All My Love, Detrick (26 page)

87

O
nce Detrick had joined the party, as Konrad had promised, a rush of gifts arrived at the Haswell home. For the first time since Detrick’s birth, his father took pride in his son. Boxes of fruit and chocolate, silk stockings and fabric for Inga, as well as an offer of employment for Hans; all came as offerings of friendship from the party.

Alone in his room Detrick, assessed his situation. He combed his hair back, and it fell forward into a natural side part as he stood in front of the mirror. Self-loathing came over him as he considered the weakness he had begun to feel within himself. As much as he loved Leah, and God knows he did love her, he sometimes wishe
d he had fallen in love with a Gentile. It would have been so much easier. And, Jacob - the guilt and worry he carried over Jacob sometimes seemed as if it had taken over everything else in his life. He loved the man like a father, but he wondered why he had been chosen for this very difficult purpose. Then he thought of Konrad, his oldest friend. Konrad’s smug self-assurance had begun to grate on his nerves. How he could be thoroughly convinced that his actions and behaviors were perfectly acceptable? In Konrad’s mind, his sadistic nature toward the enemies of the Reich only proved his superiority.

Detrick did not feel fortunate. In fact, he felt ashamed, ashamed of his people and the blood that ran in his veins. He should have been born a Jew, he thought, as he straightened the collar of his Nazi uniform. Another day he must carefully cover his true feelings. Another day he must live a lie.

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88

Even though Jacob and Leah were still distraught over their loss, they moved into the Mueller’s attic at midnight. It was not until the following evening when Detrick arrived that the entire Mueller family came upstairs to meet their houseguests.

“We want to welcome you. We realize how hard this must be - to leave your home and
be displaced in such a place as this. As you can see, we don’t have so much, but we will do what we can to make you comfortable,” Mr. Mueller said, speaking for the family.

“My daughter Leah and I thank you for taking us into your home, and we too realize that you are taking a great risk. I don’t know how we can ever thank you, but we are grateful from the bottom of our hearts.”

Adelheid glanced sideways at Detrick. She found him handsome, just the right age, and a truly desirable man. In his pressed black Nazi uniform with his blond hair wet down and combed away from his face, he brought out feelings within Adelheid that she’d never experienced before. But the uniform had more important benefits. Wearing it, Detrick found he could walk through the streets easily, regardless of the hour. So he’d decided to wear it whenever he went to the Mueller’s home. Adelheid watched him as he stood beside Leah and wondered how it would feel to have him stand beside her. She’d never had a boyfriend, although she’d begun to think a great deal about the subject.

Leah smiled at Adelheid and Rebekka; she hoped to befriend the girls. Even though they were younger, it would be nice to have them to talk to during the long, lonely days while she awaited Detrick’s arrival.

Finally, the Muellers left to return to their own living quarters. Once they had gone, Detrick took tins of food out of his pockets and handed them to Jacob.

“I don’t know how much the Muellers will be able to give you, so here is some extra food. I will bring what I can without creating suspicion.”

Jacob nodded. Then putting the food down, he turned and hugged Detrick. A tear rolled down Jacob’s face.

“Darling, I will be
back again tomorrow night.” He touched Leah’s face. Jacob turned away and began removing the extra layers of clothing he wore. They’d not been able to carry suitcases for fear of attracting attention, so Jacob and Leah had worn several layers of clothing. What they had on their bodies must suffice until Detrick could bring more, or the end of the war came. Under their clothes, they carried personal items, their combs, and toothbrushes. Jacob brought Miriam’s wedding band and a picture of the family all together before Karl had gone, and when Miriam and Michael were still alive. Leah had wrapped her gold Star of David and the few other pieces of valuable jewelry they owned, and sewn them into the lining of her coat. Other than these few small items, they’d left everything behind.

89

Warsaw

T
he Warsaw Ghetto brimmed with dirt and disease. Overpopulated already, the small area grew as the Nazis brought more arrested Jews in daily. Four-story stone buildings stood on either side of the streets, each apartment housing more people than would be considered comfortable.

A group of Nazi guards stood at the train station making offers of bread and jam to anyone wishing to leave the Ghetto to go to a work camp called Treblinka. Due to the lack of food and the madness of near starvation, some people agreed to the relocation.

The Nazis had a quota of Jews to be delivered to the camp each day. A group of Jews was put in charge of this operation by the Nazi guards. It was their responsibility to deliver a certain number of their own people to the waiting trains each day. Officially named the Warsaw Ghetto Jewish Council, these groups of Nazi collaborators were known by the other Jews as the
Judenrats.

Anyone passing the train station could see the overcrowded cattle cars filled with people,
standing up, pressed together, and keeping each other from dropping with heat and exhaustion. They would remain standing through the entire train ride.

After his arrest
, Karl was sent to the Warsaw Ghetto, where he occupied a two-room apartment with four other men of varying ages. Hunger motivated Karl to learn how to climb the rooftops and leave the Ghetto during the night. On the outside, he found the black market where, for the right price, he bought food and supplies. Then, taking them back into the Ghetto, he kept what he needed and sold the rest, enabling him to survive more comfortably than most.

News spread through the Ghetto that a secret meeting was to
be held. It concerned the trains, the food, the Nazis, and Palestine. When one of his black market customers mentioned the meeting, Karl decided he would attend. Everyone stressed the importance of secrecy, and insisted that the
Judenrats
be kept ignorant of the plan, lest they deliver their fellow Jews to the Nazis, once again, in an effort to save themselves.

90

T
he meeting was held in a small apartment on the third floor of a four-story building - it was standing room only. With the scarcity of soap, the air reeked putrid with the smell of unwashed bodies. A few of the attendees had purchased cigarettes on the black market, and the thick smoke made breathing difficult. Karl fought the urge to gag as he entered. A tall, bearded, large-boned man stood upon a chair at the front of the room, which enabled even those standing at the back to see him. He stood so tall that paint crumbled off the ceiling, splattering his curly black hair with white specks.

“Quiet…everyone… Quiet please!”

It took a few moments but the room grew silent.

“My name is Yankle Finkelstein. Before I
was caught, arrested, and brought here to the Ghetto, I hid out in the forests. There I saw many terrible things. Now, because you are in this secluded place, you might not realize what’s going on, what these Nazis are doing to our people in the outside world. It is imperative that you know and accept the truth. This may come as a terrible shock to you, but those trains going to the work camps…they are not taking people to work camps at all. They
are taking them to
death
camps. Jews are being systematically murdered.”

Another man called out, “Before I was arrested, I escaped from a horror that happened at a place outside of Kiev called Babi Yar. When the Germans were
busy, lining our people up, I turned and ran. I don’t know how they didn’t see me. I don’t know how I got away, but I did. Then I watched from behind a thick brush, and I saw German soldiers forcing Jews to dig a deep pit. Then they were forced to strip off all of their clothes. I will never forget this if I live for a thousand years. Young men, old men, and women - children too. The Nazi guards lined them up in front of the hole they dug, and then shot them. Then they fell into the mass grave. One group after another…they lined them up and shot them dead. The mothers held their children tight to their naked breasts. Babies cried. I saw a child whose mother had shielded it from death with her own body. One of the guards saw it too - a little girl still alive. He walked over to the side of the pit and shot three bullets into the terrified child. Horrible I tell you…horrible.”

“I don’t believe it.” A heavyset woman crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Me either.” A man in the front row shook his head.

“How can anyone believe that the Nazis would try to murder an entire race of people? That makes no sense. Wouldn’t they profit more by using us to work for their effort?”

“Perhaps,” Finkelstein said, “But they are choosing to eradicate us.”

“This is not true. He is a
rabble-rouser just trying to make trouble. The Nazis need us. Hitler has waged war on the entire world. Who will make their ammunition? Who will they use to make their uniforms, if not us?” A male voice shot out from the side of the room.

“It is true what Finklestein is telling you. I believe him.” The woman’s soft voice carried an air of authority.

Karl turned to see who spoke. A tall slender girl with hair the color of new cherries returned his stare. He watched her as she took charge of the crowd.

“I understand how you feel. I, too, would like to believe that the Nazis could not be so cruel. However, I am afraid that the truth is
, they are. Perhaps it is time we considered organizing…fighting back. I believe that is why we are here tonight?” When she finished the redheaded woman looked at Yankel who smiled at her.

“Thank you, Ada, yes. That is the reason for this meeting here tonight. We must consider building our own army. We must fight our way out of here, and then make our way to Palestine. Our only salvation is Palestine. I may die trying, but I would rather die fighting than surrender like a lamb.”

Finkelstein continued to speak, and although Karl agreed whole-heartedly with his words, he had stopped listening. Instead he watched, mesmerized, as the girl they’d called Ada gazed at Yankel her eyes glazed over with admiration.

91

Ada
had impressed Karl the moment he’d seen her and heard her speak. Her presence had drawn a small pencil mark upon his mind that grew into an entire book of drawings as the week progressed. He gave a great deal of thought to what her life might entail. Could she be Finkelstein’s wife or girlfriend? Karl thought he'd had contact with all of the inhabitants of the Ghetto at one time or another when he’d sold his black market goods, but he’d never seen Ada before; if he had, he would certainly have remembered. Everywhere he went he kept watch for the lovely girl with the unusual-colored hair. But he never saw her, and could not even speculate on who to ask concerning her whereabouts. So Karl continued to wonder.

One afternoon Karl stood in the alleyway of his apartment building. In front of him he’d put up a makeshift stand covered with the goods he had acquired on the black market the previous night that he planned to sell. A man with a familiar face approached him. Karl immediately recognized Yankle Finkelstein.

“I saw you at the meeting. I heard you speak.” Karl whispered, so as not to arouse any attention.

“Yes, it was me.”

“You spoke the truth. I think I always knew the truth about what was taking place, but I didn’t want to believe.”

“Yes, it is all true.
And, I think all of us Jews feel the same way. After all, who wants to believe that our race is being systematically murdered? It’s too terrible to comprehend.” Finkelstein picked up two apples, “How much?”

“For yo
u and your wife, a gift from me,” Karl waited hoping to hear news of Ada.

“Wife? I have no wife. But I do graciously accept your gift.” Finkelstein smiled, tossing an apple in the air and catching it, then adding in a whisper, “I hope you will join us as we build a resistance army. You are young and strong. We need men like you.”