World War II history confounds me. My grandfather died in the war, and naturally, I think that drives my thirst for knowledge to know more about that time period. His parents, my great grandparents, both emigrated to the United States separately from Germany. They met here in the States, married and had 4 children in Michigan. Their one son, my grandfather, was drafted into the army and left behind my grandmother and his 2 very young daughters to fight against his parent's homeland and ultimately give his life.
I've watched countless documentaries and films about the war. I've spent hours researching the subject online, reading books, studying articles about those years. And the one question that also emerges for me is what would have I done if I had been there? Would I have been one of many who turned in my Jewish neighbors? Or would I have stood against the barbarity? Would I have helped to save the lives of those around me? Or would I have considered my own well being above that of others?
I'm not Jewish, but I have long been interested in the chosen people of GOD--their heritage, their culture, their plight, their survival. I grew up in a Christian home, loving the stories of the Children of Israel throughout the Old Testament. I envy their ability to look back at history and see their heritage not just over decades or centuries but over thousands of years. These are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and they certainly haven't had it easy. They have endured so much over the centuries, and yet here they are still with us, still living amongst us, and whether they acknowledge it or not, GOD is still watching over them even now.
This morning I watched a Netflix selection on my laptop, The Children of Chabannes. It is a documentary about a village in France that integrated hundreds of Jewish refugee children from Germany into their local public schools at the beginning of the war. Truthfully, I don't often hear good things about France during World War II. Most see the French as giving early concessions to Hitler. They did give him half of France without too much trouble, and the other half, lead by the Vichy government, did little to stop the atrocities affecting Europe or their own region. So in my limited study, I haven't really heard many positive stories about France in the war, but this story was different.
This Creuse region in southern France, which was part of unoccupied France under the Vichy government, protected these children in their remote country setting, educated them, fed and clothed them, and ultimately helped the children escape into safe zones where a great many of them emigrated to the United States and other parts of the globe. Towards the end of the war, the safe haven came under attack, and the Vichy government feeling more pressure from Germany, started rounding up more and more Jewish refugees and sending them to internment camps throughout Europe – even children.
Only 12 children were successfully removed from the Chateau de Chabannes, and of those only 4 died in the concentration camps. But as one of the French teachers stated in the documentary, “That was four too many.” That statement burns in my brains. It reminds me of that scene at the end of Schindler's List where he looks back at his life and feels he could have done more. He, who had saved so many, still saw little windows of opportunity where he might have done more. That is so convicting!
My story is still being written. I don't live in war-torn France in the middle of the twentieth century. I don't have an opportunity to hide or protect young Jewish children. But am I doing what I can to help those around me now? Or am I one of the many who would just look the other way?
LORD, I don't know where these thoughts are leading, and I don't know exactly why this story is tugging at my heart like it is. I don't exactly know where to start here, but I do know that there is always opportunity to do more. Please lead me. Please direct my steps. Please...
Open the eyes of my heart, LORD.*By Paul Baloche
Open the eyes of my heart.
I want to see YOU.
I want to see YOU.*
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