Over dinner with the Dutch ambassador and his charming wife a diplomat asked me: “Have you ever been to Theresienstadt?” “No,” I answered. “I have been to Auschwitz, but I never made it to Theresienstadt.” We spoke about why Theresienstadt was different from all other camps. I didn’t mention the fact that my mother spent some time in Theresienstadt. I felt it was inappropriate.
The dinner party ended in the garden.
I thought of Carver’s collection “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”.
Actually I thought: What we talk about when we talk about the holocaust.