In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Opdyke; Jennifer Armstrong

Author:Irene Opdyke; Jennifer Armstrong
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780307557025
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Published: 2008-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

The Blows of the Ax

I had taken six people to the forest, and although they had disappeared, they were never far from my thoughts. When I could, I borrowed the dorozka from Helen's farm and drove to Janówka, where I left bundles of food. Sometimes, peering into the depths of the forest, I would hold myself very still, as though my friends could only become visible to me if I were very quiet, as though this were an enchanted forest and everyone in it was living under a sorcerer's curse. Sometimes, I thought I heard the far-off blows of an ax.

I would tip my head to the side, frowning, yearning to hear a familiar voice call my name, but the only calls were from cuckoos, who flickered in and out of shadow among the tall pine pillars. The heavy heat of June pressed down from above. The trees held their breath. I would leave my offerings at the base of a tree and back slowly away, turning only at the last minute to climb back into the dorozka. The bony horse knew the route perfectly well, now.

I did not always stop at the church to see Father Joseph. Occasionally, I was in too great a hurry, and had to be back to serve a meal. Or else I would see the old priest, with his straw gardening hat shielding his eyes from the sun, leaning on a pitchfork and talking with a neighbor. He knew what my trips to the puszcza meant. I was sure of it. I did not know if anyone else in the village noticed my comings and goings to the forest. In those days, people were either especially nosy, or they kept anxiously to themselves—but no one ever seemed to recognize me or take notice.

And to my surprise—and relief—no one at HKP took much notice of my comings and goings. More officers had been arriving in ones and twos, and the place always seemed to be in some sort of upheaval. I could tell Major Rügemer was very distracted: Because of Rokita's Aktions, the major never knew how many Jewish workers he'd have in the factory, and yet Berlin was demanding ever greater efficiency all the time. This was the sort of crazy and self-defeating policy that was typical of the Nazi leaders. They wanted to get rid of the Jews, but they wanted the factories to run nonstop to provide weaponry and ammunition for fighting the Russians and the Allies. Rokita was fulfilling one part of the policy, making it impossible for Rügemer to fulfill the other.

“More men from Berlin are arriving next week,” the major said over dinner one evening. “This place will be bursting at the seams.”

“No doubt they are needed for the greater effort,” said a captain named Hess, wiping grease from his fat lips with the back of his hand.

Rügemer frowned into his wine. “I think I'd like to get a place in town. Too many young men here for an old man like me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.