Over the next few days all across the country, Yom Hashoa, Holocaust Memorial Day will be marked by many including Gal Alberman’s family. “Of course, it’s just natural that when you have members of your family that were part of the horrors of the Holocaust, many thoughts and feelings about my grandparents and my father’s family come to the surface. It’s a very sad day for the Jewish people as a whole and for those who had family members that perished.”
Gal’s sister Moran brought attention to the story of their grandfather, Oleg who survived the horrors of horrors with amazing resourcefulness and eventually made it to Israel along with his wife Rochel, where they raised a family from the ashes of the Holocaust. Alberman also spoke about their story: “My grandfather and grandmother along with their brothers and sisters didn’t talk to us much about what had happened. I suppose there are things that they didn’t want to remember but when we did research on the family, we had to touch the subject. We tried to get as much information as possible but it was still difficult as they didn’t want to divulge much, which is understandable. They tried to give us love and wanted us to enjoy their new lives and not look back.”
Alberman’s grandfather Oleg & grandmother Rochel – Family Photo
Alberman’s career also confronted him with his family’s past when in 2008 the midfielder went to play for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the German Bundesliga arousing many feelings and thoughts on the subject. “There’s no question that it was quite ironic. After the Holocaust and what my family had to endure, to go back there with the goal of furthering my career was in a sense coming full circle. The majority of my grandparents family wasn’t alive when I moved there. I can tell you that there were plenty of moments when thoughts ran through my head of what they would have thought. It was really strange.”
“When I played in Germany there were many times when someone would ask where I was from and the minute they would hear I was from Israel, there was some discomfort from my answer, but that is reality and how the world is. I went there to attempt to fulfill my dreams. It ended up being on German soil and in some ways it was kind of a closure.”
And how does he see Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom Hashoa? “It’s a very sad day and it’s a very difficult day for me personally. Year after year, you hear and watch the stories and programs about what happened there. It’s very difficult to truly understand the extent of the tragedy and horrors that occurred. It’s something inconceivable. It’s a day of sadness that we recognize each and every year.”
