500 hear Holocaust survivor

Even before he began speaking, Holocaust survivor Solomon Perel was greeted by resounding applause. But as he started to talk, the 500 people in Irvine Auditorium fell silent. Perel, whose life is chronicled in the acclaimed foreign film Europa Europa, joined the German army to escape death at the hands of the Nazis. In his talk, "Reflections on my Life, Europa Europa and Beyond," Perel briefly compared his real life with the film. Perel, whose speech was translated from Hebrew, said that although the film was accurate it was condensed to tighten the plot. His speech primarily detailed the struggle between both of his personalities -- his life as Jew Solly Perel and his life as Nazi soldier Yosef Periel. "When he left his parents' house at the age of 14, his father told him . . . 'don't forget who you are.' His mother said 'It is upon you to stay alive,' " the translator said. "He didn't know that in order to fulfill his mother's command, he would have to forget who he was." Perel said that as he was forced to shout "Heil Hitler" it became harder for him to retain his Jewish identity. "Two souls combatted inside of him, a Jewish soul and a Nazi soul," Perel explained. "But increasingly, Solomon was pushed . . . away, and Yosef was the . . . dominant soul inside of him." To remind himself of his background, he would write songs to his mother that detailed his "longing and missing." After writing these songs, he would read them three times and tear them up. While off-duty as a German soldier, he travelled past his parent's home hoping to catch sight of them. "Only one time he saw a woman that looked like his mother and he still doesn't know whether it was her," Perel said. "The unsurety will always be with him." Perel said that after the war, he moved to Israel where he began a family and a job. While in Israel, Yosef, his German personality, resurfaced and tormented Perel. "I need to hate [Yosef] . . . but I'm not successful because I love him," Perel said. "He saved my life." The talk was sponsored by The Penn-Israel Connection, Connaissance, the Religious Studies department, the Newman Center, the Philomathean Society and Hillel. The talk was followed by a reception at Hillel during which students could ask Perel questions or share their feelings on his speech. Rabbi Sharon Stiefel, assistant Hillel director, said it is important to hear from people who survived the Holocaust. "It was a very emotional presentation. He was really speaking from his heart," Stiefel said. Perel finds it important to speak to college students. "There are so many professors and pseudo-scientists who reject the Holocaust," he said after the speech. "Giving personal testimony is more important than any documentary." "I saw the movie three times, and was touched by it each time," College senior Ram Gordon said. "It was really an honor to meet him." Perel said he is frequently asked whether he is disappointed that Europa Europa has never won an Oscar. "Every meeting with a student is an Oscar, and I am convinced I will walk out with many," he said.