Giving History a Face

Cynthia Ozick's The Shawl is a short poignant story. It tells the story of Rosa, her niece Stella and her daughter, Magda, during the Holocaust.

The Shawl shares what must have been the story of hundreds of Jewish mothers during Hitler's reign. It is story not often thought about or portrayed in either non-fiction or fiction. How many mothers did everything they could to save their children only to watch them die cruel and painful deaths the way Rosa did as Madga was hurled against the electric fence surrounding the concentration camp? This story with its vivid descriptions, symbolism and intense feeling makes one wonder how many such stories have never been told.

The Holocaust is over, though as the follow up to The Shawl, Rosa shows, the effects last long after the experience. The question however remains, what do we miss when we look at historic or contemporary events without looking at the faces or listening to the voices of those affected.

In Iraq what stories do mothers have to tell? In Kenya, what would the young men fighting tribal wars tell us if we stopped to listen? What irreversible pain do the child prostitutes of Calcutta experience? The list could go on and on.

In an age of instant everything, we often forget to look beyond the headlines at the faces. May the story of Rosa and baby Magda remind us to take the time to see the people affected by headline news throughout the world.