A Sparrow in Terezin
Page 32
He pinned a brilliant red poppy to the lapel of her suit.
“It’s for the remembrance of those who gave their lives for others.” Liam smiled and with tenderness, ran a hand over her cheek. “And I know you’re fond of them. They remind you of home.”
She nodded, touched by the memory, thinking now that her memories of home would be wherever he was.
“Thank you.”
“Let’s go,” Liam whispered, then nodded to the clerk. “We’re ready.”
Kája hugged the folder of the children’s art to her chest as they walked.
She imagined a future so unlike the present.
One in which Jew and Nazi were not enemies. One where the little sparrows cared for each other and where there was no room for hate, because the hearts of men were too focused on love to let it grow. And one in which people, rather than paintings, and the red flowers of peace, rather than war, became the witnesses to a changed heart.
In your time, God, she whispered, and stepped through the door Liam held open for her.
We will be made whole.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
On April 19, 1943, three Belgian resistance fighters placed a red paper-wrapped storm lantern on the tracks between the Mechelen transit camp and Leuven, Belgium. Armed with only one pistol and a pair of pliers, Georges Livschitz, Robert Maistriau, and Jean Franklemon succeeded in making the ruse appear as a warning signal and stopped the train en route to Auschwitz. The three men forced open cattle car doors from the outside, helping deportees escape.
Combined with prisoners’ attempts to use hidden tools and pry open the cattle cars from the inside, it is estimated that these men helped some 231 prisoners to flee the train that night: 26 were found and killed by the pursuit of SS guards, 116 were eventually recaptured, and miraculously, the remaining 116 are thought to have avoided certain death in the gas chambers of Auschwitz by disappearing into the night.
In August 1943, the SS moved to liquidate the Bialystok ghetto, northeast of the Treblinka killing center in northern Poland. The only survivors, 1,260 children aged fourteen years and under, were deported to Theresienstadt (the German name for Terezin) on August 24. In order to prevent firsthand accounts of the liquidation from reaching the rest of the camp population, the children were sequestered in isolated barracks along with their 53 appointed guardians. Later, in October 1943, the 1,196 surviving children and their guardians were transported to Auschwitz.
None survived.
In this book, I wanted to focus on a lesser-known part of art history: the children’s art of Terezin. Though fictional, Kája’s journey in A Sparrow in Terezin recounts just two of the stories of brutality and heroism, of preciousness lost, as a result of the Holocaust. One of the books that most affected me during this research was I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children’s Drawings and Poems from the Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942–1944. In it, the children’s cut paper collages, watercolor paintings, pencil sketches, and poetry become stunning and haunting storytellers, left behind by the little sparrows who are now and will forever be unnamed to history.
Of the 15,000 children who are believed to have passed through the walls of Terezin, fewer than 100 ultimately survived the Holocaust. I pray, with so many of you, that we would never forget. For every one of those little sparrows who fell, God’s hands were open.
ADDITIONAL READING
I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children’s Drawings and Poems from the Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942–1944, 2nd edition (New YMC: Schocken, 1994).
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, http://www.ushmm.org.
Terezin Memorial, http://www.pamatnik-terezin.cz/.
READING GROUP GUIDE
1. From the moment Kája fled Nazi-occupied Prague in March of 1939, she vowed to find a way back home to her parents. Despite almost losing her in the Blitz, Liam understood Kája’s heart and used his connections to help in her quest. Would Kája still have gone to Prague without Liam’s help? How would the outcome have been different if Liam wouldn’t have continued his own quest to find her after she’d gone missing in Prague?
2. The walled garrison town of Terezin, known as Theresienstadt to the Germans, was a combined ghetto and concentration camp in which the arts community thrived. Prisoners were able to participate in stage shows, attend concerts and lectures—even borrow from the more than ten-thousand-volume Hebrew library on the grounds. How did Kája use her education and abilities in the arts to affect the lives of others? Did they aid in her own survival?
3. Between 1942–1944, more than fifteen thousand children passed through Terezin while awaiting transport to one of the Nazi killing centers. It was the care of in-camp guardians and teachers like Kája who would have infused these children with hope, despite the horrific conditions. How much of an impact did Kája have on Sophie’s ability to heal, using art as the method? How would Terezin have looked from a child’s point of view versus that of an adult?
4. Sera and William’s life together began from the moment they said “I do,” though their journey as husband and wife was hampered by William’s past. His inability to overcome the fear of losing Sera prevented him from being open about the pain he’d been through, even though he continued to seek God in his life. How did William’s mistakes affect the rest of the Hanover family? Would William and Sera have been able to forge a future together without the practice of Christ-like forgiveness in their marriage?
5. Sophie survived the war in part because of the willingness of Kája, Liam, and Dane to risk their own lives for the children of Terezin. Though Dane was a Nazi, Sophie remembered that God had changed his heart, and encouraged Sera to give William another chance for the sake of her own child. How did Sophie’s attitude influence Sera’s ability to forgive her husband? How did Dane’s sacrifice affect Sophie’s ability to see good in others, despite their mistakes?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
One of my dad’s favorite verses was Joshua 1:9 (NIV), and from it came the faith element in this book:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Much like Kája’s journey, this book came to life on the hinges of a year of change for our family. After a brave battle with leukemia, my dad went home to be with the Lord on October 19, 2013. It’s the village that surrounded us during this time that I now thank for the care and support in helping to bring this story to life, and to help our hearts heal.
To Becky Monds and Rachelle Gardner—you are the editors of every author’s dreams! I am humbled by your unwavering faith in me, and am continually in awe of your brilliance in the story craft. Just knowing you’re a text away makes all right with the world. To the wonderful team at HarperCollins Christian fiction: Daisy Hutton, Jodi Hughes, Amanda Bostic, Katie Bond, Elizabeth Hudson, Becky Philpott, Karli Jackson, the amazing sales and marketing teams who share our stories with so many, and the editors with whom I shared a meal in “Paris,” you’ve made this year of firsts one of the best in my life. Thank you for inviting me into your family.
To Kristen Ingebretson—your cover designs make the waking moments better than my dreams.
In the 1940s, letters were a lifeline between friends separated by too many miles. To find that I can go to the mailbox now and receive encouragement from you, Sharon Tavera, is more than vintage wonderful—it’s a blessing in pen and ink. And to Maggie Walker—there couldn’t be many things I look forward to more than a cup of coffee and fellowship with you.
Sisters in the Lord are one of the greatest treasures a woman can have. Thank you, Joanna Politano, Cara Putman, Katie Ganshert, Sarah Ladd, Katherine Reay, Mary Weber, Beth Vogt, and Colleen Coble—you are all amazing women. You have invested in me, asking nothing in return, and I’m so grateful for your love and encouragement. And to Heather Kauffman and Maria Schaefer—the mark you make on the lives of others defines leadership at its most valuable level. You are beauti
ful women with generous hearts, and I am honored to know you.
To my dear friends, Bonnie Underwood and all of the members of the Cancer Care group at Northside Christian Church—words cannot express my gratitude for your love and support during the last year. I pray I could be a fraction of the blessing you are to so many others. And to the heroes—the cancer-fighting champions who are already home with our Savior: Eve Sparks, Jessica Schroen, Pete DuBois, and my dad, “Cowboy” Rick Wedge. The beauty of your legacy is lasting. We miss you every day.
My readers and friends: I’ve met so many of you over the past two years. How can you know how much this has meant to me? I’ve been blessed by your prayers and generous encouragement. I am so grateful to each of you. To our parents—Robin Buczek, Pat and Cindy Cambron, and Linda Wedge—thank you for your love and support. And to the best of me—Jeremy, Brady, Carson, and Colt. It is a blessed woman to have one godly man in her life; I’m honored to have four.
Whether old journeys or new ones, it’s not a surprise that every step in life begins and ends with you, Jesus. My life would be nothing without you to guide it.
With Joy,
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Danielle Mitchell Photography
Kristy Cambron has been fascinated with World War II since hearing her grandfather’s stories. She holds an art history degree from Indiana University and has fifteen years industry experience as a corporate learning facilitator and communications consultant. Kristy writes World War II and Regency fiction and placed first in the 2013 NTRWA Great Expectations and 2012 FCRW Beacon contests. Her debut novel, The Butterfly and the Violin, was nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards’ “Best Inspirational Novel” of 2014. Kristy makes her home in Indiana with her husband and three football-loving sons.
Visit her website: www.kristycambron.com
Twitter: @KCambronAuthor
Facebook: Kristy-Cambron