'Das Haus' the House and the Son of the Rabbi. Sean Ryan Stuart
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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