20 January 2017

Published January 18, 2017 by rochellewisoff

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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit. 

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

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Genre: Historical Fiction

Word Count: 100

I’ve gone ‘there’ again. When the muse leads, I follow. But as EagleEye so aptly coined last week, “It’s a time too horrible to remember, too vile to forget.”

THE SONG’S STILL HEARD IN SELVINO

            “It’s almost sundown,” said “Uncle” Moshe Ze’iri.  

            Clenching his fists, David followed the others to the huge Sciesopoli dining room. The familiar aroma of chicken soup filled his nostrils. It stirred memories of home and his parents, slaughtered before his eyes. After three years of lice and torture, why should he trust this smiling stranger or the Italians who had allied themselves with the monster?

            “Shalom aleynu,” sang Uncle Moshe, his face aglow in the Sabbath candles, his voice tender and melodious. “Peace upon us…”

            In that sweet moment the stone in David’s chest softened and beat once more.

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moshe-zeiri2CLICK

117 comments on “20 January 2017”

    • Dear Suzanne,

      For these children, clean sheets, hot food and showers were wonderful, too. So many of them had lost faith in everyone and everything. The sad thing for me is that I could find next to nothing on the man who called himself Uncle Moshe. Thank you.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Dear J Hardy,

      I think it might’ve taken David a little while to warm up and for that stone in his chest to become flesh. Thank you for such an insightful comment I love it when a reader reads what I’ve written between the lines.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Dear Björn,

      I recently saw an interview with someone at Yad V’Shem who said that was one of the tough things after the Holocaust…regaining the trust of the children. Their faith in adults had been badly shaken. Thank you for your sweet comments.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

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  • Yeah, that’s a good one. The title’s good, too. You’re doing pretty well with those, huh? 😉 I’m going to have to watch the rest of the videos. I started, then you called me and I never got back to it! Hahaha!

    Break out the vino!

    Liked by 1 person

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  • It is hard to understand the terror of what happened or how someone can rebuild their life. You showed a real gift in illustrating David’s story, I am so glad that you told David’s story.

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  • Beautifully written, as always. And no. Never tedious! You keep introducing us to one and another unsung hero! How could that ever be tedious? Love that my photo took you “there”…

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Dear Dale,

      As you know, I didn’t start “there.” My muse just led the way and I followed like an obedient little author. 😉 Perhaps I should give her a Jewish name, like Esther Writovitch.
      It’s true, though. There are so many unsung heroes whose stories haven’t been told. Up until recently I knew nothing about this kibbutz in Italy or the man who dedicated himself to 800 refugee children. The frustration I had was in finding much about him.
      There I go, running off at the keyboard. I’ll stop and say thank you for your encouraging words.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 2 people

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  • We have to be faithful to the gift and the revelation that the Lord has so graciously granted us. If you didn’t write about these subjects often, you would betray His trust in you to make sure the truth is continually set before the world. It’s similar to what He told me when He called me to write a novel about a city besieged by witchcraft — and to start planning its sequel. He convinced me that there are thousands of people out there who will never make the effort (or even sit still long enough) to hear the truth about witchcraft and how real and how deadly it is. But a majority of those thousands will pick up a piece of fiction and devour it — and unconsciously pick up the truth about the subject before they realize what’s happening. In a world where so many people want to forget what really happened during Hitler’s reign — and where a whole generation’s growing up with absolutely no clue about what actually happened — your kind of writing is one of the few beacons that will be able to shine a light into their darkness.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Dear Sandra,

      Thank you for those magnificent words and the reminder. it’s a calling. I can’t help wonder how close we are to another Hitler…and I’m not speaking politics. I’m speaking world condition in general.

      Shalom u’vracha (peace and blessings)

      Rochelle

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      • I understand what you mean. But I do know one thing for sure (which I’m sure you know as well) – whatever/whoever comes against Israel is going to be blown away. I don’t think the world has even a clue how dangerous it is to stand against Israel or attack her right now. God is NOT going to stand still for any length of time if she gets hit much harder. That’s one reason I’m so glad we’re seeing a change in administration right now. And I’m not really talking politics either. I’m talking about having leaders with enough sanity to understand that holding hands with Israel and supporting her is a major lifeline for us.

        Liked by 2 people

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  • Hard to see how he could get past that distrust and hatred. Unimaginable, when you’ve seen your family perish, having to get past that and forgive. It must be impossibly hard, but good for the one who forgives most of all.
    Heartbreaking and honest as always, Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

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  • Hi Rochelle, sounds like you have a lot of histories to draw from. 🙂

    I’ll have to get you to post the link to my contribution again. Thanks.
    https://wordpress.com/post/christinegoodnough.com/3573

    I found out I can get the “frog” and the others’ links on my cell phone, but when I tried to post my own, it wanted an image before it would accept my link. I tried to upload my owl icon, but I don’t know how to do that. Sigh.

    Liked by 1 person

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  • At last, David and many others finally found a place where their hearts can beat again. Lovely story, Rochelle! I liked the link to wiki. That was new and interesting info for me. You educate me once again. Glad you found a use for that quote. I’m blushing. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Dear Eric,

      No need to blush. It’s a brilliant statement and it might just show up in other places. Thank you for that. And thank you for your affirming comments re my story. It’s a special moment for me when a reader tells me he’s learned something.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

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  • Well, you cheated a bit this week, didn’t you, m’lady?
    Maybe I am the only reader who had to Google Sciesopoli, but wow, what an impact!
    Magnificent.
    As I have said before, you translate monstrous acts into human feelings.
    And human acts into tears.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Dear Dawn,

      So far I’ve been overwhelmed by the encouraging feedback. I was a little singed when someone I respected as a writer suggested that I wrote a lot on the same theme and should try different things. He suggested that I might be boring my readers. I guess I took that to heart. I’ll now stick his comments in the ‘disregard’ pile and write what my heart tells me. Thank you for your kind words. (What else brings healing like good chicken soup?)

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

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      • I think each of us has to write what inspires us. If others don’t like it, they can choose not to read. That said, I try to look at feedback and see where it comes from. If someone is saying it from a caring place, I try to see how it fits for me… in the end, it circles back to writing what inspires us. You do right a lot about the Holocaust, but that is your passion and it’s an important history in your life. I agree, listen to your heart… and those who appreciate it, will continue to do so. Those who don’t, can respectfully not read. xox

        Liked by 2 people

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  • It would be a tragic loss if you stopped writing the stories of the hero’s, and heroines that suffered so much. To say I enjoyed your story would trivialize it. I felt your story and the suffering of your characters. Well done.

    Liked by 1 person

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  • What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing it. The ending closes it really well. Sorry for my long absence! Life has gotten crazy, but I always think of you and this community of writers as the end of the week rolls around, even if I know I won’t have the opportunity to read and write for it!

    Liked by 1 person

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  • I was not raised a religious person….however, whenever my parents did bring me to church, I always experienced such a profound sense of peace.
    Thank you for ‘reminding’ me.
    – Lisa

    Liked by 1 person

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  • Dear Shirley Dimples,

    I’ll try to leave a comment without “running off at the keyboard” (I love that visual). First of all, let me say how much I enjoyed that cute little photo on the InLinkz author’s page. Secondly, I agree with Sandra Connor on several points, especially being called to write what we write. I didn’t choose humor, it chose me. Evidently, God thinks there are a few people out there who need to chuckle once in a while and He chose me to be the vehicle to deliver those smiles. It’s not always easy, but I take my calling seriously–and it has it’s rewards.

    Now, back to your story. When I read the last sentence, I felt the stone in my chest warm a few degrees. Good stuff.

    Hang in there, Sunshine.
    Michael

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Dear Michael,

      I understand that humor is serious business. How much humor is born out of pain and suffering. (Of course I think of Jewish humor…ie Hogan’s Heroes is a prime example IMHO) As the Good Book says “Laughter does good, like a medicine.” I appreciate the elixir you bring to the table every week.

      All of these comments encourage me to forge ahead and when the muse strikes I shall continue to write these stories. I do believe it’s a calling.

      Thank you for your affirming words,my friend.

      Shalom,

      Dimples.

      PS Glad you liked my photo. 😉

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  • Beautifully written as always, Rochelle. I love the last line about the softening of the soul. I think, sometimes, that time and a “stepping back” helps in that softening. Never forgotten, but survivable the memories of such horror.

    Liked by 1 person

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  • Dear Rochelle

    People need reminding and people too young to remember, need telling. And you have the gift of weaving together words in a deeply personal way that gets right into the hearts of your readers. That’s amazing what the Italians did for those children. I hope that the Turks can help heal the hearts of all those Syrian orphans they’ve taken into their country in the same way.

    I was only hearing on the news this morning, fears that there’s a huge shift to the right in the West, similar to that in the 1930s. God help us all D:

    Thank you for yet another deeply moving story.

    All best wishes
    Sarah x

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Dear Sarah,

      I harbor a few fears of my own as I see antisemitism on the horizon. Often I see it these days, not so much in what is said, but what is omitted from what’s being said.

      Thank you or your encouraging and affirming comments.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

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      • Dear Rochelle,
        Heaven help us. I think a lot of it is to do with envy. Jewish people are so often talented and successful, and there’s such a sense of family and history that binds them together. Many people out there don’t have the support of an extended family, or a sense of racial identity, and they’ve no idea how to begin finding it, so they’re angry at those who have these things. It makes them feel excluded.
        That’s what I think it is, anyway. I attended a technical college years ago, where I met different people from all around the world, representatives of numerous religious and cultural backgrounds. It was an eye-opener. I kept taking my new friends home and my mother said I was turning our house into the United Nations!
        I’m fascinated that you married a gentile and am dying to ask you more about this…
        All best wishes,
        Sarah

        Liked by 1 person

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        • Dear Sarah,

          I love it…a United Nations. Beautiful. We should all be that way. As Havah thinks of it in As One Must, One Can, her rainbow. One of my earlier jobs was in a Chinese restaurant. We had a little melting pot there. People fascinate me. As for my marriage…a story for another time, or perhaps an email. 😉

          Shalom,

          Rochelle

          Liked by 1 person

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    • Sorry, your words struck a chord within my soul. I see the same, and fear the same. I am in deep deep water prayers that I am wrong. Praying deeply for my nation, my people. ~Jelli

      Liked by 2 people

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      • Dear Jelli, I’m praying deeply for the whole world, that humanity’s spiritual development will catch up with its technological progress, or I fear we’re doomed as a species. People are not listening to each other anymore — just shouting rhetoric with their fingers in their ears.

        Liked by 1 person

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  • Commented firts in the wrong place… here we go again:
    Please never stop writing these stories. People who find them repetitive need not read. I think you’re way past the ‘experimenting’ phase where you need to find out what and how to write. This story is uplifting in its sadness. It makes me smile and cry at the same time. Especially today.

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  • Hola Rochelle,
    A tad late – Saturday noon – but Latinos are known for their tardiness.
    I add a bit of humor to lighten my heart. Your story pulls at the strings of the heart. The sad circumstances these children find themselves due to the atrocities of war. You’ve told it in a way that showcases David’s fears and apprehension. He weary body eventually folding under the tone of kindness. Brilliant, mi amiga.
    Gracias por ser la servidora de todos en estos cuentos ….
    Con carino
    Isadora 😎
    p.s. thank you for adding the link. It was most informative. : )

    Liked by 1 person

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  • I studied European early 20th century history repeatedly at school and found it grotesquely fascinating. But through writing like yours, I realise how little I know, beyond the chilling headlines. In my learning, it was easy to lump together and generalise, “the cruel Nazis”, “the brave resistance”, “the millions of Jews”, etc. Your writing, more than anything I have ever read or seen about the topic, does an amazing job of pulling out individual stories, of giving those millions of people names, and characters. You take the terrible, but incomprehensible “6 million Jews” and turn them into people we can’t help but comprehend. You take a number that is shocking, but also too large to imagine, and make it hurt, as it should. The fact that these stories are true makes it even more remarkable, but even if they are specifically fictional, they are genuine in the emotions. That’s why I want to read your novels too.

    Just reading this week; I feel it’s my debt to the Fictioneers from all the times I just write.

    Jen

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Dear Jen,

      Needless to say, your comment is overwhelmingly affirming. I shall never again question my calling.
      Recently a friend of mine lost his beloved in a shooting. She and her friends and family were in their apartment when three men broke in and opened fire. We hear stories like this on the news all too often. Never has it hit me like this did because of my friend’s grief.

      It’s so easy to gaff off the most heinous acts like the Holocaust until it’s up close and personal. At any rate, you’ve put a voice to my motive and I thank you.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

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  • I love your stuff, Rochelle. I’ve always struggled to understand how these people coped, their feelings and fears. I’ve always had an admiration for them because I just can’t imagine myself coping with the horror. You have a great talent and understanding for capturing the emotions and delivering a better measure of understanding to us all.

    Liked by 1 person

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  • Dear Michael,

    Although I wasn’t fishing, I’ve been greatly encouraged by everyone’s comments. I’ll never again question the muse when a photo prompts one of these types of stories. Thank you.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

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    • Dear Anne,

      Some weeks are like that. At any rate, thank you for taking the time to comment. I’ve been greatly encouraged. Thank you for adding your voice. I’ll never question my muse again. Promise.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Like

      Reply ↓

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