And I asked but the world didn't hear, And never gave an answer Why.
It was at my grandmother's house today that I was reminded who I was. She was having me help her enter information into her geaneologly program in her computer. Dates of birth death and marraige flashed by as I slowly learend how to operate the ancient (OS 9) porgram full of ancient (100 years worth) information. Uh...Ella Shapira...(she would say) date of birth...April 3, 1886, trier Germany. Notes... and I would recieve some anecdote about my great gandmother. Date of death...twentieth april, 1965, Sanfransisco, California. It was actually quite interesting and enjoyable to hear about my family, and put the years, the genrations of my anscestors in perpective. Occasionally i would come across one that i knew. Ingeborg Ruth.. (I didn't know the name) That's your Father's Tante Ruthie. This one i had met, she was my favourite great aunt, at least on that side, although i hadn't actualy met very many of them. "And Ruthie's father, Fritz" She would continue "...Lets see... Date of brith 1869, Trier, Germany...i'll have to check the date later...Date of death...1944. And you can put there with question marks 'Aushcwitz, Birkinau'." She did't comment on it. She didn't point it out, or take note of the manner of her uncle's death. I didn't press fo a date. The date would be unknown. She didn't even know exaclty where it happened. There was nothing to fill in for "place of burial" Nothing else to be said aobut Uncle Fritz. She moved on immidiately, asking me to go back to Simon Shapira, but for the rest of the visit, the words that remianed prominent in my mind were, "Place of death: Auschwitz? Birkinau?" And my thoughts strayed continually to his sister Ella Shapira, What if she hadn't seen which way the wind was blowing? What if she had listened to her husband who thought that Hitler would never persecute thier family, as he had fought for the Fürer. What if her 16 year old daughter hadn't been sent away from family, home, country and native language, as one of the masses of WWII emigrants. Well, that what if was pretty clear to me, as it would mean the complete lack of my existence.
I never knew Ella Shapira, who died when my father was nine, and it goes without saying that everyone owes thier great Grandmother alot, but it put things into perspective to think that if it were not for this one woman's common sense, that saved her daughters from the same awful fate that took her brother, and countless cousins, I would not be alive, writing this today.
And all this becasue they light candles and thank "Adonai"and eat unusually good food every friday?
Wierd.
I never knew Ella Shapira, who died when my father was nine, and it goes without saying that everyone owes thier great Grandmother alot, but it put things into perspective to think that if it were not for this one woman's common sense, that saved her daughters from the same awful fate that took her brother, and countless cousins, I would not be alive, writing this today.
And all this becasue they light candles and thank "Adonai"and eat unusually good food every friday?
Wierd.