War Hero Saul Schiff

I just got off the phone with a principal of a Christian school in DeWitt, Iowa. In 2009, her students raised money to put up a stone in remembrance of Esther Schiff in their school yard. Esther and her husband Saul were very touched by this memorial.

Just a few weeks ago, Saul and I talked about his being an American soldier during the war. He was on the beaches of Normandy. He was a handsome American hero!

He also experienced the horror of Dachau. I've known Saul for many years but he has never told me about this before. He explained with tears in his eyes what it was like for a young American soldier (who happened to be Jewish) to witness the horror of a concentration camp.

I told him I had to find a young author to tell his story! He said he didn't think it was worth telling but I disagree!

This morning Principal Chris Meyer from St. Joseph school in DeWitt agreed with me! She is organizing her staff and her students to tell Saul's important story.

I'm going to arrange to take my computer to the Schiff's apartment and have him visit class via Skype. The wonders of modern technology!

The hardest part will be explaining Skype to Saul & Esther! They admittedly are computer "illiterates" and they like it that way!

I love it when things fall in place to have an important story told by my young authors! I've never felt so blessed!

God Loves Us All

I have worked with exchange students from all over the world since 1999. Most of my students are from Europe, Asia, and South America but for the first time, last year, I participated in a Middle Eastern project called YES which started right after 9/11/2001. The purpose of the YES scholarship students is to bring greater understanding between the predominantly Muslim nations and the USA.

Some of the students I brought to the Quad Cities were hosted by Muslim families but some were hosted by Christian families. I think all my YES students had the experience of their lifetime and they taught us so much about their traditions and their cultures. They were amazing volunteers and touched many lives through community projects, feeding those in need programs, boy scouts, church projects, projects at the mosque, etc.

I'm happy to report, last year six of my eight students from the Middle East participated in the A BOOK BY ME writing project documenting stories from Europe (mostly from Albania) during the war. The King of Albania was a honorable man (a Muslim) who encouraged his people to save the Jewish families under Nazi occupation in his nation. As a result, many Muslims risked their own lives to save Jewish friends or neighbors. They were successful and because of them, many Jewish people were able to live and immigrate to Israel after the war.

I think these stories are awesome and deserve to be recognized. The stories, I feel, give us HOPE for a brighter tomorrow.

As I read these stories on http://www.eyecontactfoundation.org/, I was so encouraged.

I'm just naive enough to believe that perhaps if we teach our children all lives have great value, there will be a brighter tomorrow. Therefore, after copyrighted, these books will be printed and put schools in across the nation and all around the world.

Stories were written in the A BOOK BY ME children's book format by students from Oman, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Zanzibar and two boys from Yemen. The following story was documented by Ahmed Al-Kply of Yemen:

Basri Hasani
In his own words …

I am an orphan. I have lived all my life in Mitrovica, Kosovo. I have been the City Administrator for many years. Our town is known as Red Mitrovica because we have seen so much bloodshed. We suffered under the Nazis from 1941 to 1945. We experienced the Serb ethnic cleansing and NATO bombing in 1998 and 1999. I lived through it all. I know the history and suffering of the families, and especially of the Jews.

Before the war there were 11,000 inhabitants of Mitrovica. There were Turks, Serbs, Jews and Albanians. All citizens worked together and respected the individuality of all.

The Rubenovic brothers were my next door neighbors. There was Rakamin, Aron and my best friend Moshe. Moshe’s uncle was the Rabbi of Mitrovica. The Jewish families of our town were all religious and prayed at the synagogue. Most of the Jews were traders.

In 1941 the Nazis occupied our town. Rakamin’s shop was closed because he was Jewish. The leaders of our city organized an escape for the Jews. They were hiding in surrounding mountain villages. We also helped to shelter Italian soldiers whom the Nazis were killing.

The Nazis captured both Rakamin’s and Aron’s families. We never heard from them again. Moshe joined the partisans in 1941 and fought the Nazis throughout Albania and Kosovo. He came back as a captain of the partisans and I sheltered him in my home while he and his band fought the Nazis in our town.

In 1945 Moshe left for Israel and then I think he settled in America. I don’t really know as I have lost all contact with my friend. Forgive my tears, but Moshe was such a good friend during those years. I long to be reunited with him.

I do not go to the mosque, but I am a true Muslim. The Holy Koran is in my genes. I say my prayers each evening. My door is always open to anyone in need.

Eugene - A Hometown Hero

Picture: Eugene with a young author who will write and illustrate his story for the next genereation.

I have been thinking about Eugene the past couple of days. In fact, I put a picture I had taken with him as my profile pic on Facebook. He is a "typical" older gentleman from Iowa but he is a hometown hero his work during WWII. He was one of the vets honored at the music festival a few weeks ago. He was tickled pink to get a hero medal from a Jewish survivor. I thought his wife was going to bust her buttons - she was so proud of him.

It's men like Eugene who have keep our country free. He was willing to give it all for us ... still is, I think. If his 94 year old bones would move a little better, I could see him giving those terrorist what for. I am so honored to call him my friend. God bless Eugene and all the others out there like him!

Here is his story:

As a young man, Eugene Parmer lived in Bettendorf, Iowa. Just before he joined the military he moved 40 miles north to the quiet town of Maquoketa, Iowa.
He joined the 92nd Signal Battalion who furnished communications for the United States Army. While serving in Europe during WWII, Eugene was ordered to join American soldiers liberating a concentration camp called Dachau. He was to investigate the camp's communication equipment and report to his officer.
When he arrived at Dachau, Eugene didn't want to park his weapons carrier at the main gate so he drove around the side of the camp. There he located railroad tracks with parked coal cars leading out of the camp.
Parmer's curiosity got the best of him so he climbed up the ladder. There was no coal in the cars. Eugene was not prepared for what he witnessed. Shock hit him hard. The train cars carried human bodies. Then he looked in the second car and there were more. It made him physically sick.
Eugene then approached the gate and shot the lock off with his revolver. Immediately, a prisoner who spoke English yelled don't open the gate. This man told other prisoners to stay back but then disappeared. The prisoners didn't listen and came towards Eugene. They began to mob him and he fell to the ground. The American soldier assumed they were after his rifle. But the prisoners did not want his rifle. They did not want to harm him. All they wanted was American flags lapel pin which was the Signal Corps insignia. All they wanted were the flags.
The English speaking prisoner quickly returned with something to secure the gate. He wanted that gate shut! Eugene removed his flag pin and gave it to the man. The others backed away. The frightened soldier was relieved.
“Do you have some spare time?” asked the prisoner, “Follow me.”
As they walked passed buildings, Eugene saw more death. The horrors of this war were everywhere. Then the prisoner suggested Eugene get his rifle ready. What was going to happen?
They uncovered a German guard who hid when the camp was liberated. It wasn't safe for the guard to be surrounded by angry prisoners. There was another guard hiding in a 55 gallon container used to store human waste. When they tipped it over, the guard fell out. His life was also in danger. The German guards had been cruel. Now the prisoners wanted revenge.
Eugene needed to stay focused and asked the English speaking prisoner to show him the signal equipment and he did. Finally, his simple yet dangerous mission was accomplished. The young soldier returned to his regular duty.
Those horrible memories of war stayed with Eugene his whole life. Years later at an event recognizing veterans, Eugene listened to a grateful Holocaust survivor speak to the audience. While she spoke about her memories, Eugene felt sick all over again - just like he felt during his time at Dachau.
Eugene returned to and lives today in historical Maquoketa. When Eugene is asked what message he'd like to say to children, he replies:
“Children should see pictures and realize what can happen if we lost our freedom. I have no words to express my feelings towards these people. If I hadn't seen it, I don't know if I'd believe it. It happened.”

Richest Woman on Earth ...

Picture:

Back Row: Saul Schiff (Jewish American Soldier - eyewitness to horrors of Dachau), Esther Schiff (Jewish Survivor) Dic Henneman (Liberated Mossberg)

Front Row: Eugene Parmer (Shot lock off gate of Dachau), Roy Kouski (Liberated Jewish Work Camp); Dr. Paul Hauk (Eyewitness Nordhausen) and Jess Crawford (Liberated a Jewish work camp)

I got a voicemail from Jewish survivor Esther Schiff yesterday. She was thanking me for making copies of pictures of the Labor Day event and dropping them off at her house. She couldn't thank me enough for making the arrangements for her to officially "thank" the local WWII heroes. Her last words on the message were "I don't think I can ever repay you for what you have done."

The truth is ... I can't thank her enough for coming into my life and giving me such a rich understanding of this period of history. Because of my love for her (along with Esther Avruch and Esther Katz) I've met so many others who survived this horrific period of history.

Now, I've met several of the "boys" who have blessed me richly as well. The WWII vets who have told me their stories firsthand. I have to admit, I've lost sleep thinking about the horrors they have witnessed. Their stories have gotten deep into my spirit and it's my greatest honor to find young authors to share their stories.

Although I have done this work as a volunteer, I feel like the richest woman on earth when I look at this photo of some of the wonderful people I've met. Esther's account is paid in full.

Assisi - My Safe Haven

I scanned a new children's book today. It's always exciting to get a new book ready for young readers.

It's about a Jewish family in Italy who learned they would be kept safe by the monks in Assisi if they could get there in time. Thankfully, they did arrive safely - a father, mother, and two daughters. They were all saved thanks to the bravery and goodness of the Monks in Assisi.

The young author is Nicola dalla Torre from Italy and a young artist from Bettendorf, Iowa did the illustrations - her name is Patilyn Lowery.

One day it will be in schools in both America and Italy. The exciting thing is I get to meet Graziella - the young girl in the story. She lives in Rome and I'll be there in November. I can't wait to see her face when she looks at this children's book about her life. Nicola will be there as well and he is excited too. I just wish Patilyn could come with us!

I'm looking for more great young authors and illustrators. Step on up, kids!

Blessings,
Deb

Righteous

Photo - 2005 Quad Cities Yom Hashoah
Jewish Survivor Esther Katz with Righteous Gentile Yanina Cywinska whose Catholic father insisted the family help the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.


Last night there was a speaker from The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous at St. Ambrose University. Stanlee talked about the fears during WWII all across Europe but especially in Eastern Europe. The punishment for helping a Jew meant your life in some cases or going to a concentration camp in other cases. It makes Christians wonder "what would I have done if I had lived there during this time?" I know I've wondered many times.

Stanlee challenged the audience last night. She said each of the Righteous Gentiles she has met (Christians or Muslims who gave aid to the Jews risking their own lives). One of the responses she got hit my heart like an arrow hitting dead center. She said one person told her "sometimes God's laws are above man's laws and you just do what is right".

This is my challenge today - for myself and for you too. Do what is right. It sounds so simple and yet it can be so hard, right?

The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous - http://www.jfr.org/

Here is a story of a Righteous Gentile named Irena Sendler. A young author / illustrator from Germany by the name of Barbara Schlozen wrote her story for A BOOK BY ME a few years ago.

Irena Sendler
Warsaw, Poland... 1942 – On October 12, 1940,Yom Kippur, the Germans issued a decree calling for the establishment of a ghetto in Warsaw. About 400,000 Jews from the city and the surrounding region were forced to move into an area of 1.3 square miles. In mid-November, the ghetto was sealed. On account of the cramped conditions, poor sanitation, and very limited food and medicine, disease and starvation claimed thousands of lives each month.
In July 1942, mass deportations of Jews from the Warsaw ghetto began. Most were sent to Treblinka. Horrified by the Germans’ persecution of the Jews, a group of Polish citizens formed an underground organization called the Council for the Aid to Jews, or Zegota, in September 1942. Irena Sendler became the head of Zegota’s Children’s Bureau. She obtained documents that allowed her to enter the ghetto, and she began to smuggle children out.
Irena and the members of Zegota led some children out through the underground corridors of a courthouse and through a tram depot. They sedated some infants and carried them out in potato sacks or coffins. A church located on the edge of the ghetto also became useful. It had two entrances, one inside the ghetto and one on the Christian side of Warsaw. With Zegota’s help, some children entered the church as Jews and exited as “Christians.”
In addition to smuggling children out of the ghetto, Irena Sendler found safe places for them to hide – often with non-Jewish families in the Warsaw area. Children were also sheltered in convents, hospitals, and orphanages.
The Germans learned of Irena’s activities. On October 20, 1943, she was arrested by the Gestapo and taken to the Pawiak prison. Irena was tortured brutally, but she refused to give any information about Zegota or about the children she had placed in hiding. She was sentenced to death. Members of Zegota bribed one of the Gestapo agents, and on the day Irena was to be executed, she was permitted to escape. She had to go into hiding for the remainder of the war but continued to coordinate her rescue work. By January 1945, when Warsaw was liberated by Soviet troops, the Children’s Bureau of Zegota had assisted more than 2,500 Jewish children.
Irena Sendler died in Warsaw, Poland on Monday, May 12, 2008 at the age of 98.

Have a blessed day and do what is right!

Deb

P.S. There have been ten children's books written for the series thus far about Righteous Gentiles. I would love to see more in the future. The titles of those written are:



CYWINSKA, Yanina; Yanina Ballerina; Christian who protected Jews (Righteous Gentile); Author Julia Headley of Davenport, Iowa
GOLEMI, Ismail; A Daughter's Pride; Muslim who protected Jews; Author Alya Al-Balushi of Oman
HANSANI, Basri; Basri's Door is Open; Muslim who protected Jews; Author Ahmed Al-kply of Yemen
KAZAZI, Ali & Nadia; For the Heart There Is No Color of Skin; Muslims who protected Jews; Author Anila Shaheen of Pakistan
PASHKAJ, Ali Sheqer; A Simple Piece of Melon Saved One Life; Author Ahmed Al-Katheri of Yemen
SENDLER, Irena, Yolanta and Her 2,500 Kids; Christian who protected Jews (Righteous Gentile); Author Barbara Schlozen of Germany
SINANI, Abaz & Zade; We Are All Human; Muslims who protected Jews (Righteous Gentile); Author Aisha Haji of Zanzibar
TEN BOOM, Corrie, Corrie ten Boom - A Holocaust Hero; Christian who protected Jews (Righteous Gentile); Author Kelly Schultz of Iowa
VESELI, Hamid & Xhemal; A Simple Story of Saving a Life; Muslims who protected Jews (Righteous Gentiles); Author MD Tazin of Bangladesh
ZABINSKI, Antonina & Jan; Hidden Jews in the Warsaw Zoo; Christians who protected Jews (Righteous Gentiles); Author Amanda Leslie of Eldridge, Iowa

Honoring WWII Vets - Labor Day 2010 - Letter from Mary Jean Eisenhower

Esther Schiff, a Jewish Survivor of the Holocaust, had the honor of personally thanking four World War II Vets under a stary sky on the Mississippi River. The event was Festival of Praise in Davenport, Iowa where Christian artists Mercy Me drew a crowd of over 5,000 people.

Before the band started, Esther brought the crowd to their feet for a standing ovation. She stood before the crowd as I read her testimony of facing day to day threats of being discovered Jewish in Nazi Germany during the war. A Polish girl, Esther was taken as farm slave labor into Germany and passed herself off as a Christian to preserve her life.

Her own words:

"I thought the war would last forever but my liberation was heralded by the sudden appearance of "all those nice looking American soldiers". With the end of the war, I was able to stop pretending so I dropped my assumed name and became myself again. I was contacted by my American relatives who brought me to the United States in late 1946. I was in the United States only eight months before I married one of those handsome soldiers, Saul Schiff, who had just been discharged from the U.S. Army. We came to the Quad Cities when Saul's work as an engineer brought him to the Rock Island Arsenal."

Christian Artist Dennis Wilson sang his song HERO TO ME while Esther lovingly gave hero medals to each of the local prison camp liberators and eyewitnesses to the Holocaust. Dennis's friend Mary Jean Eisenhower (granddaughter to Dwight D. Eisenhower) wrote a letter to those involved in the ceremony:

"Dear Survivors, Protectors and Witnesses,

You are all my heroes, you are magnanimous.

When my grandfather toured the liberated death camps, he was so appalled and shocked that he called the press, the local people who said they didn't know what was going on, and made them come and see what had been happening. My father, who was his aid during the war, took pictures, as many as possible because my grandfather found it so unbelievable.

One thing I knew firsthand about Eisenhower was he couldn't stand injustice and he couldn't stand to see people suffer. It was this passion that drove him during the academics of the war, and the one that compelled him to visit the camps.

His farewell speech to the Nation on January 17, 1961 included this last paragraph (this lesser known part of the speech says it all):

"We pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its spiritual blessings; that those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibilities; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; that the scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance will be made to disappear from the earth, and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live tgether in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love."

Tonight I would like to express my own heartfelt gratitude to all of you. Not only for what you have done to save the world, to squash the evil of tyranny, but also for the example you taught the next generations; that of bravery, decency, respect and love. Thank you for being the answer to my grandfather's impassionted prayer.

Sincerely,

Mary Jean Eisenhower
President and CEO
People to People International
(Granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower)

It was a night to remember! Esther was so excited when it was all over because she had publically thanked "the boys". Her own husband, Saul Schiff, was a Jewish American Soldier and eyewitness to the Holocaust. He shared with me what it was like to see the atrocities of the Jewish people being a Jewish soldier. He is an eyewitness to the horrors of Dachau.

Thousands of people stood in awe as she gave each soldier his medal ... a few minutes later Mercy Me's hit song "I Can Only Imagine" filled the park. I can only imagine the reunion in heaven for the brave men of WWII. They faced so much fear and so much horror - all for us. Freedom isn't free.

Blessings,
Deb

Dr. Ralph Troll

Dr. Troll is on my mind this morning ... he is a survivor who was told by teachers in Germany he wasn't worthy of an education because his mother was Jewish. The truth is ... Dr. Troll was brilliant and after the war, became a College Professor who touched thousands of lives. Here is his story ...

In 1938, when Ralph was six years old, his family moved from Darmstadt, Germany to a small, isolated farm in the countryside about ten miles from the Rhine River. They were hoping to escape the Nazi persecution sweeping the country threatening Ralph’s mother who was Jewish. Because of this, Ralph was officially designated a Halbjude (literally, a “half Jew”) and was not allowed to continue his schooling beyond the elementary level. The Nazi party believed a Jewish child was not worthy of an education. They had taken over the schools changing the German student’s school day to resemble basic training including marching lessons, etc.

His father was a chemist and continued his work although the lab had been bombed. Ralph, his parents and his baby sister often spent nights in the cellar of the farmhouse or days in nearby foxholes to escape Allied bombing raids. His father built cots so they could be a bit more comfortable in their new cellar “bedroom”. Their home sat on five acres and they grew asparagus and potatoes so they did not starve as many people did during this time period. They also raised chickens, rabbits and goats so they were well fed. There they had no running water or electricity – they had a kerosene lamp and a pump to get their water. There were nice German neighbors in the country who risked their lives to protect Jews who were running and hiding. Ralph’s family was cheering for the Allies knowing they could stop Hitler’s madness.
Although there was a constant fear of attack or betrayal, he and his parents worked hard to keep food on the table and to help others when the need arose. In February, 1945, however, the Gestapo suddenly appeared in the middle of the night and took his mother away to Theresienstadt Concentration Camp. She was forced to travel for five days on a cattle car to reach her destination – a forced labor camp (thankfully not a death camp). His mother was surrounded by sickness (typhus) and had a very meager food supply while working as a slave at this camp. Three months after she was taken, Ralph’s father received a letter in the mail which was a receipt for his mother. She was treated no better than an animal – all because of her Jewish faith.

Ralph was now twelve years old and he was fearful yet hopeful his family would survive and be reunited. His sister was being cared for by a family in a nearby town because his father felt she would be safer. Months later, after World War II ended, the Russians liberated the concentration camp, allowing his mother to return to their family. They were determined to leave Europe and come to the United States so they made their way to a Displaced Persons camp where they took care of the necessary paperwork. They were on board the ship called SS Ernie Pile and Ralph saw the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor on January 16, 1947. His family then made their way from New York to Illinois.

He resumed his schooling in Chicago, Illinois unable to speak English but determined to get his education. After serving in the United States Army during the Korean War, Ralph earned a Ph.D., and is professor emeritus of biology at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Today, Ralph and his wife, Loretta, have three children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Ralph was the keynote speaker for the 2009 Yom Hashoah, a Holocaust Remembrance ceremony at Temple Emanuel in Davenport, Iowa. Yom Hashoah translated means “Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust”. As part of the annual observance, memorial candles are lit for the six million Jews – and millions of others – who were murdered by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II.

His message to students today is “don’t every let anyone tell you you’re not worthy of an education”. He knows education is one thing nobody can ever take away from you.

Amazing Story from Assisi Italy

My family with Nicola (far right)

My husband Don and I hosted an exchange student from Italy, Nicola Dalla Torre, for one semester this school year. While he was with us, he heard many stories of World War 2 but the one that touched his heart the most was the Monks of Assisi saving hundreds of Jews. He went home in January and researched it finding a survivor in Rome (quite a distance from his home). By telephone and mailing back and forth (she doesn't have email), he has come up with her story in a short bio form. He has written a children's book and it's currently being illustrated by a young artist in Bettendorf, Iowa. Here is the amazing story:

Graziella Viterbi was born on 1926, May 19th in Padova, a city in the north-eastern part of Italy. She lived happily in a villa with her mother and father. She studied with a private teacher during the elementary school years. She took courses of eurhythmics and foreign languages. At the age of six, she began to learn about Jewish culture and respect for the Jewish festivals. A woman named Ada Levi, then wife of the Padova’s Rabbi, was her teacher. During these early years, Graziella had many friends - both Jewish and Christian.
In 1933, when Graziella was seven, her little sister, Miriam, was born. Through the ratification of some national laws, the racial discrimination of Jews began in Italy in 1938. At that time Graziella was twelve and spending her holidays with her parents in Lido di Venezia, a famous Italian tourist destination.
The newspapers reported that every Jew, whether student or teacher, was no longer welcome at the state schools. Graziella’s reaction to the bylaw was really different to the one of her friends and relatives. She thought: “They don’t want me? Well, so I don’t belong any more to the group and I’m happy as it is”. Miriam though was 5 years old, and felt thoroughly the racial laws: she didn’t have many friends and she suffered from loneliness. Also Graziella’s father, teacher at Padova’s university, endured the removal from the school.
A year later Lucia and Clara Levi, two Jewish sisters who were former teachers, decided to host in their house all the students that had been expelled from the school “Tito Livio” in Padova, from 8th to 12th grade. Afterwards a villa in Pontecorvo was bought and a real Jewish school was organized, with Augusto Levi as Principal. Religion classes were taught here as well.
The persecutions started soon: more and more often there were intimidating phone calls, and Jews walking alone at night were attacked and beaten. Some started talking about going away. Some were able to go abroad: this, for example, was decided by Graziella’s father’s family, who took refuge in the United States of America.
During summer 1943, Graziella’s family had to decide where to go on vacation. The choices were few because a list of the places where the Jews weren’t allowed to go to was published. The family chose Porretta, in province of Bologna. The vacation was serene, until the arrival of the German troops on 1943, September 8th. Most of the residents in this hotel were Jewish so to avoid problems the owner decided to move them to a nursing home in the mountains. It was their hope they wouldn’t be found and while they were moving, there was talk of the possibility of going south, to Assisi. The city was considered a safe destination because it was far from the main road junctions and a fantastic podestà (Italian ancient name for “mayor”) governed the city.
Telling the German police that they were from the South of Italy and that they were heading back home, the Viterbis obtained a car to reach Assisi. In Arezzo, halfway to their destination, the car broke down, but they successfully get to Assisi without making the police suspicious. When they arrived, they looked for accommodation, but all the hotels had been confiscated by the Nazis. They heard about an underground movement led by a bishop, Placido Nicolini. It seems that with the help of Aldo Brunacci and the Franciscan monk Rufino Nicacci it would hide Jews in the religious buildings of the city. Furthermore, with the help of the Brizzi brothers, they were able to supply Jews with false documents. Once they talked with the bishop, the Viterbis had their new identity cards printed out and their last name changed into “Varelli”.
Every single night Graziella told her sister the story she had invented about their provenience: they were from Lecce, in the south of Italy. The anxiety about knowing perfectly the story grew when Graziella found in Assisi a person from Lecce for real that talked to her: she had to speak with a perfect local accent and to know mnemonically the streets of the city. Fortunately, she had learned the location of the main buildings thanks to a map found during their stay.
One day, while arresting a couple of Jews that were suspected of having done something wrong, the Gestapo found a tiny defect in the seal on their identity cards. The bishop immediately decided to change all the identity cards already handed out. The last names were changed again. “Varelli” became “Vitelli”. The choice of the last name was fundamental. The first letters had to be the same of the real last name, so that if a Jew had been asked to sign a document, they would have had the time to correct themselves if they had started signing their real name.
Il podestà Fortini fu anch’egli di grande aiuto per la famiglia Viterbi. Propose di nascondere nel proprio giardino alcuni loro effetti personali, cosicché anche se sotto investigazione, non vi era prova del loro essere ebrei. Quando poi gli fu chiesto di relazionare sulla città che reggeva, negò la presenza di ebrei all’interno del territorio comunale.
The podestà Fortini was also helpful for the Viterbis. He proposed to bury some of their personal effects in his garden, so that even if under investigation, there was no proof of their being Jewish. Then, when he was asked about the city he governed by the Germans, he denied the presence of Jews hidden in the city
The Nazi colonel Müller was assigned to control Assisi. He may have known about the underground organization but turned a blind eye to the situation. He was part of the German army, but he didn’t share the politic ideology. There was a Nazi plan scheduled to attack Assisi, but Müller obstruct the German troops from destroying the city. As soon as he went back to Germany, he faced trouble because of the obstruction. He went back many times to Assisi, where the mayor and the citizens decided to grant him honorary citizenship. When he died two years later many olive tree branches, the Christian symbol of chastity and peace, were sent to sprig his grave.
Following the repeal of the racial laws, Graziella’s father obtained a job as a teacher at Perugia’s University. The Viterbis stayed in Assisi for seven years. Graziella moved to Rome, where she specialized in Law / Criminology. Also, she studied Social Assistance at the Psychology faculty of the same college. She became editor of a newspaper in association with an humanitarian Israeli organization and she doubled also as social worker for Joint, an American organization for the assistance of the Jew refugees from East Europe.
Now she lives in Rome alone. She’s widower. She has two sons and four grandchildren, two girls and two boys. She’s been trying to talk carefully about her Holocaust experience with the eldest. This granddaughter was really impressed by what happened to her grandma, but hasn’t expressed a personal reflection yet.

Amazing Story from France

I spent time in Minneapolis last week meeting Holocaust educators along with dear friends; includng my Jewish friend Esther Thompson from Paris. While there I learned about this amazing story from France:

Le Chambon-sur-Lignon is a Protestant village in Haute-Loire in southern France. During World War II, it became a haven for Jews fleeing from the Nazis and their French collaborators. The Chambonais hid Jews in their homes, sometimes for as long as four years, provided them with forged I.D. and ration cards, and helped them over the border to safety in Switzerland. With their history of persecution as a religious minority in Catholic France, empathy for Jews as the people of the Old Testament, and the powerful leadership and example of their pastor and his wife, Andre and Magda Trocme, the people of Chambon acted on their conviction that it was their duty to help their "neighbors" in need. The Chambonais rejected any labeling of their behavior as heroic. They said: "Things had to be done and we happened to be there to do them. It was the most natural thing in the world to help these people." After the round- up and deportation of Jews in Paris in July 1942, Pastor Trocme had delivered a sermon to his parishioners, "The Christian Church should drop to its knees and beg pardon of God for its present incapacity and cowardice." The American Friends (Quakers) and other Protestant organizations and Catholic clergy provided assistance to Chambon to set up homes for children whose parents had been deported. The head of one of these homes was Daniel Trocme, the young cousin of Pastor Trocme. In June 1943 he and "his" children were arrested and deported to the East. Daniel Trocme died in Majdanek. The Trocmes have been recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous among the Nations; a tree was planted in honor of Andre and Magda Trocme and another in honor of Daniel Trocme. A small garden and plaque were dedicated to the people of Chambon

Committed Young People

I drove home from Minneapolis last night (LATE) in the rain thinking about the meetings I had while in the Twin Cities. I met with leaders in both the Christian community and Jewish community. It was a wonderful time of meeting new friends and reconnecting with old friends.

I found a wonderful teacher who is willing to work with students over the summer to write three children's books. They will write about two local Jewish survivors and one French teacher who was the daughter of a Pastor who helped the Jews. This pastor was a Righteous Gentile for risking his life (and his family's life) to do the right thing.

I can't wait to see the work they complete with this project. I'm so excited to think about the students in Minnesota who will benefit from their labor of love to do this storytelling project.

While in the Twin Cities, I spent time with a lovely Jewish friend from Paris France. Her mother was raised in London fearfully surviving the constant bombing raids of WWII. Her mother always felt connected to the Jews in other parts of Europe who were less fortunate. My friend Esther is amazed at these students who want to be part of this project. It is my hope we can find a young author in Paris or London to tell her mother's story.

I feel like her mother is a survivor of another sort - one who went in her 80s to visit a camp and pay her respects. It was a blinding snowstorm and cell phones wouldn't work in the weather. Esther told me how frightening and uncomfortable she found it to be. We both found it ironic.

Then today, another student stepped forward at a meeting I was at in East Moline - she will tell the story of a young Gypsy boy who lost his entire family at Auschwitz. By a miralce, he was a survivor.

I thank God for these young authors. Their committment touches my heart.

Time Slipping By ...

I promised myself I would be a good blogger and at least update once a week. I slipped! Sorry.

It's been a very interesting and fulfilling time so I should have been documenting it. First - I took my YES exchange students - students from the Middle East who are here on a scholarship - to Chicago last week. We went through the Shedd Acquairium and saw the sights downtown before making our way to Skokie to spend the night. After some amazing deep dish pizza, we retired so we could get up early and go to the Holocaust Museum.

We were a small group - one student from Oman, one from Pakistan, one from Zanzibar, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Yemen and Jordan. We went into the museum and met a friend of mine - Aaron Elster - who is a survivor. Aaron took time to meet the kids and then told him the story of being a hidden child in Poland. He suffered at the hands of the Nazis and then his mother sent him to a friendly Christian women who begrudgingly let him sleep in her attic. He was there for over two years! He got a little bit of food and water each day to survive - it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. He was covered with filth and with lice - I cannot imagine!

They listened with open hearts and open minds. Four of group had already committed to writing a children's book about Holocaust stories from Alabania where Muslim families hid Jews. They had heard some stories but it's completely different when you hear one from a survivor themselves. It becomes very real.

Aaron suggested we sit in on a school tour who was going to hear from a survivor by the name of Barbara Steiner. She spoke about growing up in Warsaw, being in the Warsaw ghetto (and part of the resistance) and then spending the rest of the war in a concentration camp. The students - again - were spellbound by her talk.

The rest of the museum was very interesting too, but there is nothing like hearing from a survivor.

We ended the trip with a treat - I introduced them to the Cheesecake Factory! Needless to say, everyone loved it! What's not to love?

Amazing Journey

What a week - it's gone by fast and furious. Yesterday (Thursday) I got everything together and I sent a copy of a photograph of the young Jewish boy named Paul to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Sara is their person who researches these types of request and she has all the information I know about Paul. Say a prayer for her and for Roy - that the doors would open for him to meet with Paul again and find his peace.

On Tuesday I went to Rock Island HS where I met with a group of kids from the Special Education Department. They will be writing and illustrating the first set of Civil Rights stories for me. They will write about two local people who were proactive in the Civil Rights movement and famous people like Rosa Parks, Emmitt Till, General Benjamin David (Commander of the famous Tuskegee Airmen), etc.

The students are amazed at these stories and they are becoming "real" to them. That is my hearts desire - for them and their young readers to have this experience where it becomes real to their hearts and minds. Many fought for their rights to be educated and get a good job - now use the gifts and talents God has given you and go for it!

My new best friend is Bernice Jones who is one of the most real and transparent people I know. She went from the MOP TO THE TOP (which will be the name of her book, by the way). Her story follows (I know this is too long for a BLOG but it's too good not to tell too!

Blessings from Debbow
Bernice Jones

Bernice was born in Princeton, Illinois near the Lovejoy Underground Railroad. When she was young, her family moved to Joliet, Illinois. Her mother was an alcohol and left her father (a World War I veteran) who had abusive tendencies. Bernice decided at age sixteen to run away to stay with her Grandmother in East Moline, Illinois. Bernice’s mother was in East Moline also and they were able to build a relationship. Bernice fell in love and married but soon afterward her husband found out news he was adopted and went crazy. She wasn’t going to live with abuse so she picked up and moved back to Joliet where she became the city’s first female cab driver.
When she returned to the Quad Cities, she married again – this time to a good husband - and the couple was blessed with two sons. Sadly, her husband passed away and Bernice’s dreams were shattered once again. As a widow of a veteran of World War II she had first rights to jobs at the Rock Island Arsenal. Early in her career, Bernice worked as a janitor at the Arsenal. She asked permission and was able to take old Army Regulation books home to read at night.
She was not satisfied doing this type of work but knew it would take action on her part to change it. She worked hard to earn her GED or high school equivalency. This education and her hard work allowed her to climb the ladder of success and becoming the Equal Opportunity Officer at the Rock Island Arsenal.
In her own words Bernice shares: I went to a lady and asked about taking a Bible study and she cried. She was thirty-seven years old, has seven children and she said “I cannot read”. Oh she had her diploma but she still couldn’t read. This should not be happening in the 21st century. I am now tutoring this young lady and you cannot imagine how she has grown to realize she can formulate words and sentences. But that’s where we need to be… where the need is. We need to come out of our comfort zones. Come out of our comfort zones, look around. Many people are like, I call them can sitters. They get all they can, can all they get and sit on the can. They don’t do nothing for nobody. And it is time out, time out for can sitters. They need to get up, stand up, lead out, even if nobody else will follow. You need to take the initiative. If you see the need, then you need to take the initiative to do something. Cause if you wait on somebody else, somebody’s going to try to discourage you. “Oh girl you know, you don’t have no degree. You don’t have no degree. You didn’t go to college, you can’t do this.” So be it. My GED is the Grace of God, Enthusiasm and Divine Direction.
My GED has taken me to this day working in race relations all over this country. I felt I had an inferiority complex until I realized that the highest ranking white male in this country cannot get the education I got. As a black female born up in a racist, sexist society, I have an education that they can’t even touch. They can’t touch it. And they are most inadequate in a multi-cultural society in dealing with the problems that we face every day. They don’t know where we came from and they cannot relate to it. But when we cross fertilize and we give them the information which brought us over.
And another thing we’ve done, we’ve departed from our first love. We know it was only by faith that we’ve come this far, but so many of us will not even put our feet inside a church. And that is where much of our strength came from. As black people our leadership was our pastors in our churches. Dr. Martin Luther King was a pastor. They had our interests at heart. I don’t think it is too much different today except they’ve become somewhat parochial. “If you don’t belong to my church …”
We are notorious for building barriers. We got to start building bridges, folks. We’ve got to bring somebody along with us. You know it is lonesome at the top … Bang!
I’ve been asked what this label under my name tag means: “From the Mop to the Top”. That means I started as a janitor, I ended up being the Equal Opportunity Officer with my GED. That is what that means. I’ll quit by saying this. It’s a parable, it’s a story and I’m going to leave it for you to ponder. “There was a migratory bird that stayed in the Midwest too long. The snow and the sleet and the rain had burdened him down with ice. He fell into a pasture and when he fell, he was sitting there almost at the point of death. A horse came by and dumped on the bird. He began to ruffle his feathers, you know, he got warm. And it felt so good he began to sing. Along came the barn yard cat and ate the bird. Now the moral of the story is … the one that put you in the mess may not be your enemy and the one that takes you out may not be your friend.”
Bernice claims to have graduated from Knocks College – meaning the school of hard knocks. She knows the only thing that kept her out of college was she quit school. But she was determined not to stop at that point and succeeded with her GED. Today she admonishes all young people to stay in school. It’s not the total answer but it’s the key that opens the door to the future.

Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Two Short Stories - Warning - May Bring Tears

Yom Hashoah was very special last Sunday night at the Tri Cities Jewish Center in Rock Island. Esther Schiff - the last of my friends named Esther - and her husband Saul sat in front of us. Young children from throughout the synagogue came forward to meet her, have a picture taken with her and get her autograph. It happened more times than I could count - before the meeting and after.

Now you must remember this is the Esther who didn't go speak in the schools due to nightmares. She didn't get the compassion from the kids - the teary eyed hugs and encouragement - until Sunday night. She was treated like a National Treasure and I was blessed to be a witness to it. She cried - I cried.

An article was in the Rock Island Argus about my children's book project last Saturday. After reading the article, a prison camp liberator by the name of Art Kouski from Port Byron called me. He wanted to meet and share his story with me. I had coffee with him yesterday and he is P&P (precious and prepared)! He has taken writing classes over the years so he could document his experience.

Roy's platoon liberated a work camp where people were worked until they died. They were used to man a factory in Ludwigslust, Germany. His story:

"They all wore striped suits and were marched into town each morning and returned at night. They lived in terrible conditions, were emaciated, full of lice and had no sanitation. When someone died they carried him out and threw him on the pile. The weaker ones could not compete for food so they wasted away. When someone tells you these things didn't happen or they weren't so bad, I can assure you I seen what I am telling you about with my own two eyeballs."

"The soldiers could not trust the German people in the city and there was a shoot on site curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The survivers from the work camp were killing the German civilians and vice versa. Our orders were to round them up and take them to a camp where they could be helped. The last thing they wanted to do ws go to another camp but for their safety, we had to do this. "

"I found a young 12 or 13 year old boy in a striped suit who could speak several languages. He said he would help me round up these people if I would let him go. He could talk them into coming with us and this way, we gathered up a lot of them.

When we decided we had most of them, I broke my promise by telling him to get on the truck too. I will never forget the hate in his eyes for my deception. I probably saved his life. His name is Paul and he is a survivor so he may be still living. I would sure like to meet him and explain why I let him down all those years ago."

We rounded up all the civilians in town, old men, women and children at gun point and made them dig graves in the park in front of their government building. They brought over 200 of the dead from the camp. There was a service held for them and I still have copies of the Chaplain's message.

Most of the people were buried in a mass grave at the camp. I heard 1,080 bodies total."

Deb - I will be talking to Roy's grandaughter Brittany, a high school student in the Chicago area, about writing his story in children's story book form. In addition, I've talked to Sara from the US Holocaust Museum in Washington DC who works in archieves. She is going to go on a search for Paul and see if she can find him. If so, Roy will find peace with the little boy he saved so long ago. He told me it still haunts him and he would like to find closure.

Please say a prayer - we need a miracle.

Debbow - A New Blogger - My Three Esthers

It doesn't seem possible - time does fly. It was April 2002 when I went to my first Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance. My daughter Cassie asked me to take her to the synogogue to hear a Holocaust survivor speak. It was a school assignment for extra credit and seemed very worthwhile. I was eager to learn as well.

While there I saw we had local Holocaust survivors in the Quad Cities. There were ten or twelve at that point in time. But the three who captured my heart were three Jewish women who shared the same name - Esther!

Queen Esther is one of my favorite characters in the Bible. Now, standing before me, lighting candles in remembrance of the six million Jews who perished, were three strong, beautiful women who survived this horrible time in world history. As I read their short bios in the program, I realized their stories were very different but all miraculous stories of survival.

I attended the Holocaust Remembrance each year and saw "my three Esthers". It came to the point were I couldn't stop myself. I wanted their stories preserved for the next generation. Finally - I approached Allan Ross, Director of the local Jewish Federation. I told him my idea was to introduce the women to classrooms of children asking them to write/illustrate a children's book about her life story. My area teachers agreed to work with them on this task.

The first writing clinic was at Morningstar Academy, a local Christian school. You could have heard a pin drop when Esther Avruch told the children her story. When her voice broke while telling them her loss of a mother, father, sisters, brothers and even an infant nephew, we all cried together. When she finished there was a mad rush as children came from all directions to give her hugs. That day - the Holocaust became real to a group of children.

The books they wrote were incredible and their artwork especially moving to me. I couldn't choose which one should be published so I asked local Jewish businessman Sam Gilman which one he would choose. He was touched by the book written by Molly Meyer.

Next I took Esther Katz into schools and groups to speak. The story book we chose to publish for her was written by a young Jewish girl - Megan Svoboda. Her own family members had suffered at the hands of the Nazis. She was homeschooled at this time and privledged to have visited concentration camps in Europe with her family. Her work was exceptional and I know Esther would have been pleased. Sadly she passed away in July of 2005 while books about her were being written.

But she died knowing this project was at hand and her story would be told! I promised her I would not let her Grandmother, Faye Goldstein, be forgetten. Faye suffocated on the cattle car on the way to Auschwitz. She will be remembered for generations to come as it is told by Megan and her photograph included in Megan's book.

Esther Schiff was eager to have a book written about her but as I scheduled speaking engagements, she began to have nightmares about her time in Nazi Germany. She requested she meet a student one on one so our son, Michael, went to talk to her . He wrote a simple story about her life and our exchange student, Laura Kase from Germany, illustrated the book. It was a powerful experience for this young German girl to help say "Never Again".

In 2006 we printed the books with grant monies and put them in 200 local schools and libraries. The teachers gave me feedback confirming these books about the survivors in our midst made the Holocaust real to the readers.

Meanwhile, Allan Ross suggested more subjects for books - he suggested Christians who risked their lives to give aid to the Jewish people (Righteous Gentiles) and our soldiers who were tasked with liberating concentration camps. Such powerful stories!

Today young authors continue to step up to the task of writing and illustrating these important stories. We will have twenty books in the series called A BOOK BY ME by the end of this school year. Our plan is to take the books into the marketplace through Never Forget Publishing in just a few short months. I am out of my comfort zone but this is too important to not go to the next level.

The vision has spread to other states and other countries through my work with International Student Exchange. I have International authors from Austria, Germany, Italy, Oman, Romania, and Yemen - just to mention a few.

I thank these young people who are using their gifts and talents to document these important stories. I have come to believe it's not just an assignment but an EXPERIENCE that changes their lives. These very important stories will live on and on ... through their work.

As we are about to attend our Quad Cities Holocaust Remembrance this Sunday, I think of our recent loss, Esther Avruch. She passed away just a few weeks ago and my heart is heavy. But knowing her story is being shared gives me great satisfaction.

So, today, dozens of writing clinics later, where it will end I do not know. But this I do know ... it all started with the Quad Cities Three Esthers or "my three Esthers" as I fondly call them.

I thank God for their friendship. They continue to be an inspiration to me as they kept their faith even through unimaginable trials. They held no bitterness in their hearts. They raised their families and looked forward - not back except to say "never again".

May their stories continue to be told on a larger scale to the next generation ...

"for such a time as this".

Sincerely,
Debbow


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