to bring her back home.
6.
Karl Rink didn’t get any sleep all night between the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth of August 1939. He thought of his wife who had disappeared and tried to breathe some hope in his heart that she’d soon come back. But even if she did, who could guarantee her safety and the safety of Helga if Karl wasn’t at their side day and night? How could he ensure that the anti-Semites wouldn’t attack them? How could he know that those attacks wouldn’t end in disaster?
In the morning, he put on his civilian clothes, left the house, and rode his motorcycle to the edge of the city. On the second floor of a faded apartment building was the office of a charity organization called “Help for Jewish Youth,” whose task was to get young Jews out of Germany and take them safely to the Land of Israel. There, he had heard, they were sent to agricultural settlements called kibbutzim, where all their needs were met. The SS knew about the organization but ignored its activity, since its purpose coincided with the Nazi goal of getting rid of the Jews as fast as possible.
The director of the organization, a social worker named Raha Frayer, was talking on the phone with some contributors when Karl Rink entered her office. She glanced up and gestured to him to wait. In his civilian clothes, he looked like any worried parent who wanted to send his children out of Germany to a safe place. Raha Frayer finished her phone call and turned to Karl.
“I’m an SS man,” he said, surprising her. She looked at him fearfully and sensed that something bad was about to happen. A sudden visit of SS men couldn’t be a happy event.
But Karl smiled at her reassuringly.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “I’m here because of my daughter.”He told her everything. “I want to get Helga out of Germany before it’s too late.”
“You came at the very last minute,” she told him. “The day after tomorrow, a group of children is taking a train to Switzerland. From there they go to Italy, and from Italy they’ll sail to Palestine, where the children will be sent to kibbutzim. If your daughter can be ready by the time the train leaves, I promise you we’ll make sure she gets to Palestine.”
She went to the next room and brought back a young man in simple clothes.
“This is Karl Rink,” she said, introducing Helga’s father to him. “And this is Yossi Millman, of Kibbutz Dafna, the leader of the group going to Palestine.”
Karl asked if they knew which kibbutz his daughter would be sent to.
“Not yet,” answered the leader. “That will be decided only after we get there.”
Karl hurried home. Helga was sitting at the window and looking out despondently, waiting for her mother to come back.
“Unfortunately, you can’t stay in Berlin anymore,” said her father. “You’ve got to leave here.”
“And Mother?”
“When she comes back home, I’ll try to persuade her to go, too.”
“I want to wait here for her to come back.”
“That could take time, Helga. Time isn’t on our side.”
“You can find Mother. You’ve got connections.”
“I tried and it’s not so simple.”
She couldn’t keep the tears out of her eyes anymore.
“I can’t go without Mother. I’ve never been alone. Find her and we’ll all go away from here together.”
He hugged her. “I want us all to be together, too,” he said. “Butthat can’t be right now. If you don’t leave here, things I don’t want to happen are liable to happen to you.”
She sobbed into his chest.
“I don’t know what to decide,” she murmured.
“Trust me, Helga.”
“Where do you want to send me?” She forced the words out of her mouth.
“To Palestine. The war won’t reach there.”
“I don’t know anybody there.”
He gave her a detailed account of his meeting with Raha Frayer and described in rosy colors what was in store for her in Palestine. “You’ll be much better off there than in Germany,” he said.
“And
6.
Karl Rink didn’t get any sleep all night between the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth of August 1939. He thought of his wife who had disappeared and tried to breathe some hope in his heart that she’d soon come back. But even if she did, who could guarantee her safety and the safety of Helga if Karl wasn’t at their side day and night? How could he ensure that the anti-Semites wouldn’t attack them? How could he know that those attacks wouldn’t end in disaster?
In the morning, he put on his civilian clothes, left the house, and rode his motorcycle to the edge of the city. On the second floor of a faded apartment building was the office of a charity organization called “Help for Jewish Youth,” whose task was to get young Jews out of Germany and take them safely to the Land of Israel. There, he had heard, they were sent to agricultural settlements called kibbutzim, where all their needs were met. The SS knew about the organization but ignored its activity, since its purpose coincided with the Nazi goal of getting rid of the Jews as fast as possible.
The director of the organization, a social worker named Raha Frayer, was talking on the phone with some contributors when Karl Rink entered her office. She glanced up and gestured to him to wait. In his civilian clothes, he looked like any worried parent who wanted to send his children out of Germany to a safe place. Raha Frayer finished her phone call and turned to Karl.
“I’m an SS man,” he said, surprising her. She looked at him fearfully and sensed that something bad was about to happen. A sudden visit of SS men couldn’t be a happy event.
But Karl smiled at her reassuringly.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “I’m here because of my daughter.”He told her everything. “I want to get Helga out of Germany before it’s too late.”
“You came at the very last minute,” she told him. “The day after tomorrow, a group of children is taking a train to Switzerland. From there they go to Italy, and from Italy they’ll sail to Palestine, where the children will be sent to kibbutzim. If your daughter can be ready by the time the train leaves, I promise you we’ll make sure she gets to Palestine.”
She went to the next room and brought back a young man in simple clothes.
“This is Karl Rink,” she said, introducing Helga’s father to him. “And this is Yossi Millman, of Kibbutz Dafna, the leader of the group going to Palestine.”
Karl asked if they knew which kibbutz his daughter would be sent to.
“Not yet,” answered the leader. “That will be decided only after we get there.”
Karl hurried home. Helga was sitting at the window and looking out despondently, waiting for her mother to come back.
“Unfortunately, you can’t stay in Berlin anymore,” said her father. “You’ve got to leave here.”
“And Mother?”
“When she comes back home, I’ll try to persuade her to go, too.”
“I want to wait here for her to come back.”
“That could take time, Helga. Time isn’t on our side.”
“You can find Mother. You’ve got connections.”
“I tried and it’s not so simple.”
She couldn’t keep the tears out of her eyes anymore.
“I can’t go without Mother. I’ve never been alone. Find her and we’ll all go away from here together.”
He hugged her. “I want us all to be together, too,” he said. “Butthat can’t be right now. If you don’t leave here, things I don’t want to happen are liable to happen to you.”
She sobbed into his chest.
“I don’t know what to decide,” she murmured.
“Trust me, Helga.”
“Where do you want to send me?” She forced the words out of her mouth.
“To Palestine. The war won’t reach there.”
“I don’t know anybody there.”
He gave her a detailed account of his meeting with Raha Frayer and described in rosy colors what was in store for her in Palestine. “You’ll be much better off there than in Germany,” he said.
“And
Similar Books
