Holocaust Survivors Reflect on September 11th •  Feeling Out of Control •  Recognizing Terror and Injustice •  Shattered Dreams •  Remembering Tyranny •  Seven Months Later: Discussion Questions and Activities for Teachers •  Table of Contents

Maud Dahme, a child hidden during the Holocaust and president of the New Jersey State Board of Education, discusses how the events of September 11th brought back disturbing memories of her childhood in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation.

On September 11th, I was at Drumthwacket, the governor's mansion, honoring New Jersey Acting Governor DiFrancesco for his support for Holocaust and genocide education. I arrived there early because there were to be photos of the governor accepting the plaque honoring him.

While we were standing there, we heard that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. I assumed it was a small plane and an accident. There was no TV or radio there to keep us apprised of what was happening.
But the New Jersey State Police had their radios and would tell us information as they heard it. Then they told us that it was a commercial flight and I was scared. Then they said that another plane had crashed into the other tower and that a plane had crashed in Pennsylvania.

I then became very upset and scared and just wanted to get out. This brought back a lot of memories of World War II, when I did not know what was happening. I always become upset when I hear talk of war. In fact, I delivered my daughter prematurely during the Cuban Missile Crisis. At this point the New Jersey State Police told us to evacuate the mansion, as they had to secure the location.

I couldn't wait to get into my car and listen to the radio. I was so afraid and just drove for several hours. I did not want to go home right away. I felt out of control; I didn't know what would happen next. I felt this way during the war. Then things happened around me. Now I wanted to move around and feel that I was in command of the situation. During the war I could not move around; there was no place to go. While driving, I heard about the Pentagon crash; my daughters are in that area. I called them. I needed to make sure they were okay. One daughter could not get out of Washington because the bridges were closed.

October 1st, I was in Alaska for an Interstate Migrant Education Council (IMAC) meeting. We were on a ship going around the glaciers. I heard that we had started to drop bombs on Afghanistan. Then I started to cry. I visualized another war here. I was scared again. I also realized that people from the northeast are much more nervous than were the people on the ship from other areas of the United States.

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think Maud was so eager to get in her car and just keep driving?

2. Who were the first people Maud wanted to contact? Who did you contact?

3. Why do you think Maud felt so out of control?

4. How did this catastrophe remind Maud of her childhood experiences during the Holocaust? Explain.