David Faber

The cover of Faber's Memoir. ( ())

"We must not forget what happened. We must teach our children love not hate.We must remember the men and women who gave their life for the freedom of the world."(Faber) David Faber lived through the Holocaust and was forced to watch his whole family but his brother get killed. David was born in Poland in 1926 and survived, working and living in nine different concentration camps. A hero must possess bravery and persistence. My definition of bravery is the power of having a strong will to never give up on your dreams. Being persistent means to always continue and survive. David Faber is a hero because he was brave and persistent. He knew that you should never give up on what you believe in.

David as a child. ( ())

In my belief, bravery is an important characteristic in a hero. Faber proves this by pursuing his goal of survival even while seeing what no child should ever see in a lifetime. When David and his family were in hiding, they had scarce resources. Once, when he went out to find supplies for him and his family, he came back to the sound of the Nazis surrounding the building. "Faber and another man wanted to save the infant. They tried to secret it to the women in the camp. They got caught. The Nazis led Faber and the infant to the ovens. They threw the baby into the flames. They bound and beat Faber until he lost his voice counting the lashes."(Jennifer Toomer-Cook)  David has proved that he has the ability to not just walk out on his hopes and dreams. He knew he had to live, his goal was to fulfill his mother's last dying wish. Bravery is shown in this quote because he was doing what he believed was right, even if it meant getting punished. Sadly, the baby was not saved from death in the end. Although each member of the Faber family had experienced their own horrors, young David got the worst of it. "He was imprisoned in eight different concentration camps, including Auschwitz. Faber's book describes his experiences in the ghettos and concentration camps." (Erin Mahn) David is extremely lucky to still be alive today from what he encountered. He managed to thrive and live through eight concentration camps. The quote tells how mentally strong he had to be if he wanted to live till freedom. It took five years of living in death camps to finally be liberated. Bravery is a strong characteristic of my hero because of how well he proved it during his childhood.

David Faber today, showing his serial number tatoo ( ())

Persistence is an important characteristic that a hero should have. David shows persistence throughout his story by making sure to do what he needed to do to live. "Students, faculty, and community members filled the Whitley Auditorium Monday evening as David Faber, fulfilled the promise he made to his mother, to 'tell the world' his story."(Erin Mahn) David is persistent because he did not give up the promise he made to his mother. Even through everything that happened through his childhood, he made sure he stayed alive in order to share his story with the world. Additionally, David's faith was not broken no matter what he experienced. Even though he was alone and scared working in the concentration camps. "Faber tells of his childhood anti-Semitism that left his father's face scarred but his faith unscathed." (Jennifer Toomer-Cook) His whole family was murdered in front of him and he still thrived to survive against the nightmares of the concentration camps and Nazi persecution. David's father did whatever he could to protect his family, even if it meant him getting killed. When the Nazis first entered David's hometown, his father was captured to work for the Nazis. Young David snuck into the working area and when the guards weren't paying attention, he pulled his dad aside and saved him. Overall, David Faber showed persistence many times throughout his childhood. He made sure to never give up and follow his dreams. 

Faber is a hero because even when he didn't think he would live he still tried because he believed that eventually someone would come to save them. David has shown the world that you shouldn't forget about the mistakes of the past, but learn from them. "'This is why I'm pouring my heart out to you - to make this a better world, not the kind of world I lived in. Not with hate,". "All I want from you is to bring up your own children (without) hate. I beg of you. That's all I want."(Faber) This quote shares the idea that he is inspirational because he wants the world to be a better place. The purpose of what he is saying is to teach your children love and care, not things that he was forced to see. Obviously the things that he saw in the concentration camps can not be forgotten but we can share these experiences in order to prevent it from ever happening again. David Faber inspires me and others because his only wish is for children and families to live in a world of peace and love. In conclusion, David should be an inspiration to all as a survivor and a great speaker. We should all be grateful to not have to live through something as horrific as he did.

Works Cited

Eliot, Sonia. "Because of Romek." Sandiegoreader.com. San Diego Reader, 27 May 2009. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

GARZANELLI, MELISSA. "Holocaust Survivor Shares Experience with Students." The Times. 26  Feb. 2007. Web. 5 Feb. 2015. .

Mahn, Erin. "Holocaust Survivor David Faber Shares Experiences."Holocaust Survivor David Faber Shares Experiences. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

Toomer-Cook, Jennifer. "Holocaust Survivor Recounts Nazi-perpetrated Horrors." Www.deseretnews.com. Deseret News, 14 Sept. 2005. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.