THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS — Friday, October 12, 1962
Kay Boyle's "Breaking the Silence"
Relates Mother's Dramatic Efforts
to Explain Nazi Atrocities to Son
Kay Boyle, one of America's by history and the American someone in the streetcar said,
distinguished writers and au- democratic heritage from the 'I'm ashamed today that I am
thor of a forthcoming history atmosphere of Hitler Germany a German.' But no one turned
to look at the face of the per-
of Germany, has written an in- —asks such questons as:
"I don't see why they let this son who had spoken, as if it
cisive story on how an Ameri-
better not to know who
can parent tells her child about man, this Eichmann, do it to were
this person was who defied the
them?"
the Nazi era.
"Why couldn't the Jews in Nazis and sympathized with the
Commissioned by the Ameri- Germany have got machine guns Jews. There were certain things
can Jewish Committee's Insti-
at that time, she said, that it
tute of Human Relatons Press, somewhere?"
was better not to hear or see."
the 38-page booklet is entitled
"How did a man (Hitler)
As . she relates the grotesque
"Breaking the Silence," and has who had everything wrong get history, the mother questions
been published as part of the to be the ruler of a country?" the necessity for telling the
Institute Press pamphlet series.
"I don't see how the Ger- child and indeed her own abil-
It was conceived to fill the need mans killed the Jews all over i t , to continue:
created by the fact that both Europe Without anyone findingl "How can I tell him these
parents and teachers often shy j out."
things?" she asked herself in
away from the subject of naz-
In answering these ques- silence. "How can I sit in this
ism, in a well-meaning, but mis- tions, the mother begins to room and speak of all this as
guided, attempt to shield young- relive the agonizing days of
describing some lesser un-
sters from its dreadful history. Hitlerism. She feels her own if
avoidable catastrophe? Is it pos-
Two of Miss Boyle's stories guilt and, as the story un- sible to say quite coldly and
have won the 0. Henry Me- folds, the ease with which— matter-of-factly to him: 'The
morial Prize for the best short step by step—Hitler created death camps operated with gas,
stories of the year. A former the Nazi monster.
and the earlier gassings of wom-
"It all took place gradually, en and children took place in
Guggenheim Fellow and foreign
see
Nick,"
said
the
mother,
correspondent, she had long you
sealed vans. The next step was
been an expert observer of the trying to find the words to make to make makeshift gas cham-
German scene. She was elected it clear. "In the beginning, some bers, hurriedly set up in the
to the Natonal Institute of Arts of the regulatons passed by the concentraton camps, for it was
Nazis concerning the Jews of essential that the killings be
and Letters in 1958.
Present plans call for trans- Germany were just nuisances. done fast.' "
laton of the story into Ger- For example, Jews were for-
Eventually the mother dispels
man, Spanish and French. It bidden to go to any places of her doubts and sees that it is
will be available in Europe entertainment. That meant no vitally important for her son
and South America as well as theaters, or movies, or concert to know even the most horrible
halls. And their radios were
in the United States.
events of the Nazi era. She real-
In the foreword to "Breaking taken away. But then the rules izes
that she must tell her son
became
r
e
all
y
burdensome.
the Silence," Dr. John Slawson, Jews could have no telephones how a nation could accomplish
AJC executive vice president, in their homes, and later, they "the' mechanization and dehu-
warns that evasion of the sub- were not even permitted to use manization of the individual .. .
ject of Nazism "is bound to do public telephones. Still later, so effectively that men ceased
'more harm to the moral . and they were forbidden to buy
mental well-being of the young newspapers or books, use street-
than confrontation with the cars or buses, or sit on benches Europe, Israel Study
truth."
in the park. All these things Tours Planned by
Miss Boyle's story weaves his-1 people told me when I went
torical fact about the Nazi pe- back to Germany after the war. World Synagogues
riod into a dramatic and touch- Jews couldn't buy eggs, or meat,
Round - table discussions on
ing. confrontation between a or white bread, or any milk
mother and son, triggered by except skimmed, and they were synagogue problems will be
the TV coverage of the Eich- allowed to shop only at certain held in Europe and Israel in
mann trial. The son —sepa rated hours. In some places, shopping 1963 between representatives of
time was on Friday between American congregations and
five and seven, so as to spoil their opposite numbers abroad
the beginning of the Sabbath. under the aegis of the World
In this way the ties of human- Council of Synagogues.
World Council president
ity and nationality were sev-
ered, strand by strand, until in Charles Rosengarten of Water-
the end the Jews stood alone." bury, Conn., has announced that
The boy asks: "How did any-
body know" who the Jews were?
The mother details the Nazi
steps: the Star of David on the i
coat, the addition of Sara to
given names of Jewish women
and Israel to the men, and the
"J" stamped on ration cards of
all Jews.
The boy is amazed. "Didn't
they" (the ones who didn't have
the stars on their coats) "think
it was a crazy thing to do?"
This leads to the terror
r .FHEEse g .
that was nazism and the
Charles Rosengarten (left)
question of the acquiescence
tlavi0 11
and Dr. Fausto Pitigliani
of the German people.
IN SAUCE
"There was a woman we met eight groups of American syna-
in Germany after the war, a gogue representatives will visit
professor at a university," the Jewish communities in London,
mother said. "She knew it was Paris, Rome, Haifa and Jerusa-
wrong, what was happening to lem to study common problems
the Jews but she said there and exchange views on best
never seemed to be anything solutions.
You'll love
that one could do about it. There
Rosengarten has inaugurated
never seemed to be any way of conversations
with leaders of
speaking
out.
First,
signs
began
iiE BOY-AR- DEE
Jewish communities, in-
Cr
to appear on the outskirts of foreign
towns and villages, she told us, cluding Dr. Fausto Pitigliani,
CHEESE
signs saying 'Jews not wanted' president of the Jewish Com-
RAVIOLI
and no one made any protest munity of Rome, to plan the in-
about it. After a few months, ternational program. In Israel,
she said, even the Jews who the study-tour participants will
lived in her town walked past visit World Council affiliates—
Just heat 'n' eat!
the signs without seeming to Congregation Emeth V'Emunah
they were there. And in Jerusalem and Moriah Con-
i- Tear family, guests, cheer for notice
then one November night in gregation in Haifa—and a num-
that real Italian flavor created by 1938, the town synagogue, the ber of institutions associated
famed Chef Boy-Ar-Dee. Tender Jewish temple was burned. It with the Conservative Move-
little macaroni pies ...filled with was burned by men who were ment. These include the Jewish
Theological Seminary's Ameri-
tangy Italian Cheese...simmered strangers to the town. The next can Student Center and the
day, the Jewish people stayed
iNith savory tomato sauce and home and no protest was made Schocken Institute for Jewish
Cheese...seasoned the reel Ital- to the mayor or anyone, and Research in Jerusalem.
The month-long study-tours
ian way. So much tastier and there was nothing in the news-
easier than the frozen kind. So paper about what had taken will begin in April and con-
tinue until October. The partici-
much thriftier, too—costs onl; place. My friend, the professor, pants will spend two weeks in
had taken a streetcar to go to
about 15c per serving!
her classes at the university, Israel, of which six days, in-
and as they passed the smoul- eluding a Sabbath, will be spent
to be men in Nazi Germany and must impart to her child the
became numbers in a bookkeep-
er's ledger of the dead."
Realizing what N a z i s in
meant and how it happened,
the mother concludes, is the
first line of defense against
any recurrence.
She also concludes that she
historical background of Ger-
many and also the reaction of
the free world to the Nazi holo-
caust. She sketches for the boy
German history from the time
of the separate states to na-
tional unificaton, through World
War I.
Unmatched
For Delicious Flavor!
r --
SCHMALTZ
HERRING
If you like
CHEESE
CFREPLAC H
t
tom
" I
MEATLESS
dering ruins of the synagogue, in Jerusalem.
Picture ova per fe ct treat
-a SWAP to fix in minutes/
eye-pleasing, taste-
teasing new idea in desserts and party treats
... so easy to fix, so temptingly different—so
perfect for even the small fry when you make
it with wholesome, energy-rich Dromedary
Date-Nut Roll!
Click's with everyone! An
MADE WITH CRISP, CHUNKY WALNUTS
AND THE WORLD'S CHOICEST DATES!
Cut Dromedary Date-Nut Roll
into 12 slices; fill and top each
two slices with thorough blend
of 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, 2
cups milk, 1 pkg. lemon-flavor
instant pudding, 1 tsp. grated
lemon rind. Top with cherries
or glazed fruit.
Ready-to-serve
DATE-NUT ROLL
You know it's kosher, because the label has the C)
NEW! DROMEDARY BANANA-NUT ROLL
Also enjoy DROMEDARY CHOCOLATE-NUT & ORANGE-NUT ROLL
num um Int NE Nu =I lie
En
NE au
aws