Friday, September 16, 2016

Friday Video: The President's Tailor

Friday, September 16, 2016

Isabella reporting,

While Loretta and I were on our break, Labor Day may have slipped by, but we haven't forgotten it. A holiday in celebration of the American worker is too wonderful to overlook, and today's video is the perfect tribute. Martin Greenfield is a master tailor who has made suits for American presidents from Eisenhower to Obama. Immigrating to this country as an orphaned teenager in 1947, he's justifiably proud of his craftsmanship and all he has achieved, and he's clearly prouder still to be an American.

But Mr. Greenfield's story is filled with tragedy as well. Because he and his family were Jews, they were imprisoned by the Nazis in the concentration camps at Auschwitz. He was the only one of his family to survive, and as he says in this video, he continues to grieve for them over seventy years later. In this American election year, when racist rhetoric and hate-crimes against those who are different are on the rise, and the Alt-Right movement has brazenly appropriated the symbols and philosophies of Nazi Germany, we all need to be reminded of the hard lessons that came from the suffering of the past, and make sure those dark days never return.

If you received this post via email, you may be seeing an empty space or black box where the video should be. Please click here to watch the video.

5 comments:

AuntieNan said...

Oh what a great video! He is pretty modest -- he didn't mention his book "The Measure of a Man" which sounds terrific.
I always wanted to meet him, and now I feel like I have,
Thanks!
Nancy

Anonymous said...

When Donald Trump jr is making Holocaust jokes without any remorse - yes, we do indeed need to remember, and to VOTE. Never has there been an election with more clearly defined choices!

Unknown said...

What a wonderful story!

Caroline Clemmons said...

Ladies, I love your videos, but this one was your best. Thank you for sharing.

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for this post. It was a brave move on your part, but you're exactly right. We're living in scary times. We all need to be sure to vote this November. Thank you.

 
Two Nerdy History Girls. Design by Pocket