Читать книгу 'Das Haus' the House and the Son of the Rabbi - Sean Ryan Stuart - Страница 15

Chapter 9

The Beginning of the End

The events of the past few hours spread like a wild firestorm throughout the small village. It was the biggest event to take place in Niedergeyer since the Romans invaded the village in the second century A.D.

Rabbi Goldmann slowly walked back to Das Haus. What would he tell his family? He thought to himself. His mind raced ahead of himself. Was this the beginning of the end? Was this the first step? As he was deep in thought, he almost missed Simon Denlon waving at him.

“What is going on? What has happened?” Screamed the visibly upset Simon, the village baker and small shop owner.

Rabbi Goldmann, came to a screeching halt, and stared blankly at Simon. It took him a few seconds to regain his composure. Although Simon was standing but a few yards from him, his thoughts were far, far away. Eventually his memory refocused, and he was able to walk over and speak with him.

“I am sorry, Simon. I was in a hurry to get home. We have a difficult time ahead of us, and I would like you to come over to my house as soon as possible; bring as many of our fellow Jews you can contact. Do this, and do it now. I can’t explain at this instant, but I will, when you come over. Please, please, do it now.” Shouted a somewhat shook-up Rabbi.

Simon Denlon had never seen the rabbi so upset. Simon knew of Franz’s wartime achievements and was surprised by his obviously panicked demeanor. However, he decided to follow his suggestion and make contact with as many Jews as he could. By the time Goldmann reached his home, many of the Jewish villagers were already notified and anxious to find out what was going. Even some of the Jews in the neighboring villages were notified of the events in Niedergeyer.

Franz ran into his house completely out of breath. His wife Sarah looked at his pale face and knew the news was not good. It took Franz a few seconds to regain his composure. By then his children had come downstairs and were equally anxious for the news.

“Well Vater, what is going on? Please, please tell me what happened.” Begged a visibly upset Erik. The rest of the family just stared at him, waiting for the facts that would alter their lives forever.

“OK, OK, OK! They, they tried to burn down the synagogue! They tried to burn it down! Can you believe it? Shouted Rabbi Goldmann.

His wife Sarah was the first to speak. She slowly stood up and spoke to the family.

“Your comrade Johann Krieger was right? Wasn’t he? Asked a visibly distressed Sarah Goldmann.

“Yes, I think he was, but things still may change for the better.” Replied Franz as he walked towards his wife.

“Let’s not panic and wait for the others. I have passed the word along and hopefully they all should be here shortly.” Stated Franz as he bent down and gave his wife a hug.

“What do you mean the others? Who else is coming here? Why are they coming here? We need to leave now!” Screamed a hysterical Sarah.

“We cannot allow our emotions to take over. Now is the time for peace and calm. Hysteria and panic will not help us.” Replied Franz in a chiding way.

As if by magic, the extremely loud front door bell rang, and someone simultaneously knocked on the back bedroom window. Franz went to answer the door, and sent Erik to see who was at the back window. Franz opened the door and saw three of Niedergeyer’s Jewish families standing there. He asked them in. They all walked in as if they were in a funeral procession.

Erik opened the back bedroom window and saw no one at first, suddenly Werner Schlemke and his girlfriend Lisa Lottie from the neighboring village, jumped up from behind a large bush and asked to come in. Erik pointed to the front door and they both shook their heads in unison. Erik shrugged his shoulders not knowing what to do; before he could come up with a solution, both Werner and Lisa jumped up on the windowsill and hopped into the bedroom. Their actions were rather unusual to say the least. Confused by their strange behavior, Erik could only point towards the hallway.

“Erik, who was that?” Asked Franz from the living room.

“Oh, don’t worry Vater, it was only Werner and Lisa from Schlicht.” Replied Erik as he escorted them to the front living room area.

By the time Erik brought the two youngsters into the living room, there were fourteen anxious villagers assembled there. Rabbi Goldmann looked around at this group and asked them all to sit down. He tried to explain to them what he knew, but was continually interrupted by various individuals asking questions beyond his capabilities to answer them. He eventually raised his hands and voice; asking them all to be quiet for a few seconds. That did the trick. All of them looked up to him for guidance and counseling. A deathly and eerie silence engulfed the room.

“Look, I have told you all I know, and the decision will be up to you. I could have left last night, but I decided to stay and hope for the best. After all, what do we have to fear? We are loyal German citizens and we have not committed any crimes!” Stated Franz to the assembled group.

Most of the adults seemed to nod their heads, but the younger members were not as willing to go along with crowd. No one in the crowd seemed to have noticed that he said, “last night.” His son Erik however, stood frozen in terror, staring at his father. Still no one said anything except Werner!

“No, no and hell no! Answered an angry Werner. Haven’t you heard about the concentration camp? Thousands of German Jews are disappearing on a daily basis! I listen to foreign broadcasts and they report monstrous things are going on in our country. I for one, am not going to wait to be transported away. Lisa has an aunt in London, and we are leaving immediately.” Replied an agitated Werner, to the stunned crowd. Lisa just sat there, tears streaming down her pretty face.

“That is your decision Werner, but what about you parents, and Lisa’s parents. Do they agree?” Asked Franz looking at the gathered assembly.

“With all due respect Herr Rabbi Goldmann, Lisa and I are both over eighteen and we must do what is best for us. If you were smart you would let your children leave now and never look back!” Stated an excited Werner.

“I respect your desire to leave, but what about your parents? Both your parents may not feel as you do? Don’t you feel an obligation to them? What if you are right? Are you just going to abandon them? Asked Franz.

“Actually they encouraged me to do the right thing and leave. My father has given me his motorcycle, and it’s parked behind your property, at the edge of the woods. If I leave now, we can be in Liege in ninety minutes. Once we reach Liege, I will sell it and use the money to go to England or America. If we catch the four o’clock from Liege, we can be in London by midnight.” Stated an emphatic Werner. Lisa nodded her head in agreement, but tears continued to stream down her face.

“I admire your courage and determination, but there are some of us that have responsibility in our community. However, if my son wants to go with you, he has my permission.” Answered Franz, as he looked at Erik.

Erik was shocked by his father’s statement. His first reaction was to say, “Yes, I’ll go,” but he then reflected on his whole life, and could not find it in his heart to leave his parents and sister at this time.

“Thank you Vater for thinking of me, but my place is with you and the rest of the family. I have no wish to leave now!” Stated Erik, as he stood up and faced everyone.

“I admire Werner and Lisa for their courage. However, I feel I should stay here with my family and support them. I may regret this decision later in life, but now it’s the right one to make. However, I would appreciate it, if you could give me your aunt’s address and I will give you my uncle’s address in Chicago, USA.” Stated Erik as he looked at his parents.

Werner reached in his pocket and withdrew a piece of paper and handed it to Erik in silence. Erik grabbed a notebook and wrote down his uncle’s address also in silence. Both boys stared at each other intently.

“Thank you son, that is a good idea, and I am sure you won’t regret it!” Replied Rabbi Goldmann as he looked to the gathered crowd.

Before he could say anything else, the church bell rang once more. It had that same nervous tone that they had heard earlier that day. Everyone in the room seemed to stop breathing for a second, except for Werner and Lisa. They looked at Rabbi Goldmann, and fled out the back window. Their actions were so sudden that one had a chance to react.

“Don’t, don’t leave!” Franz was unable to finish his sentence. Both of the teenagers were running across the backyard towards the tree line and the woods. A few seconds later the loud roar of the BMW motorcycle was heard speeding away from Das Haus. Within seconds the loud roar was no longer heard as it melted into the medieval forest.

“I wish them and the rest of us luck, we are going to need it.” Stated Franz in a melancholic way. This statement seemed to shake the gathering.

The rest of the congregation looked to Franz for comfort and solace. It was a difficult and unnerving time. Rabbi Goldmann seemed to be the only one with a calm heart and a cool head.

“I recommend that everyone go home, pack a bag and await further developments. Only bring what is absolutely necessary. Don’t do anything rash, but be alert and cautious in the next few days. Stay indoors, and if you are a shopkeeper, close your store for now. If you can, contact everyone you know and tell them what is going on.” Finished Goldmann as he ushered the rest of them out the door. For a moment, the crowd just milled about the hallway not knowing what to do. Finally, Rabbi Goldmann showed them the door and they reluctantly left.

As the last visitors left his house, Rabbi Goldmann reflected on his earlier decisions. Should he stay? Where should they go? Maybe his younger brother Jacob in America could help them? Jacob had left Germany in 1927 and now lived near Chicago. He was a successful chicken farmer and often wrote Franz of his wonderful life in America. He decided to write him a letter as soon as possible. Franz was happy that he had given Werner his brother’s address.

“Vater, vater I see smoke!” Screamed a terrified Erik from the second-story window.

“I’ll be right up, son.” Answered a now panicked Franz as he scrambled up the twenty-one stairs to the second floor landing.

Without pausing to take his breath, Franz gazed out the large East-facing window and saw a large column of black smoke rising up into the sky from the vicinity of the synagogue. He could not believe his eyes. How had they gotten back so fast? Were they really burning down his holy shrine? Or was it just another nearby house going up in flames?

No! He thought to himself, this has to be my worst nightmare!

He ran back down the stairs, nearly bowling over his wife Sarah. Franz grabbed the door handle to leave, when his wife begged him not to go.

“Please, please, please. David, Don’t go! Who knows what these terrible men are capable of doing?” Supplicated a concerned Sarah.

“Please don’t call me David, my name is Franz David and I have not been called that since my youth.” Shouted an obviously upset Franz.

“I need to make a stand! We cannot allow this to happen to us, without some form of resistance! We are not sheep! God would want us to at least protest these horrible events? Don’t you think so?” Asked Franz as he ran out the door, closely followed by Erik.

Sarah was convinced that her resistance was futile and that Rabbi Goldmann was on a quest, a holy quest! One filled with honor, dignity and goodness. She returned to the living room and sat quietly in a corner, hoping for the best.

Rabbi Goldmann ran down the sidewalk as fast as he could. Within a few seconds, Erik was alongside of him. Both men sprinted the eight hundred meters to the synagogue. Before they could turn the corner in to what used to be the courtyard, a large crowd of bystanders had gathered to witness these horrible events. The now useless fire department stood by with their hoses still in their hands, looking on in disgust.

The over one hundred year old synagogue was in flames. Bales of hay were stacked around the synagogue and were fiercely burning. Some of the Nazi hooligans had Jerry cans (gasoline cans) filled with petrol and were adding fuel to the fires. Some of the firemen had tears on their faces, and were being forcibly held back at gun point by the Nazis. The many spectators stood around and shook their heads in disbelief. Just when things seemed to be out of control, a loud cry was heard coming from the Catholic Church, at the end of the courtyard.

“Schanda! Schanda! (Shame, Shame!) What next? The Catholic, and Protestant churches?” Shouted the incensed Catholic priest as he ran down towards the synagogue.

Father Reiner Rushner, an avid anti-Nazi and community leader came running out of his church and screamed at the firemen. His voice sounding a lot harsher and meaner than anyone had ever heard before. Everyone just stood around and stared at him and at the Nazi officials. It was as if everyone knew the right thing to do, but lacked the courage to do it. Father Rushner ran over to the fire truck and started to unravel some of the fire hoses in a vain attempt to get someone motivated enough to actually do something.

“Do your duty, you cannot let this happen! You must stop them!” Bellowed the extremely agitated Catholic priest. The Chief of Police came running out of his house and also attempted to stop the Nazis. Both the Catholic priest and Police Chief were immediately detained by the Nazis, and actually temporarily locked up in the one room police station. Krieger later released both men after a severe threat and warning.

Just then, an out of breath Rabbi Goldmann came running around the corner and observed the destruction of his beloved synagogue. The flames had already reached the upper windows and they were violently exploding. Hundreds of pieces of broken glass were sent screaming throughout the area. Even the Nazi thugs took cover behind the large fire truck. The bald Nazi official shouted at everyone to stay away from the synagogue, and as if to emphasize his authority, he pulled out his 9mm Luger pistol and waved it at the crowd. Rabbi Goldmann ran forward in a vain attempt to stop the annihilation of his hopes and dreams. Everything that he believed in, was being turned in to ashes; blowing away in to the far reaches of heaven. How prophetic that the demolition of his synagogue would also mirror the destruction of over six million Jews in the next seven years.

All who witnessed this travesty on humanity will never forget it. Although Niedergeyer only had a few die-hard Nazis, they too were similarly shocked by the brutality of their regime. This village has existed in harmony for hundreds of years, and they could not accept this type of violence. The only vocal and local Nazi was the Burgermeister (mayor) Heinrich Schniztler. Schnitzler was a short and stocky WWI veteran, who never amounted to anything in his life until he became a Nazi. He strutted around like a peacock; always wore his Nazi party members button, carried a wooden stick and often boasted of the Nazi Party’s many accomplishments.

The Burgermeiser looked at Rabbi Goldmann, his short and quivering fat body shaking with rage. He stared directly at Franz and shouted at him.

“You, you Jew! What are you trying to do? Are you interfering with Party matters? This is a serious offense! I warn all of you to stay out of this business, or you will face similar consequences, isn’t that so Herr Krieger?” Said a boisterous and vicious Burgermeister.

For the first time since this event happened, a quiet and up to now uncommunicative Krieger, stepped out of the shadows and made himself known. He raised his head and stared at the crowd.

“That is correct Herr Burgermeister! Anyone who interferes with our duties will be arrested immediately!” Growled the revived Gestapo man. Although his voice sounded harsh and authoritative, he failed to look Rabbi Goldmann in the eyes.

Many in the crowd, turned in shock and looked at the dominating Gestapo man. The name sounded familiar, but his face was almost unrecognizable. The scar, the ugly scar made him almost impossible to identify.

Finally after a few seconds, the crowd reacted to his statements and began to withdraw away from the scene. Slowly at first; faster and faster they disappeared down the small streets of Niedergeyer.

“As of today, all Jewish inhabitants will report to me. Since the local jail is not big enough to house all the Jews in the area, I will have them report Rabbi Goldmann’s house. Anyone found aiding or hiding Jews, will also be arrested. All Jews must register within twenty-four hours! We will have some officials there to facilitate this process.” Screamed the Gestapo man.

Everyone in the crowd seemed shocked by this pronouncement. While pointing his stubby finger at the crowd, the despicable and tormenting Burgermeister re-iterated Krieger’s statement with emphasis.

As if by magic, everyone began to segregate themselves from Franz and Erik. Although many of the good citizens of Niedergeyer wanted to support their neighbors, the fear of imprisonment forced them to retreat.

It was a time in history when prudence was a better part of valor for most of the citizens of Niedergeyer. Most of them were courageous; yet unwilling to risk their lives. Many of them openly supported Franz and the rest of the Jews, however the Fascist still instilled fear in everyone.