An Act of Love

“Mamma, mamma, can we go to the movie?” Josef begged at his mother’s feet while his older brother, Yitzhak, stood by and looked on with a smile. “Please mama, we won’t be long. Please.” Josef was trying to guilt his mother into letting he and his brother go to a new adventure movie that had just came out. “But Josef, dear, your sister won’t be able to go with you.” Leia stood at the corner of the room, sucking her thumb with a pretty silver hairpin in her brown curls. She was so young. “Mama, she is too young to go and I want to be with Yitzhak.” The mother took a look at young Josef Natan and his older brother Yitzhak and smiled. The boys knew what this meant and began bustling around excitingly. They gave their mom a big hug and even embraced little Leia, who was still unaware of what was going on. “You can only see one movie. I want you to be home before Shabbat dinner.“ They gave her slight acknowledgement as they sprinted out the door.

Greece. 1941.

Yitzhak and Josef excitedly hurried up to the theater only to see a sign advertising a discounted double feature deal. Yitzhak got an excited look in his eye that his brother caught immediately. “Mama said one movie. I do not want to get in trouble.” Josef looked adamant. Yitzhak laughed, “Josef, what is a few more minutes, we’ll be home in time.” A large smile spread across Josef’s face as if he’d wanted to do the double feature the whole time, just needed a little push. They bought the tickets, got popcorn and cola and then rushed into the theater. They walked out a while later, in a daze from the marvelous adventures they had experienced and slowly walked home. On the way home, they played through scenes in the movie, reenacting fight scenes and tense moments and then they came to their neighborhood.

It was dead quiet.

They walked around and saw empty streets, closed shutters, not a person in sight. Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed Josef. The two brothers turned around to see the father of a Christian family their parents were friends with.

“Children, come with me, you cannot be out here.” He said sternly.

Josef got scared.

Yitzhak stepped forward and said, “ Why?”

“There is no time for that you have to come with me.”

“Why?” Yitzhak was close to yelling.

His neighbor looked around and said under his breath “The Nazis.”

Yitzhak pulled away from his neighbor and ran toward his house.

“Yitzhak, no!”

“Mama! Mama! Papa! Leia!” Yitzhak ran screaming towards his house and stopped on the curb.

Blood.

Blood pooled in the street in front of his house. Nothing but blood. Nothing but blood and bullet casings. Nothing but blood and bulling casings and a little, gold hairpin. Josef and their neighbor ran to his side. Immediately Josef began to cry. Yitzhak did not. His eyes went blank and he went silent. His neighbor pulled the brothers away from the cold scene and brought them to his house. He briefly explained to Yitzhak what had happened. The Nazis came through to find Jews. Yitzhak’s father resisted when the Nazis came so they gunned them all down. Yitzhak’s face did not change.

The Nazi occupation in Greece grew stronger everyday and to avoid detection, Yitzhak and Josef lived in their neighbor’s closet. They lived there for eight months. Eventually, Josef and Yitzhak entered an underground system in Greece formed to fight the Nazis and protect Nazi targets that eventually got them out of the country and into America.

The love of that family saved their lives. It saved their bloodline. If that Christian family did not open their hearts to my grandfather and his brother, I would not be here today. As we remember the lives lot in the Holocaust, let us not forget the lessons learned. Love is stronger than any emotion in the world and its power can create beautiful things and save lives by the millions. That family had no obligation to my grandfather and his brother, but they opened their hearts to the point where they risked their lives for months to protect them and guarantee their safe passage.

We can learn a lot from this.

We look around at our country and the countries around us, and it does not take looking far to see injustice. On our soil there is plenty of government injustices being exacted on American people. Overseas, we see thousands of men, women and children being murdered in Syria… All of these people are citizens of this earth. Fear does nothing for anyone. Keeping people out of love’s way will only yield more death and violence. On this day,  do not just remember the lives lost 70 years ago, but take action for the lives at risk in 2016. Open up your heart to your fellow man and stand up for their right to live a free and loving life.

This love saved my grandfathers life. It saved his brothers life. It saved my life. There are millions more that need this same love, so don’t let difference or fear stand in love’s way.