Disgusting animals.

Frederick and Edith ran back to the room and ushered everyone out the back door of the house. They stepped out into the cold night air where they saw two other trembling Jewish families with children huddled together. They were watching the synagogue burning to a black crisp. The gray stones that made up the walls would soon be the only remnants left of the structure that had been built nearly one hundred years earlier.

“Where do we go?” asked Edith.

“These people are animals,” said Grandpa. “Maybe Herschel made the right decision after all.”

“The children don’t even have clothes, Frederick,” said Edith. “They’ll freeze out here.”

None of the children had much clothing on. The girls were all wearing night gowns and Zammie had on his green shorts and his white shirt.

“We can go to the hospital. They’ll give us shelter for the night there,” said Frederick.

“The Catholic hospital?” asked Grandpa. “It’s on the other side of the woods!”

“Exactly. It’s away from here.”

The temperature continued to drop, and they needed to find shelter soon. Frederick led both his family and the other two families they met towards a dark wooded area on the other side of the village.

Zammie couldn’t help but look back at the burning town center as they scrambled towards the trees. He saw one man being thrown out of a second story window and landing with a thud on the cobblestone street. A lorry driver was being directed by another officer to drive his truck into different shop windows, smashing the glass and destroying the storefronts.  A pile of Torah scrolls and prayer books were burning in the middle of the square. All sorts of furniture had been pulled out of the houses and the synagogue by soldiers and boys and were being set on fire in the road. Marga’s favorite bakery where their Friday Sabbath bread was bought was engulfed in flames. A grand piano was pushed out onto a third story balcony and then tipped over the ledge by four cheering boys. The piano fell majestically through the air for a second before smashing into a million pieces when it crashed on the street below. Even after its demolition, the piano chords vibrated with a sonorous and melancholy tone.

“He’s dead,” said Frederick.

Zammie’s attention snapped back from the village to the group. They had just entered the forest when Grandpa noticed someone tied up to a tree. Frederick checked the man’s vitals and gave his verdict. The women and children stood back in horror.

“Disgusting animals,” said Grandpa. “Unconscionable.”

The young man from the village had been tied up to a large tree with rope. He had then been executed. There were several bullet wounds in his chest and one in his head. Zammie guessed he had probably been one of the first people to try and stop the burning of the synagogue. 

-- from Killing for Country

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