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The Story Of A Rose

The remarkable life of Sophie Scholl.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR

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Q: Why is it that in Israel all the
schools, stores and factories are
closed on May 1? Is this some sort
of Israeli holiday, or is it a Jewish
holiday I don't know about?
A: May 1 certainly is not a

Jewish holiday and it is not a
specifically Israeli holiday, ei-
ther. May 1 is a socialist holi-
day, in Europe often called
Labor Day (but very different
from the American Labor Day).
In 1889, the first congress of
the second Socialist Interna-
tional selected May 1 as an an-
nual labor holiday. May 1 was
chosen because the day already
was widely celebrated through-
out Europe. Although some so-
cialist writers tried to portray
their holiday as an extension of
the traditional festival, May
Day is entirely pagan in origin.
In temperate climates, the
warm days of May cause an in-.
crease in the growth of vegeta-
tion. Primitive cultures used
the occasion to celebrate agri-
cultural rituals. These com-
monly included carrying in a
procession trees and branches,
designating a May king and
May queen, and setting up a
Maypole — all intended to in-
sure fertility to crops, livestock
and humans.
May Day in Israel was intro-
duced by Zionist settlers of Eu-
ropean origin who were of a
leftist political bent. After state-
hood, it was common to see red
flags flying from the roofs of fac-
tories, schools and office build-
ings throughout Israel. Now
that socialism is losing its grip
on Israeli society, however,
many Israelis celebrate May
Day as they do most Jewish hol-
idays. They go to the beach.

Q: It seems I remember hearing
about a young Christian girl who
spoke out against Hitler and was
subsequently caught and execut-
ed by the Nazis. Do you know her
name?
A: Tell Me Why does indeed

40

know her name, as should
every Jew, for Sophie Scholl
was one of the most remarkable
young women in history.
She was born May 9, 1921,
in Baden-Wurttemberg, Ger-
many, where she lived the first
seven years of her life. Later,
the family moved to Forchten-
berg, where her father became
mayor.
Sophie had two sisters, Inge
and Elisabeth, and two broth-
ers, Werner and Hans. She

Sophie Scholl: Everyone who knows must hold himself accountable.

grew up in a home those who
survived her described as idyl-
lic.
"Vineyards and dense mixed
forests of beeches and firs en-
circled the town," Inge told au-
thor Herman Vinke in The
Short Life of Sophie Scholl. "We
would spend hours, sometimes
days, in these forests, picking
berries, gathering mushrooms,
playing hare and hounds. I
clearly remember one particu-
lar place where a humpbacked
parsonage garden was right
next to the weather-beaten ruin
of a castle. With its many dif-
ferent kinds of trees, it resem-
bled a formal park, an ideal
place to stage plays. Again and
again we thought of new plays
to try out, theatrical produc-
tions without audiences."
As a little girl, Sophie loved
to play with dolls. Later, she be-
came an excellent student at
boarding school, where she
wrote moving essays about the
beauty of nature and her home-
land. She hoped to study biolo-
gy one day.
Although optimistic, at first,
that Hitler would bring only
good to Germany, it didn't take
long for Sophie to see what he
really had in mind. Her broth-
er, Hans, felt the same. They
disavowed national socialism
and helped found the White

Rose, a student resistance
group. It was the least she could
do as a Christian, Sophie said.
Though it was illegal, and in-
deed brought a penalty of
death, members of the White
Rose began distributing anti-
Nazi leaflets. They often carried
such messages as, "The fact is
that since the conquest of
Poland 300,000 Jews have been
bestially murdered in that
country," and a warning: No
one who knows of such crimes
and does nothing is innocent.
When the Nazis discovered
the names of members of the
White Rose, they quickly ar-
rested them. Hans and Sophie
Scholl were among eight mem-
bers sentenced to die. Hans
went first, then Sophie.
"She kept smiling as if she
were looking into the sun," her
sister recalled. "Gladly and
cheerfully she accepted the can-
dy Hans had refused. 'Oh yes,
of course. Why, I haven't had
any lunch yet.' It was an inde-
scribable affirmation of life
right up to the end, to the very
last moment."
Sophie Scholl was 21 years
old when she died.

Send questions to "Tell Me Why"
c I o The Jewish News, 27676 z/
Franklin Rd., Southfield, MI –`
48034 or send fax to 354-6069.

