Survived to be Sold

Viewbug Image It was suffocating, dark and crammed with shackled slaves.  There were no toilets in the catacombs where they were kept before being taken to the auction block to be inspected and sold.  She was one of the lucky ones who had survived the long and harrowing journey across the sea to Zanzibar. The …

A Secret, the Past & Declarations

"You have something you want to tell me?" "Yes. It's something which I've never told anyone about." She stared at him, wondering what it could be. "Tell me what it is." "I'm Jewish." "You're Jewish?" "Yes. My father's parents were deported from Bratislava to Sered and from there to Auschwitz. They survived. My mother's parents …

Solitary Confinement

Jeremiah Kohl, the only son of Jewish immigrants moved from Berlin to Leipzig where he met Frida, a History professor at Leipzig University.  They lived in Schkeuditz where they raised their three children. One summer, they went on a transatlantic cruise.  While crossing the Atlantic, The Endurance collided with a sea vessel and quickly sank.  …

Bharat’s Confession

"Sangeeta, we need to talk." "What's wrong, Bharat?" She studied him closely. He looked extremely upset. And it looked like he had been crying but why? "Has something happened to your parents or Chandan or Aesha?" "No. They are all fine. It's something else." She touched his arm. "Tell me what it is." "I saw …

Dawn’s Story

I recently found out that my husband of 20 years has been having an affair with one of his students.  I found out when he told me on day that he had been fired from his teaching position at the university where he had taught for 23 years.   The girl, an African exchange student, was …

The Unlikely Spy

There were other reasons, too. Seventy-five percent of Jews survived in France. And so many non-Jews risked their lives to save ours. Wasn't that our duty to defend our country too? It was our duty, absolutely - Marthe Cohn Born a French Jew in Metz, France on 13 April 1920, Marthe Hoffnung never once imagined …

Sherry’s Story

I want to tell somebody but who will believe me?  Who will believe that the man who uses me for a punching bag is one of New York's finest?  I'm just a former exotic dancer who had the misfortune of getting hooked up with the wrong man.  I guess I was flattered by the attentions …

David/Rooted #writephoto

This was the tree where David and I met after school.  He was the sweetest boy I ever knew and I always imagined that one day we would get married and have lots of children.  It never occurred to me that laws would soon be put in place to make relationships such as ours illegal. …

Dinner at Sunset

Noelle was having a private meeting with Barry Forbes in her office when the door opened and Sandra, her secretary walked in.  Noelle glanced up at her, unable to hide her irritation at the disruption but before she could say anything, Sandra spoke. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Noelle, but I have an urgent phone call …

The Great Divide

A grainy photo of a child, a beloved grandmother. Survivor of the Holocaust. Deceased.  God spared her from witnessing the hatred that has gripped the nation-- the country that she had called home for so many years.   It was the same kind of hate which had invaded, occupied her country and imprisoned her and over 400,000 Jews in the …