other and see the terror in our faces,
More screams that we can’t stand to listen to ripping through our ears.
We take our last breath, our lives flash before us.
We are no longer getting closer, or getting hotter, or getting more afraid.
Our grief is over
David Olère was born in January 19, 1902 and lived in Poland, where he studied at the Academy of the Fine Arts. He then got married and moved to France where he was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, Poland. His inspiration to create this piece was from his job in Auschwitz where he had to empty the remains of the ovens where people were burned alive. Fortunately, he was released from Auschwitz in January 1945. When this painting was exactly constructed is unknown, but it is known that it was made shortly after he was released from Auschwitz.
Citation
Olère, David. Their Last Steps. 1989, Ghetto Fighters House, Israel.
A Teacher's Guide To The Holocaust. Florida Center For Instructional Technology, University Of South Florida, 1997-2013, http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/gallery2/D26.htm. Accessed 7 May 2019
Olère, David. Their Last Steps. 1989, Ghetto Fighters House, Israel.
A Teacher's Guide To The Holocaust. Florida Center For Instructional Technology, University Of South Florida, 1997-2013, http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/gallery2/D26.htm. Accessed 7 May 2019