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Saved by the Enemy
Framed in the historical time line from Hitler's rise to power to the end of the Nazi regime thirteen years later was a Jewish family, with two young sons, living in Berlin. With the clouds gathering, they realized they had no means to leave and therefore must ride out the storm. Their hopes faded as stricter restrictions were placed on them and the bullying and hatred of Jews intensified. Suddenly, Kristallnacht erupted and the numbers of killings and deportations surged. The family was repeatedly pushed deeper into the neglected ghettos, and the father was forced into slave labor. The Nazi SS was assigned the task of making Berlin the center of Hitler s growing evil empire Judenfrei (Jewish free). The mother and children had no choice but to flee the terror when it finally arrived at their door; it was already too late for the father. Running into the night, with no other options, the mother made a phone call to a woman who might be either a friend or an enemy. A plan was quickly hatched. "There is no good place to hide; you can only hide amongst your enemy and pray that your secret is not discovered." And what a train ride it was....
209 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
September 26, 2022
Two boys, born in the early 1930s to hardworking, honest, Jewish parents, by happenstance manage to survive in Berlin as Hitler comes to power and takes Germany to war. Having lost their parents and happening to reach America as orphans their story is in later years told.
A story that spares the reader none of the horrors of how the Jews and other non-arian minorities were treated.
These boys survived simply because their parents had managed, as good people, to find friends that would be later seen as 'Good Germans', in that they put themselves at risk to help the less fortunate.
It is a tale of hardship, endurance, courage and even in the midst of the most horrid circumstances good people remain true to humane values.
A story that spares the reader none of the horrors of how the Jews and other non-arian minorities were treated.
These boys survived simply because their parents had managed, as good people, to find friends that would be later seen as 'Good Germans', in that they put themselves at risk to help the less fortunate.
It is a tale of hardship, endurance, courage and even in the midst of the most horrid circumstances good people remain true to humane values.
July 1, 2015
I think this is a particularly good book for a young adult reader who wants to learn more about World War Two, the Holocaust and what it was like for two young brothers, German Jews who managed to survive while living primarily in Berlin at a time when the Jewish people were under horrible pressure from the Nazi powers . The author chose to start with a preamble detailing Hitler's rise to power and then divide the story in to parts with titles like "Sunny with a few clouds: 1931-1933" and so on using weather as a metaphor for what was happening in Germany at the time - a storm that was gradually building into a frenzy before finally starting to clear up at the end of 1945 and onward. Each section (they aren't called chapters) begins with bullet points which detail the major events which occur during the time period under discussion in that section.These are particularly helpful for those who might not have a good background in the history of the time. I was recently discussing with my husband some of the background to the Holocaust and he was not aware that concentration camps for example had been in place long before 1939 when the war was officially declared.This book gives a timeline that points out events like this quite clearly. Because each section gives a basic history lesson, some might find that there isn't enough focus on the story of Hank and Fred Taucher and their parents. Their story is certainly told, but it alone is not the focus of the book. The author does not end their story when the war ends however, and takes the reader on into their future as they emigrate to America and live successful lives. Fred Taucher seems to have been the main motivator in getting this story told.To quote from the book: " He was not so much motivated by personal satisfaction as by a profound desire to educate others abut the history of the Holocaust. He saw a means by which others would become enlightened as to how negative perceptions and ignorance bred through the ages had served no one, especially not the Jewish people against whom this hatred was promoted." Hopefully this book will serve to make this clear to all who read it.
February 23, 2020
The book is somewhat akin to an inlay work of art, where the author takes the true story of two little boy a born in Germany in 1932 and 1933, and tells this story along with that of the background, those times and the place - Germany in the so called third Reich until the end of the war - but its not a single seamless work of art; its rather one where the edges of the inlay work show.
The background story is told in a manner of informing a junior high school class in U.S. where the kids know nothing about the topic, and for that purpose, it's a job very well done, except some usual mistakes due to regarding Germany and disregard for India, and perhaps some numbers such as number of massacres by nazis which might be downplayed here.
And there are more serious mistakes. For example somewhere halfway along he states:-
"The German mathematician D. Hubert, founder of modern math, dies.
"Allies start bombing Germany around the clock; Germany bombs London in retaliation."
The last one makes one question the author's knowledge and loyalties, perhaps both; Battle of Britain and London Blitz preceded all but invasion of Poland and of much of western Europe, but it definitely did happen before Germany invaded Russia in 1942, even the decision to invade Russia which was in 1941. Bombing of London was certainly not a reaction or retaliation to any allied action.
For that matter, the preceding statement isn't certain as to veracity thereof. The said D. Hubert might have been a well known mathematician of his time in Germany, but is far from founder of modern mathematics; his name doesn't ring a bell with a mathematician whose field is not history of German mathematics.
Unless the author, completely unfamiliar with mathematics, mixed up names? The person of stature he mentions is not D. Hubert who was American, but the description fits David Hilbert - someone known to anyone even at the beginning of serious mathematics - amongst other great mathematicians.
Then there is The usual crass ignorance about some things. The borrowing or stealing of terminology and symbols from India, using them in a fraudulent way and twisting their meanings completely out of their truth, is what nazis did; West generally ignores all of this and retains the falsehood of nazis. This is akin, for example, to regarding the crucifix as a massacre instrument and using the word Easter to symbolise a spring tide in China.
Sounds horrible? So are the false meanings given by nazis to the word Arya and the symbol Swastik.
Arya, pronounced Aarya, is a Sanskrit word and is related to Light, as in inner enlightenment, not to fair skin; it has connotations of a well bred, civilised person of exemplary conduct, and was a term of honour, not race or skin tone. The person who carried the flag of the creed, symbolically, in his conduct throughout his life in his being, was for example Raama; he, while paens are in epics to his beauty, wasn't said to be fair, but dark. Whether this was due to extensive travels in tropical India on foot, or otherwise, isn't mentioned.
Swastika or Swastik is a Sanskrit word and the word literally means symbol of well being. It's drawn fresh before traditional homes, every day, in front at entrance, by housewives or a daughter or a daughter in law, after her bath and after cleaning floors including the front yard. It denotes goodwill, hope and prayer about good coming to the home. It's often found built in the entrance wall, for the same reason.
Swastika or Swastik is an occult symbol, a powerful one, no less than say, the six point star, which incidentally is another symbol drawn before homes in the morning, one of the many, many alternative choices to Swastik that the housewife or daughter may choose fresh for the day. Being an occult and powerful symbol, any misuse thereof is dangerous, as evident in case of Germany doing it. It backfired on them.
More serious readers should read better books for the purpose, beginning with the far more informative work of William Shirer, Rise And Fall of The Third Reich, which is exhaustive and trustworthy in the information part.
The personal part is, being from personal information, better. But it's as sparse as salt in a dish one can eat without grimacing, rather than the main course one expects in reading an account of a true story about real people.
............
"This six-pointed star was made of two interlocking triangles. Where the triangles overlapped, it was assumed to be extra thick, offering great protection.
"The first known use of the hexagram was as a wax seal in ancient Israel around 6 BC and 2 AD, in a synagogue in Capernaum. Many scholars have tried to trace its origin, with little agreement. One popular legend is that King David used it as a magical shield in battle. Charles the IV of Prague allowed the Jews in his lands to display the star as their own flag on special occasions, and it spread to other areas of Eastern Europe. Eventually, in response to the Christians using the cross to represent their faith, the Jews adopted the six-pointed star to represent Judaism as a whole.
"During the Nazi holocaust, the star had its saddest moment. The Nazis chose a yellow Star of David to be worn conspicuously on the clothes by all Jews, to allow easy identification of them. Not wearing it could and would end in death. After the war it became a badge of honor, and it is now used as an amulet of good luck and as a symbol of Jewish identity. It also appears on the flag of Israel and on Israeli ambulances."
"World War II was never really covered in any depth in my high school classes, and the parents and grandparents of my friends and I really didn’t talk much about it to us. I was a part of the generation of post-war baby boomers. It seemed like the “Greatest Generation” just wanted to move on to the dreams they now held, having survived such an enormously long and harsh era of wars. Forgetting about it seemed a lot more important than remembering the pains and sacrifices. Few told stories of those hard times to us youngsters."
"Luckily, a man joined my family who has many of the answers to my questions. His family had been caught up in the holocaust of WWII, as he was a Jew born in Berlin just hours before the start of one of the nastiest, bloodiest campaigns ever launched against mankind. He and his brother would end up as two of just a few Jewish children who survived those ghastly years right under the noses of their enemies.
"During the researching of this book, I ended up getting all the knowledge about this era that I had always wanted and possibly more. I had to reconstruct the events as they unfolded in the proper historical timeline. I had never imagined the grand scale of this reign of terror across Europe and N. Africa. Hitler’s Nazis committed genocide: close to 6 million Jews, 10 million Slavs, 250,000 Gypsies, 250,000 homosexual men, and more than 100,000 handicapped persons were the victims. Another 4–5 million civilians were killed as a result of the Nazis’ brutal tactics of intimidation and reprisals against anyone who opposed Nazism and the criminally insane Hitler. Who didn’t Hitler like? Wow, a total of more than 20 million innocent lives were taken, and that does not include all the many millions of civilian and military personnel lives lost by both sides in the ensuing war."
............
"Anti-Semitism is officially adopted by the German Conservation Party in 1882.
"In Poland, anti-Semitic laws are passed.
"WWI, “The War to end all Wars,” lasts from 1914 to 1918.
"It is a closely held trench war in which air bombers are used for the first time.
"The death toll is extremely high among both troops and civilians.
"On November 10, 1918, Germany’s Kaiser flees; November 11 is called Armistice Day, as fighting ends and a formal peace agreement is signed.
"Germany’s general staff won’t accept that Germany could lose a war.
"Hitler’s anti-Semitic outbursts impress his superiors; they praise him as a born orator who speaks well in front of large groups, holds their attention, and sways them to his anti-Semitic views.
"Anti-Semitism rises against Jews as a race/ethnic group, not against Judaism as a religion."
............
"Germany’s population is estimated at 64.8 million in 1932.
"Unemployment in Germany hits 33%, in 1932.
"Jews are suspect as they hold such a disproportionate number of the high-paying jobs.
"Berlin is the center of many new social movements. These movements are reflected in the arts, sexual freedoms, architecture, and theater.
"Many view the Berlin culture movements as hedonistic, degenerate, and amoral.
"Thousand of artists, filmmakers, designers, and other professionals flee Germany; among them are 20 former Nobel Prize winners."
............
The father of the two boys had been born in U.S. in 1891, and as a 19 year old, had migrated with his parents to Germany where he subsequently fought as a German soldier in WWI. He'd met his wife to be soon after, married, and settled as an owner of a tailoring business in Berlin. His sons were born in 1932 and 1933, the latter a day before a dictator took charge of the nation. The younger one was born with a midwife help at home, since legally Jews were no longer allowed to use hospital facilities or help of a doctor.
............
"Jews are banned from labor unions. Jews’ health insurance is canceled.
"Jews are banned from practicing any form of law.
"All non-Nazi organizations are banned.
"Farmer unions, labor unions, church youth groups, and Boys and Girls Clubs are all placed under Nazi control.
"Now, anyone with one or more Jewish parents or grandparents is considered a Jew."
............
"Hitler’s SA (Sturm Abteilung), also known as his storm troopers or the Brown Shirts, had outgrown its purpose in the Nazi Party and was now viewed as a threat to the party and its future. These storm troopers were anti-capitalist and anti-traditionalist; they wanted a second revolution and wanted to replace the regular German Army. Their Marxist inclinations were at loggerheads with the regular army and its traditions. The SA’s Marxism also did not sit well with the big industry leaders, the manufacturing conglomerates, and the bankers. The old army generals wanted their old military privileges and traditions back. The generals supported breaking the Treaty of Versailles, which placed limits on the size of Germany’s armed forces."
Hence the next.
"On June 30, 1934, Hitler put into action a plan called “The Night of the Long Knife.” Special SS forces were armed with a list of SA leaders or Hitler’s Brown Shirts (who actually comprised a group of well-trained troops) inside of the SS. These special SS forces, who were originally organized as personal bodyguards for Hitler, went out and murdered hundreds of leading SA members who were on the list."
............
"The only thing Therese and Julius had known about the midwife they called to help with Fred’s birth, Gertrude Nölting, was that she was obviously not Jewish. She was grandmotherly looking, yet determined. Her demeanor appeared stiff yet would also show compassion. Gertrude showed sincere concern and caring while participating in the birth, engendering Therese’s warmth in return.
"The old adage of not taking one at the first glimpse definitely applied to Gertrude, as there was a great deal about her life yet to be revealed. A lady of middle age, she lived with a younger woman by the name of Traute Holina whom all assumed to be her daughter. They also assumed Traute’s father was a victim of war, which would account for his absence, a common situation after WWI, and could also account for the different last names.
"There was even more to Gertrude than what had first met the parents’ eyes, and it was slowly surfacing. They were startled by their new discovery about this helpful woman. They had discovered that she was a Nazi Party member. Pointedly, Gertrude was included among Adolf Hitler’s friends and most loyal supporters in the years that he spent climbing toward his political ambitions.
"She even had purchased a small summer cabin in the outskirts of Berlin among many of the higher ranking Nazis and SS officers. It was seemingly incomprehensible to the Tauchers that Mrs. Müller could have recommended Gertrude, if she had known this about her. Yet, there was absolutely no doubt that both ladies were fully aware they were helping a Jewish family."
............
"Jews are banned from the German military.
"A law is passed stating that to be a German all four of one’s grandparents must be of Aryan blood.
"Jews and non-Germans are stripped of their German citizenship. Jews are prohibited from marrying Germans, and annulment laws for mixed marriages are passed.
"The Nazi swastika flag becomes the flag of Germany.
"The term “Jude” officially replaces the term “non-Aryan.”
"German females under the age of 45 are not allowed to work in Jewish households.
"Violation of any of these laws can result in imprisonment, fines, hard labor, and even death.
"German Jewish passports can be used to exit the country but not to return.
"A large “J” is stamped on all Jewish passports.
"Jews are barred from public schools after age 14.
"Public parks, libraries and beaches are closed to Jews."
............
" ... Hitler had the Reichstag (Parliament) moved to the town of Nürnberg, just in time for the annual Nazi Party rally. The rally had been held there yearly since 1925, but this was the first year in which the Reichstag convened there. Two measures came out of the rally and were passed into law shortly after by the Reichstag. These measures were to be known as the Nürnberg Laws and allowed anti-Semitic behavior to be legal and enforceable."
"The biggest change was that Judaism was now determined by ancestry and not by beliefs or practices. Many German citizens who had not practiced Judaism, did not identify themselves as Jewish, did not belong to the Jewish community, and in some cases even had converted to Christianity years ago were now defined by law as Jews. Besides institutionalizing many racist ideas, these new laws increased the Jewish population from an estimated 600,000 in all of Germany and 150,000 in Berlin in 1933, to possibly 2,500,000 in Germany and 500,000 in Berlin as of this decree in 1935."
............
"Jewish names are removed from all war memorials in Germany.
"Jews become “Guests” in Germany. No German can be employed in or around a Jewish household.
"Jews are not allowed to have a telephone.
"Jews are prohibited from owning franchises.
"Jews are not allowed in areas occupied by Germans.
"The Summer and Winter Olympic Games are held in Germany.
"Hitler sends troops to Italy to help Mussolini fight in Spain's civil war.
"Membership in the Hitler Youth organization is required for German youths 10 years and older."
............
The author mentions, 're 1936 Olympics:-
"The games were the first to be ....
The background story is told in a manner of informing a junior high school class in U.S. where the kids know nothing about the topic, and for that purpose, it's a job very well done, except some usual mistakes due to regarding Germany and disregard for India, and perhaps some numbers such as number of massacres by nazis which might be downplayed here.
And there are more serious mistakes. For example somewhere halfway along he states:-
"The German mathematician D. Hubert, founder of modern math, dies.
"Allies start bombing Germany around the clock; Germany bombs London in retaliation."
The last one makes one question the author's knowledge and loyalties, perhaps both; Battle of Britain and London Blitz preceded all but invasion of Poland and of much of western Europe, but it definitely did happen before Germany invaded Russia in 1942, even the decision to invade Russia which was in 1941. Bombing of London was certainly not a reaction or retaliation to any allied action.
For that matter, the preceding statement isn't certain as to veracity thereof. The said D. Hubert might have been a well known mathematician of his time in Germany, but is far from founder of modern mathematics; his name doesn't ring a bell with a mathematician whose field is not history of German mathematics.
Unless the author, completely unfamiliar with mathematics, mixed up names? The person of stature he mentions is not D. Hubert who was American, but the description fits David Hilbert - someone known to anyone even at the beginning of serious mathematics - amongst other great mathematicians.
Then there is The usual crass ignorance about some things. The borrowing or stealing of terminology and symbols from India, using them in a fraudulent way and twisting their meanings completely out of their truth, is what nazis did; West generally ignores all of this and retains the falsehood of nazis. This is akin, for example, to regarding the crucifix as a massacre instrument and using the word Easter to symbolise a spring tide in China.
Sounds horrible? So are the false meanings given by nazis to the word Arya and the symbol Swastik.
Arya, pronounced Aarya, is a Sanskrit word and is related to Light, as in inner enlightenment, not to fair skin; it has connotations of a well bred, civilised person of exemplary conduct, and was a term of honour, not race or skin tone. The person who carried the flag of the creed, symbolically, in his conduct throughout his life in his being, was for example Raama; he, while paens are in epics to his beauty, wasn't said to be fair, but dark. Whether this was due to extensive travels in tropical India on foot, or otherwise, isn't mentioned.
Swastika or Swastik is a Sanskrit word and the word literally means symbol of well being. It's drawn fresh before traditional homes, every day, in front at entrance, by housewives or a daughter or a daughter in law, after her bath and after cleaning floors including the front yard. It denotes goodwill, hope and prayer about good coming to the home. It's often found built in the entrance wall, for the same reason.
Swastika or Swastik is an occult symbol, a powerful one, no less than say, the six point star, which incidentally is another symbol drawn before homes in the morning, one of the many, many alternative choices to Swastik that the housewife or daughter may choose fresh for the day. Being an occult and powerful symbol, any misuse thereof is dangerous, as evident in case of Germany doing it. It backfired on them.
More serious readers should read better books for the purpose, beginning with the far more informative work of William Shirer, Rise And Fall of The Third Reich, which is exhaustive and trustworthy in the information part.
The personal part is, being from personal information, better. But it's as sparse as salt in a dish one can eat without grimacing, rather than the main course one expects in reading an account of a true story about real people.
............
"This six-pointed star was made of two interlocking triangles. Where the triangles overlapped, it was assumed to be extra thick, offering great protection.
"The first known use of the hexagram was as a wax seal in ancient Israel around 6 BC and 2 AD, in a synagogue in Capernaum. Many scholars have tried to trace its origin, with little agreement. One popular legend is that King David used it as a magical shield in battle. Charles the IV of Prague allowed the Jews in his lands to display the star as their own flag on special occasions, and it spread to other areas of Eastern Europe. Eventually, in response to the Christians using the cross to represent their faith, the Jews adopted the six-pointed star to represent Judaism as a whole.
"During the Nazi holocaust, the star had its saddest moment. The Nazis chose a yellow Star of David to be worn conspicuously on the clothes by all Jews, to allow easy identification of them. Not wearing it could and would end in death. After the war it became a badge of honor, and it is now used as an amulet of good luck and as a symbol of Jewish identity. It also appears on the flag of Israel and on Israeli ambulances."
"World War II was never really covered in any depth in my high school classes, and the parents and grandparents of my friends and I really didn’t talk much about it to us. I was a part of the generation of post-war baby boomers. It seemed like the “Greatest Generation” just wanted to move on to the dreams they now held, having survived such an enormously long and harsh era of wars. Forgetting about it seemed a lot more important than remembering the pains and sacrifices. Few told stories of those hard times to us youngsters."
"Luckily, a man joined my family who has many of the answers to my questions. His family had been caught up in the holocaust of WWII, as he was a Jew born in Berlin just hours before the start of one of the nastiest, bloodiest campaigns ever launched against mankind. He and his brother would end up as two of just a few Jewish children who survived those ghastly years right under the noses of their enemies.
"During the researching of this book, I ended up getting all the knowledge about this era that I had always wanted and possibly more. I had to reconstruct the events as they unfolded in the proper historical timeline. I had never imagined the grand scale of this reign of terror across Europe and N. Africa. Hitler’s Nazis committed genocide: close to 6 million Jews, 10 million Slavs, 250,000 Gypsies, 250,000 homosexual men, and more than 100,000 handicapped persons were the victims. Another 4–5 million civilians were killed as a result of the Nazis’ brutal tactics of intimidation and reprisals against anyone who opposed Nazism and the criminally insane Hitler. Who didn’t Hitler like? Wow, a total of more than 20 million innocent lives were taken, and that does not include all the many millions of civilian and military personnel lives lost by both sides in the ensuing war."
............
"Anti-Semitism is officially adopted by the German Conservation Party in 1882.
"In Poland, anti-Semitic laws are passed.
"WWI, “The War to end all Wars,” lasts from 1914 to 1918.
"It is a closely held trench war in which air bombers are used for the first time.
"The death toll is extremely high among both troops and civilians.
"On November 10, 1918, Germany’s Kaiser flees; November 11 is called Armistice Day, as fighting ends and a formal peace agreement is signed.
"Germany’s general staff won’t accept that Germany could lose a war.
"Hitler’s anti-Semitic outbursts impress his superiors; they praise him as a born orator who speaks well in front of large groups, holds their attention, and sways them to his anti-Semitic views.
"Anti-Semitism rises against Jews as a race/ethnic group, not against Judaism as a religion."
............
"Germany’s population is estimated at 64.8 million in 1932.
"Unemployment in Germany hits 33%, in 1932.
"Jews are suspect as they hold such a disproportionate number of the high-paying jobs.
"Berlin is the center of many new social movements. These movements are reflected in the arts, sexual freedoms, architecture, and theater.
"Many view the Berlin culture movements as hedonistic, degenerate, and amoral.
"Thousand of artists, filmmakers, designers, and other professionals flee Germany; among them are 20 former Nobel Prize winners."
............
The father of the two boys had been born in U.S. in 1891, and as a 19 year old, had migrated with his parents to Germany where he subsequently fought as a German soldier in WWI. He'd met his wife to be soon after, married, and settled as an owner of a tailoring business in Berlin. His sons were born in 1932 and 1933, the latter a day before a dictator took charge of the nation. The younger one was born with a midwife help at home, since legally Jews were no longer allowed to use hospital facilities or help of a doctor.
............
"Jews are banned from labor unions. Jews’ health insurance is canceled.
"Jews are banned from practicing any form of law.
"All non-Nazi organizations are banned.
"Farmer unions, labor unions, church youth groups, and Boys and Girls Clubs are all placed under Nazi control.
"Now, anyone with one or more Jewish parents or grandparents is considered a Jew."
............
"Hitler’s SA (Sturm Abteilung), also known as his storm troopers or the Brown Shirts, had outgrown its purpose in the Nazi Party and was now viewed as a threat to the party and its future. These storm troopers were anti-capitalist and anti-traditionalist; they wanted a second revolution and wanted to replace the regular German Army. Their Marxist inclinations were at loggerheads with the regular army and its traditions. The SA’s Marxism also did not sit well with the big industry leaders, the manufacturing conglomerates, and the bankers. The old army generals wanted their old military privileges and traditions back. The generals supported breaking the Treaty of Versailles, which placed limits on the size of Germany’s armed forces."
Hence the next.
"On June 30, 1934, Hitler put into action a plan called “The Night of the Long Knife.” Special SS forces were armed with a list of SA leaders or Hitler’s Brown Shirts (who actually comprised a group of well-trained troops) inside of the SS. These special SS forces, who were originally organized as personal bodyguards for Hitler, went out and murdered hundreds of leading SA members who were on the list."
............
"The only thing Therese and Julius had known about the midwife they called to help with Fred’s birth, Gertrude Nölting, was that she was obviously not Jewish. She was grandmotherly looking, yet determined. Her demeanor appeared stiff yet would also show compassion. Gertrude showed sincere concern and caring while participating in the birth, engendering Therese’s warmth in return.
"The old adage of not taking one at the first glimpse definitely applied to Gertrude, as there was a great deal about her life yet to be revealed. A lady of middle age, she lived with a younger woman by the name of Traute Holina whom all assumed to be her daughter. They also assumed Traute’s father was a victim of war, which would account for his absence, a common situation after WWI, and could also account for the different last names.
"There was even more to Gertrude than what had first met the parents’ eyes, and it was slowly surfacing. They were startled by their new discovery about this helpful woman. They had discovered that she was a Nazi Party member. Pointedly, Gertrude was included among Adolf Hitler’s friends and most loyal supporters in the years that he spent climbing toward his political ambitions.
"She even had purchased a small summer cabin in the outskirts of Berlin among many of the higher ranking Nazis and SS officers. It was seemingly incomprehensible to the Tauchers that Mrs. Müller could have recommended Gertrude, if she had known this about her. Yet, there was absolutely no doubt that both ladies were fully aware they were helping a Jewish family."
............
"Jews are banned from the German military.
"A law is passed stating that to be a German all four of one’s grandparents must be of Aryan blood.
"Jews and non-Germans are stripped of their German citizenship. Jews are prohibited from marrying Germans, and annulment laws for mixed marriages are passed.
"The Nazi swastika flag becomes the flag of Germany.
"The term “Jude” officially replaces the term “non-Aryan.”
"German females under the age of 45 are not allowed to work in Jewish households.
"Violation of any of these laws can result in imprisonment, fines, hard labor, and even death.
"German Jewish passports can be used to exit the country but not to return.
"A large “J” is stamped on all Jewish passports.
"Jews are barred from public schools after age 14.
"Public parks, libraries and beaches are closed to Jews."
............
" ... Hitler had the Reichstag (Parliament) moved to the town of Nürnberg, just in time for the annual Nazi Party rally. The rally had been held there yearly since 1925, but this was the first year in which the Reichstag convened there. Two measures came out of the rally and were passed into law shortly after by the Reichstag. These measures were to be known as the Nürnberg Laws and allowed anti-Semitic behavior to be legal and enforceable."
"The biggest change was that Judaism was now determined by ancestry and not by beliefs or practices. Many German citizens who had not practiced Judaism, did not identify themselves as Jewish, did not belong to the Jewish community, and in some cases even had converted to Christianity years ago were now defined by law as Jews. Besides institutionalizing many racist ideas, these new laws increased the Jewish population from an estimated 600,000 in all of Germany and 150,000 in Berlin in 1933, to possibly 2,500,000 in Germany and 500,000 in Berlin as of this decree in 1935."
............
"Jewish names are removed from all war memorials in Germany.
"Jews become “Guests” in Germany. No German can be employed in or around a Jewish household.
"Jews are not allowed to have a telephone.
"Jews are prohibited from owning franchises.
"Jews are not allowed in areas occupied by Germans.
"The Summer and Winter Olympic Games are held in Germany.
"Hitler sends troops to Italy to help Mussolini fight in Spain's civil war.
"Membership in the Hitler Youth organization is required for German youths 10 years and older."
............
The author mentions, 're 1936 Olympics:-
"The games were the first to be ....
February 23, 2020
The book is somewhat akin to an inlay work of art, where the author takes the true story of two little boy a born in Germany in 1932 and 1933, and tells this story along with that of the background, those times and the place - Germany in the so called third Reich until the end of the war - but its not a single seamless work of art; its rather one where the edges of the inlay work show.
The background story is told in a manner of informing a junior high school class in U.S. where the kids know nothing about the topic, and for that purpose, it's a job very well done, except some usual mistakes due to regarding Germany and disregard for India, and perhaps some numbers such as number of massacres by nazis which might be downplayed here.
And there are more serious mistakes. For example somewhere halfway along he states:-
"The German mathematician D. Hubert, founder of modern math, dies.
"Allies start bombing Germany around the clock; Germany bombs London in retaliation."
The last one makes one question the author's knowledge and loyalties, perhaps both; Battle of Britain and London Blitz preceded all but invasion of Poland and of much of western Europe, but it definitely did happen before Germany invaded Russia in 1942, even the decision to invade Russia which was in 1941. Bombing of London was certainly not a reaction or retaliation to any allied action.
For that matter, the preceding statement isn't certain as to veracity thereof. The said D. Hubert might have been a well known mathematician of his time in Germany, but is far from founder of modern mathematics; his name doesn't ring a bell with a mathematician whose field is not history of German mathematics.
Unless the author, completely unfamiliar with mathematics, mixed up names? The person of stature he mentions is not D. Hubert who was American, but the description fits David Hilbert - someone known to anyone even at the beginning of serious mathematics - amongst other great mathematicians.
Then there is The usual crass ignorance about some things. The borrowing or stealing of terminology and symbols from India, using them in a fraudulent way and twisting their meanings completely out of their truth, is what nazis did; West generally ignores all of this and retains the falsehood of nazis. This is akin, for example, to regarding the crucifix as a massacre instrument and using the word Easter to symbolise a spring tide in China.
Sounds horrible? So are the false meanings given by nazis to the word Arya and the symbol Swastik.
Arya, pronounced Aarya, is a Sanskrit word and is related to Light, as in inner enlightenment, not to fair skin; it has connotations of a well bred, civilised person of exemplary conduct, and was a term of honour, not race or skin tone. The person who carried the flag of the creed, symbolically, in his conduct throughout his life in his being, was for example Raama; he, while paens are in epics to his beauty, wasn't said to be fair, but dark. Whether this was due to extensive travels in tropical India on foot, or otherwise, isn't mentioned.
Swastika or Swastik is a Sanskrit word and the word literally means symbol of well being. It's drawn fresh before traditional homes, every day, in front at entrance, by housewives or a daughter or a daughter in law, after her bath and after cleaning floors including the front yard. It denotes goodwill, hope and prayer about good coming to the home. It's often found built in the entrance wall, for the same reason.
Swastika or Swastik is an occult symbol, a powerful one, no less than say, the six point star, which incidentally is another symbol drawn before homes in the morning, one of the many, many alternative choices to Swastik that the housewife or daughter may choose fresh for the day. Being an occult and powerful symbol, any misuse thereof is dangerous, as evident in case of Germany doing it. It backfired on them.
More serious readers should read better books for the purpose, beginning with the far more informative work of William Shirer, Rise And Fall of The Third Reich, which is exhaustive and trustworthy in the information part.
The personal part is, being from personal information, better. But it's as sparse as salt in a dish one can eat without grimacing, rather than the main course one expects in reading an account of a true story about real people.
............
"This six-pointed star was made of two interlocking triangles. Where the triangles overlapped, it was assumed to be extra thick, offering great protection.
"The first known use of the hexagram was as a wax seal in ancient Israel around 6 BC and 2 AD, in a synagogue in Capernaum. Many scholars have tried to trace its origin, with little agreement. One popular legend is that King David used it as a magical shield in battle. Charles the IV of Prague allowed the Jews in his lands to display the star as their own flag on special occasions, and it spread to other areas of Eastern Europe. Eventually, in response to the Christians using the cross to represent their faith, the Jews adopted the six-pointed star to represent Judaism as a whole.
"During the Nazi holocaust, the star had its saddest moment. The Nazis chose a yellow Star of David to be worn conspicuously on the clothes by all Jews, to allow easy identification of them. Not wearing it could and would end in death. After the war it became a badge of honor, and it is now used as an amulet of good luck and as a symbol of Jewish identity. It also appears on the flag of Israel and on Israeli ambulances."
"World War II was never really covered in any depth in my high school classes, and the parents and grandparents of my friends and I really didn’t talk much about it to us. I was a part of the generation of post-war baby boomers. It seemed like the “Greatest Generation” just wanted to move on to the dreams they now held, having survived such an enormously long and harsh era of wars. Forgetting about it seemed a lot more important than remembering the pains and sacrifices. Few told stories of those hard times to us youngsters."
"Luckily, a man joined my family who has many of the answers to my questions. His family had been caught up in the holocaust of WWII, as he was a Jew born in Berlin just hours before the start of one of the nastiest, bloodiest campaigns ever launched against mankind. He and his brother would end up as two of just a few Jewish children who survived those ghastly years right under the noses of their enemies.
"During the researching of this book, I ended up getting all the knowledge about this era that I had always wanted and possibly more. I had to reconstruct the events as they unfolded in the proper historical timeline. I had never imagined the grand scale of this reign of terror across Europe and N. Africa. Hitler’s Nazis committed genocide: close to 6 million Jews, 10 million Slavs, 250,000 Gypsies, 250,000 homosexual men, and more than 100,000 handicapped persons were the victims. Another 4–5 million civilians were killed as a result of the Nazis’ brutal tactics of intimidation and reprisals against anyone who opposed Nazism and the criminally insane Hitler. Who didn’t Hitler like? Wow, a total of more than 20 million innocent lives were taken, and that does not include all the many millions of civilian and military personnel lives lost by both sides in the ensuing war."
............
"Anti-Semitism is officially adopted by the German Conservation Party in 1882.
"In Poland, anti-Semitic laws are passed.
"WWI, “The War to end all Wars,” lasts from 1914 to 1918.
"It is a closely held trench war in which air bombers are used for the first time.
"The death toll is extremely high among both troops and civilians.
"On November 10, 1918, Germany’s Kaiser flees; November 11 is called Armistice Day, as fighting ends and a formal peace agreement is signed.
"Germany’s general staff won’t accept that Germany could lose a war.
"Hitler’s anti-Semitic outbursts impress his superiors; they praise him as a born orator who speaks well in front of large groups, holds their attention, and sways them to his anti-Semitic views.
"Anti-Semitism rises against Jews as a race/ethnic group, not against Judaism as a religion."
............
"Germany’s population is estimated at 64.8 million in 1932.
"Unemployment in Germany hits 33%, in 1932.
"Jews are suspect as they hold such a disproportionate number of the high-paying jobs.
"Berlin is the center of many new social movements. These movements are reflected in the arts, sexual freedoms, architecture, and theater.
"Many view the Berlin culture movements as hedonistic, degenerate, and amoral.
"Thousand of artists, filmmakers, designers, and other professionals flee Germany; among them are 20 former Nobel Prize winners."
............
The father of the two boys had been born in U.S. in 1891, and as a 19 year old, had migrated with his parents to Germany where he subsequently fought as a German soldier in WWI. He'd met his wife to be soon after, married, and settled as an owner of a tailoring business in Berlin. His sons were born in 1932 and 1933, the latter a day before a dictator took charge of the nation. The younger one was born with a midwife help at home, since legally Jews were no longer allowed to use hospital facilities or help of a doctor.
............
"Jews are banned from labor unions. Jews’ health insurance is canceled.
"Jews are banned from practicing any form of law.
"All non-Nazi organizations are banned.
"Farmer unions, labor unions, church youth groups, and Boys and Girls Clubs are all placed under Nazi control.
"Now, anyone with one or more Jewish parents or grandparents is considered a Jew."
............
"Hitler’s SA (Sturm Abteilung), also known as his storm troopers or the Brown Shirts, had outgrown its purpose in the Nazi Party and was now viewed as a threat to the party and its future. These storm troopers were anti-capitalist and anti-traditionalist; they wanted a second revolution and wanted to replace the regular German Army. Their Marxist inclinations were at loggerheads with the regular army and its traditions. The SA’s Marxism also did not sit well with the big industry leaders, the manufacturing conglomerates, and the bankers. The old army generals wanted their old military privileges and traditions back. The generals supported breaking the Treaty of Versailles, which placed limits on the size of Germany’s armed forces."
Hence the next.
"On June 30, 1934, Hitler put into action a plan called “The Night of the Long Knife.” Special SS forces were armed with a list of SA leaders or Hitler’s Brown Shirts (who actually comprised a group of well-trained troops) inside of the SS. These special SS forces, who were originally organized as personal bodyguards for Hitler, went out and murdered hundreds of leading SA members who were on the list."
............
"The only thing Therese and Julius had known about the midwife they called to help with Fred’s birth, Gertrude Nölting, was that she was obviously not Jewish. She was grandmotherly looking, yet determined. Her demeanor appeared stiff yet would also show compassion. Gertrude showed sincere concern and caring while participating in the birth, engendering Therese’s warmth in return.
"The old adage of not taking one at the first glimpse definitely applied to Gertrude, as there was a great deal about her life yet to be revealed. A lady of middle age, she lived with a younger woman by the name of Traute Holina whom all assumed to be her daughter. They also assumed Traute’s father was a victim of war, which would account for his absence, a common situation after WWI, and could also account for the different last names.
"There was even more to Gertrude than what had first met the parents’ eyes, and it was slowly surfacing. They were startled by their new discovery about this helpful woman. They had discovered that she was a Nazi Party member. Pointedly, Gertrude was included among Adolf Hitler’s friends and most loyal supporters in the years that he spent climbing toward his political ambitions.
"She even had purchased a small summer cabin in the outskirts of Berlin among many of the higher ranking Nazis and SS officers. It was seemingly incomprehensible to the Tauchers that Mrs. Müller could have recommended Gertrude, if she had known this about her. Yet, there was absolutely no doubt that both ladies were fully aware they were helping a Jewish family."
............
"Jews are banned from the German military.
"A law is passed stating that to be a German all four of one’s grandparents must be of Aryan blood.
"Jews and non-Germans are stripped of their German citizenship. Jews are prohibited from marrying Germans, and annulment laws for mixed marriages are passed.
"The Nazi swastika flag becomes the flag of Germany.
"The term “Jude” officially replaces the term “non-Aryan.”
"German females under the age of 45 are not allowed to work in Jewish households.
"Violation of any of these laws can result in imprisonment, fines, hard labor, and even death.
"German Jewish passports can be used to exit the country but not to return.
"A large “J” is stamped on all Jewish passports.
"Jews are barred from public schools after age 14.
"Public parks, libraries and beaches are closed to Jews."
............
" ... Hitler had the Reichstag (Parliament) moved to the town of Nürnberg, just in time for the annual Nazi Party rally. The rally had been held there yearly since 1925, but this was the first year in which the Reichstag convened there. Two measures came out of the rally and were passed into law shortly after by the Reichstag. These measures were to be known as the Nürnberg Laws and allowed anti-Semitic behavior to be legal and enforceable."
"The biggest change was that Judaism was now determined by ancestry and not by beliefs or practices. Many German citizens who had not practiced Judaism, did not identify themselves as Jewish, did not belong to the Jewish community, and in some cases even had converted to Christianity years ago were now defined by law as Jews. Besides institutionalizing many racist ideas, these new laws increased the Jewish population from an estimated 600,000 in all of Germany and 150,000 in Berlin in 1933, to possibly 2,500,000 in Germany and 500,000 in Berlin as of this decree in 1935."
............
"Jewish names are removed from all war memorials in Germany.
"Jews become “Guests” in Germany. No German can be employed in or around a Jewish household.
"Jews are not allowed to have a telephone.
"Jews are prohibited from owning franchises.
"Jews are not allowed in areas occupied by Germans.
"The Summer and Winter Olympic Games are held in Germany.
"Hitler sends troops to Italy to help Mussolini fight in Spain's civil war.
"Membership in the Hitler Youth organization is required for German youths 10 years and older."
............
The author mentions, 're 1936 Olympics:-
"The games were the first to be ....
The background story is told in a manner of informing a junior high school class in U.S. where the kids know nothing about the topic, and for that purpose, it's a job very well done, except some usual mistakes due to regarding Germany and disregard for India, and perhaps some numbers such as number of massacres by nazis which might be downplayed here.
And there are more serious mistakes. For example somewhere halfway along he states:-
"The German mathematician D. Hubert, founder of modern math, dies.
"Allies start bombing Germany around the clock; Germany bombs London in retaliation."
The last one makes one question the author's knowledge and loyalties, perhaps both; Battle of Britain and London Blitz preceded all but invasion of Poland and of much of western Europe, but it definitely did happen before Germany invaded Russia in 1942, even the decision to invade Russia which was in 1941. Bombing of London was certainly not a reaction or retaliation to any allied action.
For that matter, the preceding statement isn't certain as to veracity thereof. The said D. Hubert might have been a well known mathematician of his time in Germany, but is far from founder of modern mathematics; his name doesn't ring a bell with a mathematician whose field is not history of German mathematics.
Unless the author, completely unfamiliar with mathematics, mixed up names? The person of stature he mentions is not D. Hubert who was American, but the description fits David Hilbert - someone known to anyone even at the beginning of serious mathematics - amongst other great mathematicians.
Then there is The usual crass ignorance about some things. The borrowing or stealing of terminology and symbols from India, using them in a fraudulent way and twisting their meanings completely out of their truth, is what nazis did; West generally ignores all of this and retains the falsehood of nazis. This is akin, for example, to regarding the crucifix as a massacre instrument and using the word Easter to symbolise a spring tide in China.
Sounds horrible? So are the false meanings given by nazis to the word Arya and the symbol Swastik.
Arya, pronounced Aarya, is a Sanskrit word and is related to Light, as in inner enlightenment, not to fair skin; it has connotations of a well bred, civilised person of exemplary conduct, and was a term of honour, not race or skin tone. The person who carried the flag of the creed, symbolically, in his conduct throughout his life in his being, was for example Raama; he, while paens are in epics to his beauty, wasn't said to be fair, but dark. Whether this was due to extensive travels in tropical India on foot, or otherwise, isn't mentioned.
Swastika or Swastik is a Sanskrit word and the word literally means symbol of well being. It's drawn fresh before traditional homes, every day, in front at entrance, by housewives or a daughter or a daughter in law, after her bath and after cleaning floors including the front yard. It denotes goodwill, hope and prayer about good coming to the home. It's often found built in the entrance wall, for the same reason.
Swastika or Swastik is an occult symbol, a powerful one, no less than say, the six point star, which incidentally is another symbol drawn before homes in the morning, one of the many, many alternative choices to Swastik that the housewife or daughter may choose fresh for the day. Being an occult and powerful symbol, any misuse thereof is dangerous, as evident in case of Germany doing it. It backfired on them.
More serious readers should read better books for the purpose, beginning with the far more informative work of William Shirer, Rise And Fall of The Third Reich, which is exhaustive and trustworthy in the information part.
The personal part is, being from personal information, better. But it's as sparse as salt in a dish one can eat without grimacing, rather than the main course one expects in reading an account of a true story about real people.
............
"This six-pointed star was made of two interlocking triangles. Where the triangles overlapped, it was assumed to be extra thick, offering great protection.
"The first known use of the hexagram was as a wax seal in ancient Israel around 6 BC and 2 AD, in a synagogue in Capernaum. Many scholars have tried to trace its origin, with little agreement. One popular legend is that King David used it as a magical shield in battle. Charles the IV of Prague allowed the Jews in his lands to display the star as their own flag on special occasions, and it spread to other areas of Eastern Europe. Eventually, in response to the Christians using the cross to represent their faith, the Jews adopted the six-pointed star to represent Judaism as a whole.
"During the Nazi holocaust, the star had its saddest moment. The Nazis chose a yellow Star of David to be worn conspicuously on the clothes by all Jews, to allow easy identification of them. Not wearing it could and would end in death. After the war it became a badge of honor, and it is now used as an amulet of good luck and as a symbol of Jewish identity. It also appears on the flag of Israel and on Israeli ambulances."
"World War II was never really covered in any depth in my high school classes, and the parents and grandparents of my friends and I really didn’t talk much about it to us. I was a part of the generation of post-war baby boomers. It seemed like the “Greatest Generation” just wanted to move on to the dreams they now held, having survived such an enormously long and harsh era of wars. Forgetting about it seemed a lot more important than remembering the pains and sacrifices. Few told stories of those hard times to us youngsters."
"Luckily, a man joined my family who has many of the answers to my questions. His family had been caught up in the holocaust of WWII, as he was a Jew born in Berlin just hours before the start of one of the nastiest, bloodiest campaigns ever launched against mankind. He and his brother would end up as two of just a few Jewish children who survived those ghastly years right under the noses of their enemies.
"During the researching of this book, I ended up getting all the knowledge about this era that I had always wanted and possibly more. I had to reconstruct the events as they unfolded in the proper historical timeline. I had never imagined the grand scale of this reign of terror across Europe and N. Africa. Hitler’s Nazis committed genocide: close to 6 million Jews, 10 million Slavs, 250,000 Gypsies, 250,000 homosexual men, and more than 100,000 handicapped persons were the victims. Another 4–5 million civilians were killed as a result of the Nazis’ brutal tactics of intimidation and reprisals against anyone who opposed Nazism and the criminally insane Hitler. Who didn’t Hitler like? Wow, a total of more than 20 million innocent lives were taken, and that does not include all the many millions of civilian and military personnel lives lost by both sides in the ensuing war."
............
"Anti-Semitism is officially adopted by the German Conservation Party in 1882.
"In Poland, anti-Semitic laws are passed.
"WWI, “The War to end all Wars,” lasts from 1914 to 1918.
"It is a closely held trench war in which air bombers are used for the first time.
"The death toll is extremely high among both troops and civilians.
"On November 10, 1918, Germany’s Kaiser flees; November 11 is called Armistice Day, as fighting ends and a formal peace agreement is signed.
"Germany’s general staff won’t accept that Germany could lose a war.
"Hitler’s anti-Semitic outbursts impress his superiors; they praise him as a born orator who speaks well in front of large groups, holds their attention, and sways them to his anti-Semitic views.
"Anti-Semitism rises against Jews as a race/ethnic group, not against Judaism as a religion."
............
"Germany’s population is estimated at 64.8 million in 1932.
"Unemployment in Germany hits 33%, in 1932.
"Jews are suspect as they hold such a disproportionate number of the high-paying jobs.
"Berlin is the center of many new social movements. These movements are reflected in the arts, sexual freedoms, architecture, and theater.
"Many view the Berlin culture movements as hedonistic, degenerate, and amoral.
"Thousand of artists, filmmakers, designers, and other professionals flee Germany; among them are 20 former Nobel Prize winners."
............
The father of the two boys had been born in U.S. in 1891, and as a 19 year old, had migrated with his parents to Germany where he subsequently fought as a German soldier in WWI. He'd met his wife to be soon after, married, and settled as an owner of a tailoring business in Berlin. His sons were born in 1932 and 1933, the latter a day before a dictator took charge of the nation. The younger one was born with a midwife help at home, since legally Jews were no longer allowed to use hospital facilities or help of a doctor.
............
"Jews are banned from labor unions. Jews’ health insurance is canceled.
"Jews are banned from practicing any form of law.
"All non-Nazi organizations are banned.
"Farmer unions, labor unions, church youth groups, and Boys and Girls Clubs are all placed under Nazi control.
"Now, anyone with one or more Jewish parents or grandparents is considered a Jew."
............
"Hitler’s SA (Sturm Abteilung), also known as his storm troopers or the Brown Shirts, had outgrown its purpose in the Nazi Party and was now viewed as a threat to the party and its future. These storm troopers were anti-capitalist and anti-traditionalist; they wanted a second revolution and wanted to replace the regular German Army. Their Marxist inclinations were at loggerheads with the regular army and its traditions. The SA’s Marxism also did not sit well with the big industry leaders, the manufacturing conglomerates, and the bankers. The old army generals wanted their old military privileges and traditions back. The generals supported breaking the Treaty of Versailles, which placed limits on the size of Germany’s armed forces."
Hence the next.
"On June 30, 1934, Hitler put into action a plan called “The Night of the Long Knife.” Special SS forces were armed with a list of SA leaders or Hitler’s Brown Shirts (who actually comprised a group of well-trained troops) inside of the SS. These special SS forces, who were originally organized as personal bodyguards for Hitler, went out and murdered hundreds of leading SA members who were on the list."
............
"The only thing Therese and Julius had known about the midwife they called to help with Fred’s birth, Gertrude Nölting, was that she was obviously not Jewish. She was grandmotherly looking, yet determined. Her demeanor appeared stiff yet would also show compassion. Gertrude showed sincere concern and caring while participating in the birth, engendering Therese’s warmth in return.
"The old adage of not taking one at the first glimpse definitely applied to Gertrude, as there was a great deal about her life yet to be revealed. A lady of middle age, she lived with a younger woman by the name of Traute Holina whom all assumed to be her daughter. They also assumed Traute’s father was a victim of war, which would account for his absence, a common situation after WWI, and could also account for the different last names.
"There was even more to Gertrude than what had first met the parents’ eyes, and it was slowly surfacing. They were startled by their new discovery about this helpful woman. They had discovered that she was a Nazi Party member. Pointedly, Gertrude was included among Adolf Hitler’s friends and most loyal supporters in the years that he spent climbing toward his political ambitions.
"She even had purchased a small summer cabin in the outskirts of Berlin among many of the higher ranking Nazis and SS officers. It was seemingly incomprehensible to the Tauchers that Mrs. Müller could have recommended Gertrude, if she had known this about her. Yet, there was absolutely no doubt that both ladies were fully aware they were helping a Jewish family."
............
"Jews are banned from the German military.
"A law is passed stating that to be a German all four of one’s grandparents must be of Aryan blood.
"Jews and non-Germans are stripped of their German citizenship. Jews are prohibited from marrying Germans, and annulment laws for mixed marriages are passed.
"The Nazi swastika flag becomes the flag of Germany.
"The term “Jude” officially replaces the term “non-Aryan.”
"German females under the age of 45 are not allowed to work in Jewish households.
"Violation of any of these laws can result in imprisonment, fines, hard labor, and even death.
"German Jewish passports can be used to exit the country but not to return.
"A large “J” is stamped on all Jewish passports.
"Jews are barred from public schools after age 14.
"Public parks, libraries and beaches are closed to Jews."
............
" ... Hitler had the Reichstag (Parliament) moved to the town of Nürnberg, just in time for the annual Nazi Party rally. The rally had been held there yearly since 1925, but this was the first year in which the Reichstag convened there. Two measures came out of the rally and were passed into law shortly after by the Reichstag. These measures were to be known as the Nürnberg Laws and allowed anti-Semitic behavior to be legal and enforceable."
"The biggest change was that Judaism was now determined by ancestry and not by beliefs or practices. Many German citizens who had not practiced Judaism, did not identify themselves as Jewish, did not belong to the Jewish community, and in some cases even had converted to Christianity years ago were now defined by law as Jews. Besides institutionalizing many racist ideas, these new laws increased the Jewish population from an estimated 600,000 in all of Germany and 150,000 in Berlin in 1933, to possibly 2,500,000 in Germany and 500,000 in Berlin as of this decree in 1935."
............
"Jewish names are removed from all war memorials in Germany.
"Jews become “Guests” in Germany. No German can be employed in or around a Jewish household.
"Jews are not allowed to have a telephone.
"Jews are prohibited from owning franchises.
"Jews are not allowed in areas occupied by Germans.
"The Summer and Winter Olympic Games are held in Germany.
"Hitler sends troops to Italy to help Mussolini fight in Spain's civil war.
"Membership in the Hitler Youth organization is required for German youths 10 years and older."
............
The author mentions, 're 1936 Olympics:-
"The games were the first to be ....
February 23, 2020
The book is somewhat akin to an inlay work of art, where the author takes the true story of two little boy a born in Germany in 1932 and 1933, and tells this story along with that of the background, those times and the place - Germany in the so called third Reich until the end of the war - but its not a single seamless work of art; its rather one where the edges of the inlay work show.
The background story is told in a manner of informing a junior high school class in U.S. where the kids know nothing about the topic, and for that purpose, it's a job very well done, except some usual mistakes due to regarding Germany and disregard for India, and perhaps some numbers such as number of massacres by nazis which might be downplayed here.
And there are more serious mistakes. For example somewhere halfway along he states:-
"The German mathematician D. Hubert, founder of modern math, dies.
"Allies start bombing Germany around the clock; Germany bombs London in retaliation."
The last one makes one question the author's knowledge and loyalties, perhaps both; Battle of Britain and London Blitz preceded all but invasion of Poland and of much of western Europe, but it definitely did happen before Germany invaded Russia in 1942, even the decision to invade Russia which was in 1941. Bombing of London was certainly not a reaction or retaliation to any allied action.
For that matter, the preceding statement isn't certain as to veracity thereof. The said D. Hubert might have been a well known mathematician of his time in Germany, but is far from founder of modern mathematics; his name doesn't ring a bell with a mathematician whose field is not history of German mathematics.
Unless the author, completely unfamiliar with mathematics, mixed up names? The person of stature he mentions is not D. Hubert who was American, but the description fits David Hilbert - someone known to anyone even at the beginning of serious mathematics - amongst other great mathematicians.
Then there is The usual crass ignorance about some things. The borrowing or stealing of terminology and symbols from India, using them in a fraudulent way and twisting their meanings completely out of their truth, is what nazis did; West generally ignores all of this and retains the falsehood of nazis. This is akin, for example, to regarding the crucifix as a massacre instrument and using the word Easter to symbolise a spring tide in China.
Sounds horrible? So are the false meanings given by nazis to the word Arya and the symbol Swastik.
Arya, pronounced Aarya, is a Sanskrit word and is related to Light, as in inner enlightenment, not to fair skin; it has connotations of a well bred, civilised person of exemplary conduct, and was a term of honour, not race or skin tone. The person who carried the flag of the creed, symbolically, in his conduct throughout his life in his being, was for example Raama; he, while paens are in epics to his beauty, wasn't said to be fair, but dark. Whether this was due to extensive travels in tropical India on foot, or otherwise, isn't mentioned.
Swastika or Swastik is a Sanskrit word and the word literally means symbol of well being. It's drawn fresh before traditional homes, every day, in front at entrance, by housewives or a daughter or a daughter in law, after her bath and after cleaning floors including the front yard. It denotes goodwill, hope and prayer about good coming to the home. It's often found built in the entrance wall, for the same reason.
Swastika or Swastik is an occult symbol, a powerful one, no less than say, the six point star, which incidentally is another symbol drawn before homes in the morning, one of the many, many alternative choices to Swastik that the housewife or daughter may choose fresh for the day. Being an occult and powerful symbol, any misuse thereof is dangerous, as evident in case of Germany doing it. It backfired on them.
More serious readers should read better books for the purpose, beginning with the far more informative work of William Shirer, Rise And Fall of The Third Reich, which is exhaustive and trustworthy in the information part.
The personal part is, being from personal information, better. But it's as sparse as salt in a dish one can eat without grimacing, rather than the main course one expects in reading an account of a true story about real people.
............
"This six-pointed star was made of two interlocking triangles. Where the triangles overlapped, it was assumed to be extra thick, offering great protection.
"The first known use of the hexagram was as a wax seal in ancient Israel around 6 BC and 2 AD, in a synagogue in Capernaum. Many scholars have tried to trace its origin, with little agreement. One popular legend is that King David used it as a magical shield in battle. Charles the IV of Prague allowed the Jews in his lands to display the star as their own flag on special occasions, and it spread to other areas of Eastern Europe. Eventually, in response to the Christians using the cross to represent their faith, the Jews adopted the six-pointed star to represent Judaism as a whole.
"During the Nazi holocaust, the star had its saddest moment. The Nazis chose a yellow Star of David to be worn conspicuously on the clothes by all Jews, to allow easy identification of them. Not wearing it could and would end in death. After the war it became a badge of honor, and it is now used as an amulet of good luck and as a symbol of Jewish identity. It also appears on the flag of Israel and on Israeli ambulances."
"World War II was never really covered in any depth in my high school classes, and the parents and grandparents of my friends and I really didn’t talk much about it to us. I was a part of the generation of post-war baby boomers. It seemed like the “Greatest Generation” just wanted to move on to the dreams they now held, having survived such an enormously long and harsh era of wars. Forgetting about it seemed a lot more important than remembering the pains and sacrifices. Few told stories of those hard times to us youngsters."
"Luckily, a man joined my family who has many of the answers to my questions. His family had been caught up in the holocaust of WWII, as he was a Jew born in Berlin just hours before the start of one of the nastiest, bloodiest campaigns ever launched against mankind. He and his brother would end up as two of just a few Jewish children who survived those ghastly years right under the noses of their enemies.
"During the researching of this book, I ended up getting all the knowledge about this era that I had always wanted and possibly more. I had to reconstruct the events as they unfolded in the proper historical timeline. I had never imagined the grand scale of this reign of terror across Europe and N. Africa. Hitler’s Nazis committed genocide: close to 6 million Jews, 10 million Slavs, 250,000 Gypsies, 250,000 homosexual men, and more than 100,000 handicapped persons were the victims. Another 4–5 million civilians were killed as a result of the Nazis’ brutal tactics of intimidation and reprisals against anyone who opposed Nazism and the criminally insane Hitler. Who didn’t Hitler like? Wow, a total of more than 20 million innocent lives were taken, and that does not include all the many millions of civilian and military personnel lives lost by both sides in the ensuing war."
............
"Anti-Semitism is officially adopted by the German Conservation Party in 1882.
"In Poland, anti-Semitic laws are passed.
"WWI, “The War to end all Wars,” lasts from 1914 to 1918.
"It is a closely held trench war in which air bombers are used for the first time.
"The death toll is extremely high among both troops and civilians.
"On November 10, 1918, Germany’s Kaiser flees; November 11 is called Armistice Day, as fighting ends and a formal peace agreement is signed.
"Germany’s general staff won’t accept that Germany could lose a war.
"Hitler’s anti-Semitic outbursts impress his superiors; they praise him as a born orator who speaks well in front of large groups, holds their attention, and sways them to his anti-Semitic views.
"Anti-Semitism rises against Jews as a race/ethnic group, not against Judaism as a religion."
............
"Germany’s population is estimated at 64.8 million in 1932.
"Unemployment in Germany hits 33%, in 1932.
"Jews are suspect as they hold such a disproportionate number of the high-paying jobs.
"Berlin is the center of many new social movements. These movements are reflected in the arts, sexual freedoms, architecture, and theater.
"Many view the Berlin culture movements as hedonistic, degenerate, and amoral.
"Thousand of artists, filmmakers, designers, and other professionals flee Germany; among them are 20 former Nobel Prize winners."
............
The father of the two boys had been born in U.S. in 1891, and as a 19 year old, had migrated with his parents to Germany where he subsequently fought as a German soldier in WWI. He'd met his wife to be soon after, married, and settled as an owner of a tailoring business in Berlin. His sons were born in 1932 and 1933, the latter a day before a dictator took charge of the nation. The younger one was born with a midwife help at home, since legally Jews were no longer allowed to use hospital facilities or help of a doctor.
............
"Jews are banned from labor unions. Jews’ health insurance is canceled.
"Jews are banned from practicing any form of law.
"All non-Nazi organizations are banned.
"Farmer unions, labor unions, church youth groups, and Boys and Girls Clubs are all placed under Nazi control.
"Now, anyone with one or more Jewish parents or grandparents is considered a Jew."
............
"Hitler’s SA (Sturm Abteilung), also known as his storm troopers or the Brown Shirts, had outgrown its purpose in the Nazi Party and was now viewed as a threat to the party and its future. These storm troopers were anti-capitalist and anti-traditionalist; they wanted a second revolution and wanted to replace the regular German Army. Their Marxist inclinations were at loggerheads with the regular army and its traditions. The SA’s Marxism also did not sit well with the big industry leaders, the manufacturing conglomerates, and the bankers. The old army generals wanted their old military privileges and traditions back. The generals supported breaking the Treaty of Versailles, which placed limits on the size of Germany’s armed forces."
Hence the next.
"On June 30, 1934, Hitler put into action a plan called “The Night of the Long Knife.” Special SS forces were armed with a list of SA leaders or Hitler’s Brown Shirts (who actually comprised a group of well-trained troops) inside of the SS. These special SS forces, who were originally organized as personal bodyguards for Hitler, went out and murdered hundreds of leading SA members who were on the list."
............
"The only thing Therese and Julius had known about the midwife they called to help with Fred’s birth, Gertrude Nölting, was that she was obviously not Jewish. She was grandmotherly looking, yet determined. Her demeanor appeared stiff yet would also show compassion. Gertrude showed sincere concern and caring while participating in the birth, engendering Therese’s warmth in return.
"The old adage of not taking one at the first glimpse definitely applied to Gertrude, as there was a great deal about her life yet to be revealed. A lady of middle age, she lived with a younger woman by the name of Traute Holina whom all assumed to be her daughter. They also assumed Traute’s father was a victim of war, which would account for his absence, a common situation after WWI, and could also account for the different last names.
"There was even more to Gertrude than what had first met the parents’ eyes, and it was slowly surfacing. They were startled by their new discovery about this helpful woman. They had discovered that she was a Nazi Party member. Pointedly, Gertrude was included among Adolf Hitler’s friends and most loyal supporters in the years that he spent climbing toward his political ambitions.
"She even had purchased a small summer cabin in the outskirts of Berlin among many of the higher ranking Nazis and SS officers. It was seemingly incomprehensible to the Tauchers that Mrs. Müller could have recommended Gertrude, if she had known this about her. Yet, there was absolutely no doubt that both ladies were fully aware they were helping a Jewish family."
............
"Jews are banned from the German military.
"A law is passed stating that to be a German all four of one’s grandparents must be of Aryan blood.
"Jews and non-Germans are stripped of their German citizenship. Jews are prohibited from marrying Germans, and annulment laws for mixed marriages are passed.
"The Nazi swastika flag becomes the flag of Germany.
"The term “Jude” officially replaces the term “non-Aryan.”
"German females under the age of 45 are not allowed to work in Jewish households.
"Violation of any of these laws can result in imprisonment, fines, hard labor, and even death.
"German Jewish passports can be used to exit the country but not to return.
"A large “J” is stamped on all Jewish passports.
"Jews are barred from public schools after age 14.
"Public parks, libraries and beaches are closed to Jews."
............
" ... Hitler had the Reichstag (Parliament) moved to the town of Nürnberg, just in time for the annual Nazi Party rally. The rally had been held there yearly since 1925, but this was the first year in which the Reichstag convened there. Two measures came out of the rally and were passed into law shortly after by the Reichstag. These measures were to be known as the Nürnberg Laws and allowed anti-Semitic behavior to be legal and enforceable."
"The biggest change was that Judaism was now determined by ancestry and not by beliefs or practices. Many German citizens who had not practiced Judaism, did not identify themselves as Jewish, did not belong to the Jewish community, and in some cases even had converted to Christianity years ago were now defined by law as Jews. Besides institutionalizing many racist ideas, these new laws increased the Jewish population from an estimated 600,000 in all of Germany and 150,000 in Berlin in 1933, to possibly 2,500,000 in Germany and 500,000 in Berlin as of this decree in 1935."
............
"Jewish names are removed from all war memorials in Germany.
"Jews become “Guests” in Germany. No German can be employed in or around a Jewish household.
"Jews are not allowed to have a telephone.
"Jews are prohibited from owning franchises.
"Jews are not allowed in areas occupied by Germans.
"The Summer and Winter Olympic Games are held in Germany.
"Hitler sends troops to Italy to help Mussolini fight in Spain's civil war.
"Membership in the Hitler Youth organization is required for German youths 10 years and older."
............
The author mentions, 're 1936 Olympics:-
"The games were the first to be ....
The background story is told in a manner of informing a junior high school class in U.S. where the kids know nothing about the topic, and for that purpose, it's a job very well done, except some usual mistakes due to regarding Germany and disregard for India, and perhaps some numbers such as number of massacres by nazis which might be downplayed here.
And there are more serious mistakes. For example somewhere halfway along he states:-
"The German mathematician D. Hubert, founder of modern math, dies.
"Allies start bombing Germany around the clock; Germany bombs London in retaliation."
The last one makes one question the author's knowledge and loyalties, perhaps both; Battle of Britain and London Blitz preceded all but invasion of Poland and of much of western Europe, but it definitely did happen before Germany invaded Russia in 1942, even the decision to invade Russia which was in 1941. Bombing of London was certainly not a reaction or retaliation to any allied action.
For that matter, the preceding statement isn't certain as to veracity thereof. The said D. Hubert might have been a well known mathematician of his time in Germany, but is far from founder of modern mathematics; his name doesn't ring a bell with a mathematician whose field is not history of German mathematics.
Unless the author, completely unfamiliar with mathematics, mixed up names? The person of stature he mentions is not D. Hubert who was American, but the description fits David Hilbert - someone known to anyone even at the beginning of serious mathematics - amongst other great mathematicians.
Then there is The usual crass ignorance about some things. The borrowing or stealing of terminology and symbols from India, using them in a fraudulent way and twisting their meanings completely out of their truth, is what nazis did; West generally ignores all of this and retains the falsehood of nazis. This is akin, for example, to regarding the crucifix as a massacre instrument and using the word Easter to symbolise a spring tide in China.
Sounds horrible? So are the false meanings given by nazis to the word Arya and the symbol Swastik.
Arya, pronounced Aarya, is a Sanskrit word and is related to Light, as in inner enlightenment, not to fair skin; it has connotations of a well bred, civilised person of exemplary conduct, and was a term of honour, not race or skin tone. The person who carried the flag of the creed, symbolically, in his conduct throughout his life in his being, was for example Raama; he, while paens are in epics to his beauty, wasn't said to be fair, but dark. Whether this was due to extensive travels in tropical India on foot, or otherwise, isn't mentioned.
Swastika or Swastik is a Sanskrit word and the word literally means symbol of well being. It's drawn fresh before traditional homes, every day, in front at entrance, by housewives or a daughter or a daughter in law, after her bath and after cleaning floors including the front yard. It denotes goodwill, hope and prayer about good coming to the home. It's often found built in the entrance wall, for the same reason.
Swastika or Swastik is an occult symbol, a powerful one, no less than say, the six point star, which incidentally is another symbol drawn before homes in the morning, one of the many, many alternative choices to Swastik that the housewife or daughter may choose fresh for the day. Being an occult and powerful symbol, any misuse thereof is dangerous, as evident in case of Germany doing it. It backfired on them.
More serious readers should read better books for the purpose, beginning with the far more informative work of William Shirer, Rise And Fall of The Third Reich, which is exhaustive and trustworthy in the information part.
The personal part is, being from personal information, better. But it's as sparse as salt in a dish one can eat without grimacing, rather than the main course one expects in reading an account of a true story about real people.
............
"This six-pointed star was made of two interlocking triangles. Where the triangles overlapped, it was assumed to be extra thick, offering great protection.
"The first known use of the hexagram was as a wax seal in ancient Israel around 6 BC and 2 AD, in a synagogue in Capernaum. Many scholars have tried to trace its origin, with little agreement. One popular legend is that King David used it as a magical shield in battle. Charles the IV of Prague allowed the Jews in his lands to display the star as their own flag on special occasions, and it spread to other areas of Eastern Europe. Eventually, in response to the Christians using the cross to represent their faith, the Jews adopted the six-pointed star to represent Judaism as a whole.
"During the Nazi holocaust, the star had its saddest moment. The Nazis chose a yellow Star of David to be worn conspicuously on the clothes by all Jews, to allow easy identification of them. Not wearing it could and would end in death. After the war it became a badge of honor, and it is now used as an amulet of good luck and as a symbol of Jewish identity. It also appears on the flag of Israel and on Israeli ambulances."
"World War II was never really covered in any depth in my high school classes, and the parents and grandparents of my friends and I really didn’t talk much about it to us. I was a part of the generation of post-war baby boomers. It seemed like the “Greatest Generation” just wanted to move on to the dreams they now held, having survived such an enormously long and harsh era of wars. Forgetting about it seemed a lot more important than remembering the pains and sacrifices. Few told stories of those hard times to us youngsters."
"Luckily, a man joined my family who has many of the answers to my questions. His family had been caught up in the holocaust of WWII, as he was a Jew born in Berlin just hours before the start of one of the nastiest, bloodiest campaigns ever launched against mankind. He and his brother would end up as two of just a few Jewish children who survived those ghastly years right under the noses of their enemies.
"During the researching of this book, I ended up getting all the knowledge about this era that I had always wanted and possibly more. I had to reconstruct the events as they unfolded in the proper historical timeline. I had never imagined the grand scale of this reign of terror across Europe and N. Africa. Hitler’s Nazis committed genocide: close to 6 million Jews, 10 million Slavs, 250,000 Gypsies, 250,000 homosexual men, and more than 100,000 handicapped persons were the victims. Another 4–5 million civilians were killed as a result of the Nazis’ brutal tactics of intimidation and reprisals against anyone who opposed Nazism and the criminally insane Hitler. Who didn’t Hitler like? Wow, a total of more than 20 million innocent lives were taken, and that does not include all the many millions of civilian and military personnel lives lost by both sides in the ensuing war."
............
"Anti-Semitism is officially adopted by the German Conservation Party in 1882.
"In Poland, anti-Semitic laws are passed.
"WWI, “The War to end all Wars,” lasts from 1914 to 1918.
"It is a closely held trench war in which air bombers are used for the first time.
"The death toll is extremely high among both troops and civilians.
"On November 10, 1918, Germany’s Kaiser flees; November 11 is called Armistice Day, as fighting ends and a formal peace agreement is signed.
"Germany’s general staff won’t accept that Germany could lose a war.
"Hitler’s anti-Semitic outbursts impress his superiors; they praise him as a born orator who speaks well in front of large groups, holds their attention, and sways them to his anti-Semitic views.
"Anti-Semitism rises against Jews as a race/ethnic group, not against Judaism as a religion."
............
"Germany’s population is estimated at 64.8 million in 1932.
"Unemployment in Germany hits 33%, in 1932.
"Jews are suspect as they hold such a disproportionate number of the high-paying jobs.
"Berlin is the center of many new social movements. These movements are reflected in the arts, sexual freedoms, architecture, and theater.
"Many view the Berlin culture movements as hedonistic, degenerate, and amoral.
"Thousand of artists, filmmakers, designers, and other professionals flee Germany; among them are 20 former Nobel Prize winners."
............
The father of the two boys had been born in U.S. in 1891, and as a 19 year old, had migrated with his parents to Germany where he subsequently fought as a German soldier in WWI. He'd met his wife to be soon after, married, and settled as an owner of a tailoring business in Berlin. His sons were born in 1932 and 1933, the latter a day before a dictator took charge of the nation. The younger one was born with a midwife help at home, since legally Jews were no longer allowed to use hospital facilities or help of a doctor.
............
"Jews are banned from labor unions. Jews’ health insurance is canceled.
"Jews are banned from practicing any form of law.
"All non-Nazi organizations are banned.
"Farmer unions, labor unions, church youth groups, and Boys and Girls Clubs are all placed under Nazi control.
"Now, anyone with one or more Jewish parents or grandparents is considered a Jew."
............
"Hitler’s SA (Sturm Abteilung), also known as his storm troopers or the Brown Shirts, had outgrown its purpose in the Nazi Party and was now viewed as a threat to the party and its future. These storm troopers were anti-capitalist and anti-traditionalist; they wanted a second revolution and wanted to replace the regular German Army. Their Marxist inclinations were at loggerheads with the regular army and its traditions. The SA’s Marxism also did not sit well with the big industry leaders, the manufacturing conglomerates, and the bankers. The old army generals wanted their old military privileges and traditions back. The generals supported breaking the Treaty of Versailles, which placed limits on the size of Germany’s armed forces."
Hence the next.
"On June 30, 1934, Hitler put into action a plan called “The Night of the Long Knife.” Special SS forces were armed with a list of SA leaders or Hitler’s Brown Shirts (who actually comprised a group of well-trained troops) inside of the SS. These special SS forces, who were originally organized as personal bodyguards for Hitler, went out and murdered hundreds of leading SA members who were on the list."
............
"The only thing Therese and Julius had known about the midwife they called to help with Fred’s birth, Gertrude Nölting, was that she was obviously not Jewish. She was grandmotherly looking, yet determined. Her demeanor appeared stiff yet would also show compassion. Gertrude showed sincere concern and caring while participating in the birth, engendering Therese’s warmth in return.
"The old adage of not taking one at the first glimpse definitely applied to Gertrude, as there was a great deal about her life yet to be revealed. A lady of middle age, she lived with a younger woman by the name of Traute Holina whom all assumed to be her daughter. They also assumed Traute’s father was a victim of war, which would account for his absence, a common situation after WWI, and could also account for the different last names.
"There was even more to Gertrude than what had first met the parents’ eyes, and it was slowly surfacing. They were startled by their new discovery about this helpful woman. They had discovered that she was a Nazi Party member. Pointedly, Gertrude was included among Adolf Hitler’s friends and most loyal supporters in the years that he spent climbing toward his political ambitions.
"She even had purchased a small summer cabin in the outskirts of Berlin among many of the higher ranking Nazis and SS officers. It was seemingly incomprehensible to the Tauchers that Mrs. Müller could have recommended Gertrude, if she had known this about her. Yet, there was absolutely no doubt that both ladies were fully aware they were helping a Jewish family."
............
"Jews are banned from the German military.
"A law is passed stating that to be a German all four of one’s grandparents must be of Aryan blood.
"Jews and non-Germans are stripped of their German citizenship. Jews are prohibited from marrying Germans, and annulment laws for mixed marriages are passed.
"The Nazi swastika flag becomes the flag of Germany.
"The term “Jude” officially replaces the term “non-Aryan.”
"German females under the age of 45 are not allowed to work in Jewish households.
"Violation of any of these laws can result in imprisonment, fines, hard labor, and even death.
"German Jewish passports can be used to exit the country but not to return.
"A large “J” is stamped on all Jewish passports.
"Jews are barred from public schools after age 14.
"Public parks, libraries and beaches are closed to Jews."
............
" ... Hitler had the Reichstag (Parliament) moved to the town of Nürnberg, just in time for the annual Nazi Party rally. The rally had been held there yearly since 1925, but this was the first year in which the Reichstag convened there. Two measures came out of the rally and were passed into law shortly after by the Reichstag. These measures were to be known as the Nürnberg Laws and allowed anti-Semitic behavior to be legal and enforceable."
"The biggest change was that Judaism was now determined by ancestry and not by beliefs or practices. Many German citizens who had not practiced Judaism, did not identify themselves as Jewish, did not belong to the Jewish community, and in some cases even had converted to Christianity years ago were now defined by law as Jews. Besides institutionalizing many racist ideas, these new laws increased the Jewish population from an estimated 600,000 in all of Germany and 150,000 in Berlin in 1933, to possibly 2,500,000 in Germany and 500,000 in Berlin as of this decree in 1935."
............
"Jewish names are removed from all war memorials in Germany.
"Jews become “Guests” in Germany. No German can be employed in or around a Jewish household.
"Jews are not allowed to have a telephone.
"Jews are prohibited from owning franchises.
"Jews are not allowed in areas occupied by Germans.
"The Summer and Winter Olympic Games are held in Germany.
"Hitler sends troops to Italy to help Mussolini fight in Spain's civil war.
"Membership in the Hitler Youth organization is required for German youths 10 years and older."
............
The author mentions, 're 1936 Olympics:-
"The games were the first to be ....
September 2, 2017
Great details of the rise of Hitler. The writing lacks a bit. Systematic violations of human and civil rights cannot be accepted, tolerated, or ignored. Ever. Not now. Never.
April 14, 2024
Saved By the Enemy, Craig A Ledbetter
"No human beings, children notably, should ever be subjected to violent oppression, for they will forever move through life permanently altered by what they have seen and felt. Yet there is no question that many children possess a remarkable resilience and courageously pledge that their lives will not be ruled by adversity but will be allowed to soar, evincing positive understanding and purposeful direction.” (Pg. 140)
A true story featuring young brothers Fred and Henry, Saved by the Enemy, was recently featured in an article in the Joplin Globe. I learned that Fred and Henry Taucher had come to Joplin, Missouri after escaping from the Holocaust. I knew I had to find this book.
Born right at the time the Nazis were gaining power, Fred and Henry grew up in Berlin. Their parents provided a comfortable life and doted on the boys. "Cradled in the warmth of family togetherness, Hank, age three, and Fred, age two, could not comprehend the weakened roots beneath their feet. Their parents loved them to the sky, giving them all they needed as they soaked up the joys of toddlerhood." (Pg. 25)"
Even as restrictions for Jews grew and food became scarce, their parents tried to maintain life as normal as possible for the boys. "They instilled in the boys the virtue of caring for others and taught them to believe in themselves and value their faith.' (Pg. 26)
The Tauchers were forced to give up their home and repeatedly move into poorer housing. Julius, the father, was forced into slave labor and eventually was killed. That left Theresa and the boys to somehow survive.
Not to reveal the entire story, this narrative has many twists and turns. I enjoyed the author providing a clever weather metaphor for each part of the story. "Sunny with a Few Clouds, 1931-1933" (Pg 1) or "A Storm Erupts, 1938-39" (Pg 45). Ledbetter also provides a timeline of events including new restrictions for non-Aryans at the beginning of each chapter. This feature is brilliant, in my opinion.
This extremely well written piece of Holocaust history is worth reading. I rate it as 5 stars.
"No human beings, children notably, should ever be subjected to violent oppression, for they will forever move through life permanently altered by what they have seen and felt. Yet there is no question that many children possess a remarkable resilience and courageously pledge that their lives will not be ruled by adversity but will be allowed to soar, evincing positive understanding and purposeful direction.” (Pg. 140)
A true story featuring young brothers Fred and Henry, Saved by the Enemy, was recently featured in an article in the Joplin Globe. I learned that Fred and Henry Taucher had come to Joplin, Missouri after escaping from the Holocaust. I knew I had to find this book.
Born right at the time the Nazis were gaining power, Fred and Henry grew up in Berlin. Their parents provided a comfortable life and doted on the boys. "Cradled in the warmth of family togetherness, Hank, age three, and Fred, age two, could not comprehend the weakened roots beneath their feet. Their parents loved them to the sky, giving them all they needed as they soaked up the joys of toddlerhood." (Pg. 25)"
Even as restrictions for Jews grew and food became scarce, their parents tried to maintain life as normal as possible for the boys. "They instilled in the boys the virtue of caring for others and taught them to believe in themselves and value their faith.' (Pg. 26)
The Tauchers were forced to give up their home and repeatedly move into poorer housing. Julius, the father, was forced into slave labor and eventually was killed. That left Theresa and the boys to somehow survive.
Not to reveal the entire story, this narrative has many twists and turns. I enjoyed the author providing a clever weather metaphor for each part of the story. "Sunny with a Few Clouds, 1931-1933" (Pg 1) or "A Storm Erupts, 1938-39" (Pg 45). Ledbetter also provides a timeline of events including new restrictions for non-Aryans at the beginning of each chapter. This feature is brilliant, in my opinion.
This extremely well written piece of Holocaust history is worth reading. I rate it as 5 stars.
January 27, 2019
Some of his comments made me cringe a little but the story of the two Jewish brothers was very touching. They survived the Holocaust, then the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and became very successful after immigrating to America.
The one thing that I didn’t really like was how the author was so fixated on technicality. He refused to call the Korean War a war and kept calling it the Korean conflict only because the American government at the time wouldn’t recognize it as a war. As someone who was born and raised in Korea and heard so many horror stories about the war from my grandparents growing up, the word conflict seemed inappropriate.
Also I know this is non fiction but it is written like a research paper. I felt the purpose of this book was to simply summarize what happened during WWII, giving the necessary information and the backgrounds. I would have liked it much better if he had focused on the story of the brothers instead and given me a better idea of what they had gone through both physically and emotionally.
But if you want a good summary of the rise and fall of the Nazis and how criminally insane Hitler truly was, then this is a good book. And he does a very good job of it.
The one thing that I didn’t really like was how the author was so fixated on technicality. He refused to call the Korean War a war and kept calling it the Korean conflict only because the American government at the time wouldn’t recognize it as a war. As someone who was born and raised in Korea and heard so many horror stories about the war from my grandparents growing up, the word conflict seemed inappropriate.
Also I know this is non fiction but it is written like a research paper. I felt the purpose of this book was to simply summarize what happened during WWII, giving the necessary information and the backgrounds. I would have liked it much better if he had focused on the story of the brothers instead and given me a better idea of what they had gone through both physically and emotionally.
But if you want a good summary of the rise and fall of the Nazis and how criminally insane Hitler truly was, then this is a good book. And he does a very good job of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2020
Holocaust and Hitler
I choose this book because I have developed a thirst for WWII and all aspects of it.
I have read many books about England's involvement the effect on their people distruction of there country and the aftermat.
L have heard a lot about Hitler but did not really dig into the timline of his reign and historically how it all fit together
This book from the eyes of a Jewish family who live a happhy time marred by events Hitler and the Germans (good and bad) infulenced the events that affected the family and all others Find out how it progresses thru the years into 2000+.
I choose this book because I have developed a thirst for WWII and all aspects of it.
I have read many books about England's involvement the effect on their people distruction of there country and the aftermat.
L have heard a lot about Hitler but did not really dig into the timline of his reign and historically how it all fit together
This book from the eyes of a Jewish family who live a happhy time marred by events Hitler and the Germans (good and bad) infulenced the events that affected the family and all others Find out how it progresses thru the years into 2000+.
August 12, 2018
Good historical content
This is the story of two Jewish brothers surviving in Germany during WWII among the Nazi's. It is a good book for the historical content. It is written in a narrative format. It does bog down at times as the historical details out weigh and overshadow their story of survival. If you are looking for historical content in a timeline you will love the book. If you are looking for a story on survival during the war you may be disappointed somewhat. It does become more interesting toward the end of the book.
This is the story of two Jewish brothers surviving in Germany during WWII among the Nazi's. It is a good book for the historical content. It is written in a narrative format. It does bog down at times as the historical details out weigh and overshadow their story of survival. If you are looking for historical content in a timeline you will love the book. If you are looking for a story on survival during the war you may be disappointed somewhat. It does become more interesting toward the end of the book.
February 26, 2020
Amazing!
Excellent story about two young Jewish boys and the amazing number of great breaks that afforded them life through and after the Holocaust. Never realizing at the time the luck that would come their way in little tidbits permitting them to make a life that so many others had been denied. Much sadness came their way by loss of their parents and others they became close too along the way. So happy their story had a happy ending during such a horrible time in world history.
Excellent story about two young Jewish boys and the amazing number of great breaks that afforded them life through and after the Holocaust. Never realizing at the time the luck that would come their way in little tidbits permitting them to make a life that so many others had been denied. Much sadness came their way by loss of their parents and others they became close too along the way. So happy their story had a happy ending during such a horrible time in world history.
July 13, 2018
This book was AMAZING it was an insight into how Jews were treated worse than animals
How these brothers managed to survive was a miricale in itself
Was really good to read that there were some germans with a heart - without these wonderful friends helping the family no-one would have survived
BRILLIANT story x
Made me laugh and cry within the book many many times
friends have already read this book and recommended to our local book club
How these brothers managed to survive was a miricale in itself
Was really good to read that there were some germans with a heart - without these wonderful friends helping the family no-one would have survived
BRILLIANT story x
Made me laugh and cry within the book many many times
friends have already read this book and recommended to our local book club
October 1, 2020
People from all kinds of different groups helped them!
This is a very interesting book! I like the fact that it tells what was going on in the world besides what was going on in the lives of the two boys and their parents . It is a miracle they survived. Their parents loved and sacred every thing for them. Many other people from different walks of life helped them under terribly awful conditions!
This is a very interesting book! I like the fact that it tells what was going on in the world besides what was going on in the lives of the two boys and their parents . It is a miracle they survived. Their parents loved and sacred every thing for them. Many other people from different walks of life helped them under terribly awful conditions!
April 15, 2018
A must-read !
We as Americans need to understand what happened to the Jews during WWII and how one deranged individual can alter the lives of many others. This story is a means by which we can do just that, and at the same time, learn about the good that many people do in the face of great danger to themselves. Thank you, Mr Ledbetter!
We as Americans need to understand what happened to the Jews during WWII and how one deranged individual can alter the lives of many others. This story is a means by which we can do just that, and at the same time, learn about the good that many people do in the face of great danger to themselves. Thank you, Mr Ledbetter!
July 1, 2020
Oh my what a eye opener , I’ve read several survival books ,and visited the camps in Poland ,but never realised the impact and fear that was felt by people just trying to look after their family’s ,this book makes you see what happened and why it should never be forgotten .
Highly recommended ( if you could give more stars I would
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Highly recommended ( if you could give more stars I would
)
May 2, 2018
A good detailed description of Berlin during WWII. It amazes me what people had to adapt to, especially children, during this period in history. The courage and love that held this family together is unbelievable.
March 2, 2023
Compelling Read
I enjoyed this book. I liked hearing about these two young boys and how their lives started and continued. How they survived and continued through the years is a compelling read !
I enjoyed this book. I liked hearing about these two young boys and how their lives started and continued. How they survived and continued through the years is a compelling read !
December 24, 2019
D
Very well written. I will follow -up and read more about this time in history. I will read more from this author
Very well written. I will follow -up and read more about this time in history. I will read more from this author
November 19, 2021
I was somewhat disappointed by this book. The information was all interesting and I particularly liked the clearly lined out points as to what events were happening during certain times during the war. But...I thought this was more of an actual "life story" of this family. Although in the long run the reader does find out what happens to all the members, it seemed like there was a lot of information given about the war and the Nazi regime in general and then just an update of where the family was and what they were doing at that time. Their story just came across as very choppy.
January 14, 2017
Not what I expected
Beautiful and yet sad story about the Holocaust. I expected it to be strictly about the two boys who survived but it was more than that. The book gave more insight to the devastation that actually a occurred more so than any other movie or lesson I ever learned. I told one of my coworkers this was this one of the the most boring yet fascinating books I've ever read. Only Because parts of it was like reading a history novel and that is not the genre I tend read. However, I would highly recommend this book. It has sparked a deep interest inside me. Thank you For the great education and entertainment while reading you.
Beautiful and yet sad story about the Holocaust. I expected it to be strictly about the two boys who survived but it was more than that. The book gave more insight to the devastation that actually a occurred more so than any other movie or lesson I ever learned. I told one of my coworkers this was this one of the the most boring yet fascinating books I've ever read. Only Because parts of it was like reading a history novel and that is not the genre I tend read. However, I would highly recommend this book. It has sparked a deep interest inside me. Thank you For the great education and entertainment while reading you.
March 9, 2017
The content was very interesting, but I felt the book was rather spoiled by the, at times, awkward syntax and clumsy phrases, most of which seemed "overblown" and, in my opinion, had the book been effectively edited, it would have made a much more satisfying read, given the huge importance of the content and the need for it to be effectively communicated to all of us.
February 14, 2017
Exceptional
This was a great book. Very suspenseful as I could not put the book down. I kept wanting to know how the enemy saved them. It was nice how historical facts were intertwined with the intro to each chapter. Good, easy read although after every Holocaust read I wonder how humanity can be so cruel. Although the point in this book is that good always coexists with evil and in their vase love won.
This was a great book. Very suspenseful as I could not put the book down. I kept wanting to know how the enemy saved them. It was nice how historical facts were intertwined with the intro to each chapter. Good, easy read although after every Holocaust read I wonder how humanity can be so cruel. Although the point in this book is that good always coexists with evil and in their vase love won.
March 4, 2015
An interesting style of presenting a horrid story of the survival of two young boys in the lead up and war years of WWII in the city of Berlin. By a mixture of luck, chance, and the help of several German people who worked to protect the family, the lives of these boys were saved the most likely outcome of their simply being born Jewish under Hitler's twisted reign.
Told in an interesting style, a series of bullet points presenting the progress of the war, the new restrictions placed on the Jews of Europe, and the introduction of the Allied forces to the war, before divulging how one family, the Taucher Family, faced these changes and restrictions personally, you get a very unique world-view of the plight of many, yet still begin to understand how extraordinary the actual survival of these two young children actually were.
While not the most personal or emotional of survivor stories, and often cleansed of true horror that must have been experienced, it is a well presented account of how the acts of a great many individuals saved the lives of complete strangers, confirming for this reader that even when evil abounds, there is still some good left in the world and people willing to risk everything to see that good put to use.
Told in an interesting style, a series of bullet points presenting the progress of the war, the new restrictions placed on the Jews of Europe, and the introduction of the Allied forces to the war, before divulging how one family, the Taucher Family, faced these changes and restrictions personally, you get a very unique world-view of the plight of many, yet still begin to understand how extraordinary the actual survival of these two young children actually were.
While not the most personal or emotional of survivor stories, and often cleansed of true horror that must have been experienced, it is a well presented account of how the acts of a great many individuals saved the lives of complete strangers, confirming for this reader that even when evil abounds, there is still some good left in the world and people willing to risk everything to see that good put to use.
May 30, 2014
Two young German Jewish brothers are hidden & protected by non Jews right under the noses of the Gestapo, yet survive the Holocaust and through determination reach a new life in the U.S. The book is well set out with brief summaries of the rise of Hitler and the laws curtailing all 'normal'life of the Jewish people. One brother in America lectures about the Holocaust and raises funds to aid other survivors. The other one follows a long-held interest in technology and launches his own successful business and marries. Apart from the value of the in-depth eye witness account, the book also makes learning history easy, because it is so well set out.
October 20, 2014
An interesting and profoundly disturbing story about two young boys who survived the holocaust with the help of their courageous parents and some incredibly helpful german friends. Although the story of Fred and Hank was very moving, the author interjected a great deal of historical information within the text, making it hard to distinguish the parts of the book that shared the boys story and the parts of the book that were simply for reference. The end of the book also included a lengthy description of the boys time in the US military, which seemed almost unrelated to the story. I did find it interesting, but poorly structured.
February 13, 2015
Unbelievable!
Here's one of those stories that you'd think could never have happened, except that it did! How could Jews have survived in Germany during World War II? It's a tale of people who wouldn't give up, of Germans who risked everything to help, of "coincidences" that must have been God-ordained!
This book isn't just for history buffs. It's for anyone who needs a little inspiration. And it's a reminder to all of us to "Never forget!"
I would give this book a PG-13 rating. There are no 4-letter words or sexual situations. But the cruelty of the Third Reich makes it, in my opinion, more suitable for an audience of high school or beyond.
Here's one of those stories that you'd think could never have happened, except that it did! How could Jews have survived in Germany during World War II? It's a tale of people who wouldn't give up, of Germans who risked everything to help, of "coincidences" that must have been God-ordained!
This book isn't just for history buffs. It's for anyone who needs a little inspiration. And it's a reminder to all of us to "Never forget!"
I would give this book a PG-13 rating. There are no 4-letter words or sexual situations. But the cruelty of the Third Reich makes it, in my opinion, more suitable for an audience of high school or beyond.
January 5, 2013
I just finished this book and I loved it. This is a Holocaust story told from the perspective of two young Jewish brothers in Berlin, who with their family and help from good German people, were hidden and taken care of during the war. At war's end, the only survivors were the two boys, and their story of survival during and after the war, and how they came to America is really a fascinating saga. This is a must read for anyone interested in Holocaust stories and should be required reading in every school.
July 24, 2014
An excellent true story of two young boys, the Holocaust,alone,confused,and afraid.
The boys lost their parents during the end of the war but unknowingly they were of service to the enemy by giving direction to the Germans who were lost .It eventually led them to people who were in charge of helping the Jews to find relatives but even then they were exploited .It was as page Turner and a very enlightening tale of the horrors and fear the Jews felt even after the war ended. They did not dare to trust anyone.
The boys lost their parents during the end of the war but unknowingly they were of service to the enemy by giving direction to the Germans who were lost .It eventually led them to people who were in charge of helping the Jews to find relatives but even then they were exploited .It was as page Turner and a very enlightening tale of the horrors and fear the Jews felt even after the war ended. They did not dare to trust anyone.
June 20, 2013
Wow! I learned more about Hitler and his rise to power from this book than any history book in school. The subtle way in which Hitler began to take away the freedom of the "non Aryan" is to be studied and noted by all so that it can never happen again.
The will to survive by these brothers is amazing. Their story will make you cry but mostly give you hope. I highly recommend reading this then going to a holocaust museum and watch the rest of history unfold.
The will to survive by these brothers is amazing. Their story will make you cry but mostly give you hope. I highly recommend reading this then going to a holocaust museum and watch the rest of history unfold.
February 28, 2014
Interesting and informative...
A true story of a German Jewish family throughout the course of Hitler's regime. The boys were witness to the atrocities that the Jewish people throughout Europe were forced to endure at the hands of the Nazis.
This also documents the strength of hope and determination, as these two boys worked toward their immigration to the US and made it come true.
Everyone should read this book.
A true story of a German Jewish family throughout the course of Hitler's regime. The boys were witness to the atrocities that the Jewish people throughout Europe were forced to endure at the hands of the Nazis.
This also documents the strength of hope and determination, as these two boys worked toward their immigration to the US and made it come true.
Everyone should read this book.
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