Smiling

This picture is of Gert Berliner from his young days. Clearly, the boy in the picture looks happy and confident. His smile was conveying his jolly nature. But soon his smile was going to disappear. The Gestapo was going to take away everything from him.   

Unexpected

Violence had broken in the city. The series of harrowing events began to occur in November of 1938. Hell had broken loose on Jewish people. Everything from Jewish shops to homes was burned to ashes. The German civilians and Nazis were targeting Jewish people. He said, “I do remember,” his father remembered, “I went out on the street … a lot of glass; you heard fire sirens; synagogues were set on fire.”

Giving Up

Gert continued, “I was the only child just like you were. The marriage of my parents was not the best, so I really – I was my mother’s all. And for her to give up her child is heroic. You know, the pain that she felt must have been so terrible. But she let me go.”

Another Family

Uri takes the conversation further from there, “my father arrives in the city of Kalmar, Sweden, on the Baltic coast. He’s worried about his parents, but he’s reached shelter, taken in by a generous, kind family.”

Everything Changed

This marked a big change in his life. He was no more a German. He had new parents and a new home. The life had played its cruelest joke on him. He was the only child of his parents and was greatly fond of his mother. However, the biggest twist of his life was yet to be unraveled.

Letters

The young boy kept getting letters from his parents. One of the letters read, “My young son, I can’t write much. I’m in a terrible state. Papa’s written everything important to you. As long as we are still here, we will continue to write to you. Chin up – with God’s help, (laughter) we will see each other again – loving, greetings and a thousand kisses, your mother. I remember the letter.” However, the parents were murdered very soon.