A Holocaust Tale

Innsbruck, Austria October 1925: Mrs. Lieser carried her daughter, Helena, to her crib as Helena cuddled close to her chest. At ten months Mrs. Lieser knew her daughter was beginning to trust others around her. Last week, Helena did not cry when they left her with the nanny. At one month Helena had refused to let her parents out of her sight. The Liesers had a ball at their mansion last night and showed Helena to the guests. She smiled, laughed and grabbed the fingers of the company. Mr. and Mrs. Lieser were thrilled to see their child interacting happily and trustingly toward strangers.

Innsbruck, Austria August 1928: Helena was drawn out of the house by the warm weather and the sun. She could hear someone calling her back, but Helena ignored them. In the distance she saw her playmate Mira, who was smelling the flowers. Bravely crossing the busy road, she made her way over to the other side, smiling at the fearful faces of the adults.
​“Mirwa!” Helena exclaimed. “Can I smell?”
​“Yes,” Mira squealed as she handed the flower over to Helena.
​“Helena!” shouted her father. Helena looked up. “What were you thinking crossing the street?”
​“Mirwa!” Helena said smiling. Mr. Lieser took her small hand in his.
​“It is almost tea time dear,” he whispered. “Come back inside.” Helena pouted and vigorously shook her head. Mr. Lieser tugged her hand a little more and she caved in.
​“Bye Mirwa!” Helena called back as her father led her back to the house.

Innsbruck, Austria December 1930: The bell rang as a reminder lunch was about to begin. Helena looked into her lunch bag at her honey challah rolls and caramel matzo crunch. She sat with Mira and Felicia, and examined their lunches, comparing them.
​“After school do you want to build a fort house for my cat?” Felicia asked. Helena felt thrilled to be invited over to a house such as hers. Mira and Helena nodded their heads in unison, wanting dearly to come.
​In Felicia’s room were stacked pillows and blankets from the family’s stock. She had trapped the cat in her room to ensure its cooperation. Helena, Mira and Felicia stacked pillows in four piles so they could put the blanket on top of them. They grabbed Felicia’s cat and put it in the fort.
​“Let’s play a game,” Felicia said smiling in a mischievous manner. “Its called keep the cat in. We all try to keep Albert inside the fort. Whoever lets him out loses.” Mira and Helena nod vigorously in agreement. They played for a short time which resulted in Felicia losing her own game.

Innsbruck, Austria January 30, 1933 : “Mother! Mother!” Helena exclaimed as she burst through the door.
​“I am in the kitchen dear,” Mrs. Lieser replied. Helena straightened her dress and hair before she entered the kitchen. She would not dare embarrass her mother by showing messiness.
​“Mother, look at my marks!” Helena smiled, while she handed the paper with her grades to her mother. Mrs. Lieser scanned the sheet and a smile grew on her face.
​“Dear this is wonderful!” She beamed. “Your father will be proud of you. Now will you help with the babka?”
​“Yes Mother,” Helena said obediently.
​“I am home” called her father, as he eventually entered the kitchen.
​“Hello dear,” smiled Mrs. Lieser as she kissed him on the cheek.
“Look Father!” Helena called. “Look at the wonderful marks!” Her father took the card, and carried out the same reaction as her mother.
“Oh yakiri! This is wonderful! We are both so proud of you!” Father hugged Helena in pride. Helena smiled at the praise. “We must celebrate!”
“We are baking babka!” Mrs. Lieser stated.
The phone rang.
​“I will get it,” Mr. Lieser said and walked out of the room. Helena took the chocolates and started to mash them for the babka bread paste. Her father came back in shortly, a solemn look on his face.
​“Turn on the radio please,” he whispered.
​“Hitler has won the election in Germany and the SS troops are now the dominating police force in Germany” said the radio.
​“Mother? Father?” Helena asked, shaking.
​“We will be strong. Maybe he will not come here,” sighed her father.

Innsbruck, Austria January 1938: Helena walked down the streets; deliberately aware of everything that happened around her. There were rumors that Jewish families in Germany had vanished under Hitler’s rule and Hitler wanted Austria.
​“Jewish scum! Watch where you are going!” A boy shouted as he walked past, Helena not even hitting him.
She started to walk faster as she neared the Jewish district of Innsbruck. She did not know what to think anymore. Her parents were still devout Jews, but Helena was beginning to wonder why bother calling yourself a Jew if you were only to be criticized. Her friend Felicia had left Austria with her family to Switzerland, though Mira’s family stayed.
Was being Jewish such a bad thing? Helena wished she were born a Christian, who was not being persecuted. Hitler seemed to be targeting Jews in his country and threatened to abolish those in Austria. Would Helena even have a chance at a normal life if Hitler overthrew Chancellor Schuschnigg? Her grades were excellent, the best in her class. Would she have to give that up once Hitler ruled?

Dachau Concentration Camp, Germany December 1944: Helena shivered in the cold barracks. Her mother lay destitute, barely alive beside her. It was almost her twentieth birthday, but her ribs were showing and her body was terribly weak. Helena’s father had died the year before, only a few weeks after her birthday.
​She stepped outside onto the snowy dirt, her feet numb from the cold. She stared up at the soldiers in the towers and the few prisoners who were also outside. She spotted a boy from her
work group across the fence and slowly made her way toward him. She could see loaves of bread in his hand, which made Helena think he stole one.
​“Please, can I have some bread?” Helena begged. “My mother is so ill.”
​“What could you give to me in return?” he asked. “I need this too.”
​“My mother’s gold earrings,” Helena whispered. “We saved them from the Nazis.” The boy shook his head.
​“No that is not enough, I need more,” he was relentless. Tears dripped down Helena’s face, freezing at her chin.
​“Please,” she begged. The boy started to walk away. “PLEASE!” HE ran toward the barracks, not looking back. ​Helena went around to others, begging for something,
trying to make friends. No one gave her anything. She felt so lonely. Her mother could not talk; her father and Mira were gone. No one would help her. She was determined to get what she wanted, but did not fool herself into thinking the soldiers would help.
Alone and afraid she willed for death to come and take her.

Columbus, Ohio July 1960: Helena and George walked along the river, pushing Marjorie along with them. Their two-year-old daughter was a striking resemblance of Helena as a child. She was intelligent for her age and her parents adored her.
​Helena was now a human rights lawyer for the Columbus court. After the war she immigrated to the United States and went to Baldwin-Wallace College to earn her degree. She met George there and they started a family together. Helena was still scarred from her experiences, and still had nightmares. Her new life in another country did help her adapt and forget those memories.

Columbus, Ohio January 2007: Helena invited her family to her house for her birthday. Her two cousins who survived the Holocaust were with her on this special day. They retold stories about the terrors. Helena, as she began to feel uncomfortable, excused herself and went to her room. She cried and cried until George came to comfort her.
“It is all over now,” he soothed. “You do not have to think about it anymore.”
“I let my mother starve to death,” Helena sobbed. “I asked everyone for food but they would not give any to me. I let her die because I was too selfish to give them my food.” “You could not help it,” George comforted. “It is always hard to know what to do in those situations.” He comforted her until she was able to go back to join the party.