“There are some men whose crimes surpass comprehension and forgiveness.”
I love reading books, both fiction and non fiction. There was a time when I would buy up to 8 best sellers a year. I especially enjoyed escaping in a good book during the Winter’s of our year. This has not been possible for this past 4 years because of my LLB studies. I recently decided to revisit a book entitled “Anne Frank remembered” by Miep Gies.
1. Miep Gies is the woman who in actual fact hid the Frank family and fed them for two years at much risk to herself in Amsterdam in 1942;
2. On 14 May 1940 the Germans marched triumphantly through the streets of Amsterdam, anti Semitic behavior and decrees commenced shortly therafter
3. In 1941 Anne Frank’s father Otto Frank made a decision, he resigned as md of his business “Travies and Company,” and the business ownership papers were put in his friend Mr Koophuis’s name;
4. History tells us that the German’s embarked on an atrocious genocide, the brutal extermination of Jews jst on the bais of being Jewish in one or more concentration camps;
5. Anne was a very young girl went the Frank family went into hiding and she essentially kept a diary which formed the basis of any book on the Frank family;
6. On the 4 August 1944, the Germans were tipped off by someone as to the Frank’s hiding place, the rest is history!
7. History tells us that the ss meticulously organized and implemented the murder of some 15 million people, roughly comprised as follows: 6 million Jews, 5, 5 million Russians, half a million gypsies, the rest were classified as enemies of this monstrous regime;
8. The genocide, the sheer horror did not only consist of the gas chambers, it commenced with theft. The Jews in Germany and all it’s occupied nations were first robbed of their houses, businesses, cars and possessions. They were then shipped to either labour camps or death camps. In almost all these situations each Jewish person carried 1 and at most 2 suitcases. When they arrived at whatever horrific destination was predetermined for them, the contents of the suitcases they carried was also stolen from them. You see they had their most valuable items in this 1 or 2 suitcases. What would you put in this suitcase? They contained money and jewelry. Out of these suitcases alone tons of jewelry and money was shipped back to Germany. The SS from the moment of it’s monstrous conception to it’s final demise was actually a very profitable organization. They made a huge profit, their income far exceeded liabilities;
9. Those able to work were worked until their was no life in them to work anymore;
10. Not even their dead bodies could open the eyes of their tormentors. Their hair was used to make boots and horrific research was conducted to establish whether their bones could be used as fertilizer;
11. In most cases, from where ever the Jewish people were taken from, their journey began with a nightmarish train ride in a cattle train. Men, women and children were shoved into these cattle train coaches. The journey was usually 7 days. No food, no water, no toilet, no sun light. Everyone had to relieve themselves in this box if you will.
12. When the train arrived at it’s destination many of it’s occupants were already dead. They were smeared with their own urine and excrement.
A book can cause you to experience the emotions, pain and suffering of the protagonist!!!
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