Making It In America

At the risk of offending “other survivors” of the Holocaust, I would like to say, “Leave Herman Rosenblat and his wife alone.”  They shared the story of their life, having met as young children on both sides of a concentration camp wall.  She gave his apples and bread when she could.  He moved.  They both survived and, having met again on a blind date years later, married one another.  They are an adorable couple with a romantic story-if indeed, a story involving concentration camps can be considered romantic!

Now Holocaust exerts are speaking up and saying the story isn’t possible because of the way the wall was constructed.  She would have been seen. I guess that may be true if you don’t believe in the power of God, perfect timing, or luck.  Many things happened in and around the concentration camps that should not be true, but they are.  Read the book, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom if you need a good dose of God’s miracles in and around concentration camps.  But even if it isn’t true, who is hurt by the story?  I am moved by fictional stories that are romantic.  Face it, we Americans love our romance almost as much as we like to drag one another down.

Other survivors are upset about the story.  Why? What does the story of the Rosenblats take away from their personal story?  How does the Rosenblat story affect them?  People who have already suffered through and survived the concentration camps need to find ways to celebrate life and not spend their time lamenting the other people’s lives or stories.

Mr. and Mrs. Rosenblat do not need to defend their story.  It is what it is and that’s enough.  If you don’t like their story, don’t read it.  If you don’t believe their story, ignore it.  If you are offended by their story, get over it.  To the Rosenblats I say, “Thank you for your wonderful story.  I believe it!”

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