Reagan library hosts survivors of Hamas attack, Holocaust for tour of Auschwitz exhibit
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley brought together a 26-year-old survivor of the Hamas attack and a 95-year-old survivor of the Holocaust for a joint tour of the Auschwitz exhibit on Tuesday.
The two men also shared their stories during a press event.
Ariel Ein-Gal had been in Israel on Oct. 7, sleeping on a beach after partying all night with friends less than a quarter of a mile from the border with Gaza, he told reporters, when Hamas fighters attacked.
“All I could think of is the next bullet will be to my head and I’m going to die," Ein-Gal said. "They shot at us, hundreds of rounds in our direction. It was like in the movies when bullets hit the sand and the sand pops up, and we were all running for our lives."
The group ran to the nearest military base to seek shelter, he said, describing car chases, hiding out along the way, and what appeared to be a body but turned out to be a trap when the person rose and started shooting.
Several in the group were injured before the military was able to rescue them, he said. One friend who'd left early and hid at a shelter was killed when she tried to head home. “We found a dead body four days later,” Ein-Gal said.
Ein-Gal arrived in the United States three weeks ago and said he has visited various synagogues, temples, a church and a number of fundraising events for the Israel Defense Forces and for families of the hostages.
"I’m going to take this grief, these horrors that I went through, and I’m turning them right now into action,” he said.
The Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and militants kidnapped about 240 back into Gaza, including women and children, according to The Associated Press. Israel responded with a devastating air campaign across Gaza and a ground invasion in the north. More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The toll is likely higher, the AP reported, as only sporadic updates have been provided since services broke down Nov. 11.
With Ein-Gal Tuesday was Woodland Hills resident David Lenga, who survived the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp 80 years ago. He has previously toured the Reagan library's Auschwitz exhibit and has shared his story for the opening ceremony and at other events.
“The Jewish people worldwide are being affected so deeply by what's going on,” Lenga told reporters.
Lenga added he's grateful Ein-Gal is sharing his experience in Israel. “We are witnessing our best efforts not to let it happen again and have established a firm belief that we will never let it happen again — and it happened again," he said. "That is why I feel such a common kinship with this young man.”
The Reagan library's “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away” exhibit features more than 700 objects from the complex of concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Poland.
Since opening in March, about 170,000 people have visited, said Melissa Giller, the library's chief marketing officer, making it one of the library's most popular exhibits. Its original run was extended.
Tuesday's event highlighted the special exhibit's themes. “We really wanted to do something that tied the history of Auschwitz and what happened to the Jews during World War II with what's happening in Israel today,” Giller said.
The Auschwitz exhibit runs through Jan. 28. For more information and tickets, go to reaganfoundation.org.
Dua Anjum is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at dua.anjum@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Reagan library hosts survivors of Hamas attack, Holocaust
