Holocaust Remembrance Day

World War II and Me

My Birth Family

I’m the granddaughter of a half-Jewish woman whose nieces, nephew, and sister-in-law were killed upon arrival in Auschwitz. Her brother, my great uncle, survived Auschwitz, but only just. This grandmother’s Jewish fiancé was a member of the Resistance and was shot for his activities. Her son, my father, couldn’t talk about what he experienced, but we knew not to touch him while he was sleeping!

I’m the granddaughter of a German lady who immigrated to the Netherlands in her teens. Her cousins were forced to fight for the nazis, and all but one of them died. The remaining one died within a year. Her daughter, my mother, starved so severely that the authorities thought she would die. Even at 90, she still hides food in her bedroom.

My Husband’s Family

My mother-in-law was sent away from her family to live with strangers to keep her safe during the war. Later, she lost her fiancé to World War II. He died in the Netherlands, and she and her husband found his grave, carefully tended by villagers, when they’d been married 50 years. My father-in-law carried shrapnel from an injury that he incurred while rescuing soldiers in Japan. We discovered his medal after he passed; he was a humble man.

Me

“THE war,” as it is known in England, where I lived for fifteen years, has significantly impacted my life. Indeed, the trauma experienced by my parents, who lived in the occupied Netherlands, affected much of my childhood. On the most fundamental level, science tells me that even my genes have been changed. And, although I have a Jewish son (adopted), I’m not even Jewish!

Never Forget?

The most frequent written response to my book, Unforgivable, and the article that appears on several websites detailing how the Nazis took my father’s cousins and 14 other children has been, “We should never forget.” And “Never again.” Agreed. And yet, I feel uncomfortably guilty. Allow me to explain.

As we all know, Hitler promoted the view that Jewish people were responsible for the woes of Germany. He also wrote that they are a genetically inferior “race” and eventually commanded that they be eliminated. They were deprived of jobs, social integration, and schooling. Given that some people believed the propaganda and others were too frightened to speak up, the death camps seemed almost inevitable.

Unforgiveness

But let’s look at what has happened here since then.

Immediately after the war, it was said that the Dutch could “drink the blood” of ALL Germans. Some still feel this way. Understandable. They suffered terribly. But how is it different from the Nazi party, which hated all Jews, to say one hates all Germans? Or, more currently, all Russians or all Ukrainians or all Jews or all Palestinians?

My mother, who was a small child during the war, was deprived of her dream of becoming a physician due to residual anti-German sentiment in her country. The story is in Brave Face. But not ALL Germans were or are to blame for the Holocaust and the war. Many of them are delightful people, especially my sister-in-law, nieces and nephews, and friends. Perhaps I’m biased—in a good way.

Undocumented

Currently, in the USA, some blame the woes of the country on all undocumented immigrants or on all the Mexicans who “infest” our country. Scripture instructs us to be kind to the foreigner (Lev 19:13-14), but it also commands the foreigner to obey the laws of the land (Ex 12:49). My own son applied for and received asylum—not an easy journey. Now he’s a citizen.

Many immigrants are understandably desperate. Others are unsure of how to become legal, given that they’ve lived here for many years, have jobs and houses, and have nowhere else to go. One of the reasons I do nothing is that I have no idea what I could do! I feel uncomfortable when I remember that my grandmother’s German relatives also did nothing when fingers were pointed at the Jews (who, I hasten to add, were documented), even though they knew of the death camps. I don’t have any answers. Just questions. 

Genetically Inferior

Then, what about the whole genetically inferior claim? My grandfather was deprived of medication because he had myasthenia gravis, leaving my dad without a father, the only parent who loved him, when he was nine years old.

So, what about the ones who can neither speak up nor defend themselves: the unborn who are deemed imperfect? Statistics show that the number of babies born with Down syndrome has dropped by 54%. Again, it’s a complex situation, and my heart bleeds for parents whose children may not be in good health or even survive. I wouldn’t stand in judgment on their decisions, but…

It’s Complicated

I don’t pretend to have the answers to the complex social issues we face today. Instead, I’m saying that when I say, “never again,” it makes me think and pray. And wonder how I can help. That can‘t be bad.