Hurlburt remembers Holocaust survivors, victims Published May 16, 2008 By Lisa Pinter 1st SOW Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Survivors of the Holocaust remembered a dark moment in history at the Hurlburt Field Chapel May 14. A special ceremony, attended by two survivors of the World War II Holocaust, marked the day of remembrance. The theme for this year's commemoration was, "Do not Stand Silent: Remembering Kristallnacht 1938." The ceremony didn't just focus on Kristallnacht, which is considered as the violent beginning of the Holocaust, it covered the entire campaign against Jews. Its aim was to inform as well as to explain how the Holocaust started. The guest speaker was Gail Wallen, director of Holocaust Services at the Jewish Family and Children's Services of Southern Arizona. "Jews were believed to be the devil reincarnated," Ms. Wallen said. "There were a lot of twisted views toward the Jews." An estimated 6 million Jews were exterminated during the Holocaust, she said. "To live was to resist and survive," said Ms. Wallen. About 50 camps were opened in 1933 for those who spoke up against German dictator Adolf Hitler, according to Ms. Wallen. There were thousands more camps that were set up as the regime went on to deal with the "final solution" of European Jewry. Most of the early camps were referred to as work camps, and Jews were used for manual labor. Polish survivor Walter Feiger spoke to the crowd about his experiences in a concentration camp. According to Mr. Feiger, food rations in the camp were half a pound of bread and coffee. "If you can survive a concentration camp, you can survive anything," Mr. Feiger said. Beatings were usually done with iron bars and most didn't survive them, he said. "I had to try very hard every day not to get beat up," Mr. Feiger said. "That was a job in itself." It was a time of sadness, but survivors proved to be stronger than expected. "It is important that you always look for the good in people," Mr. Feiger said. The liberation of the Jews was a turning point during World War II. According to Mr. Feiger, the Americans treated them better than any other unit of liberation. He and his wife moved to the United States in 1956 so his children could be born in a free country. Ms. Wallen, Mr. Feiger and fellow survivor Wanda Wolosky were presented with American flags by the Hurlburt Field Honor Guard.