To Tell Their Stories

I distinctly remember lying in my bed and a book opened on my pillow in front of me. I was completely drawn in. Even though it was late, I could not close the book, turn off the light or go to sleep; not with these stories running through my head. Each new story brought me right into the next.

My sisters were studying the Holocaust for school and my Mom had picked up some books from the library for them to read on the subject. One book in particular looked interesting to me. It was called "The Hidden Children" by Howard Greenfeld.

This is the book that I brought to my bedroom that night and this is the book that I could not put down.

I had studied the Holocaust itself. Before, when I had thought of this terrible time in history, I would naturally think of concentration camps. However, this book opened my eyes to a different aspect of the Holocaust. The stories were about selfless people opening up their homes so that others could live. Some of these people were pastors, priests, nuns and ordinary farmers to name a few; all risking their lives. I learned about courageous parents giving their children a chance at life, but in doing so, knowing that this would most likely be the last good-bye.

There were stories after stories of children having to give up their childhood and everything they knew to live in Catholic orphanages or farms and in many cases, several different locations so they would not be caught. They had to change their names and could not tell anyone they were Jewish; their identity was traded and they became a stranger even to themselves as they lived among strangers. Fear became their new certainty and prayers that their parents were safe became a new necessity to keep hope alive.

I learned about Rachelle Goldstein who was only three years old when she went into hiding at a Catholic orphanage. Food shortages, missing and worrying about her parents became normal. Benno Horowitz found safety in a chalet in the French Alps. He stayed there for the remainder of the war, but under a hidden identity. Alice Melcer speaks of the heartbreaking decision her parents had to make to put her into hiding. The family she went to live with were good to her and never revealed her identity to their neighbors. However, when the neighbors became suspicious, Alice had to be moved to a different home.

Instead of viewing the Holocaust through the lens of the six million who were murdered, I considered, for the first time, those who survived and lived and why their lives were spared.

These children were given the chance to have children of their own, pursue their passions and live out the remainder of their lives. I learned that a single life is worth saving as a Jewish proverb states, "Whoever saves a single life, saves an entire universe."

Albert Einstein once said, "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." So many individuals turned a blind eye to the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust. This is why it is so important to tell the story of those who had incredible courage to do what was right.

That is why the next book I am writing tells the story of brave parents giving their children a chance at life even if it means never seeing them again, it tells the story of a brave girl who loses everything, but her own life is spared because of a heroic family willing to show compassion and provide shelter to her. As a result, this girl's family legacy is able to continue.

Their stories need to be told.