Our Mantra
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
Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100
COMMISSION NUMBER 3
Trina wasn’t forced to wear a yellow star like her friend Hanna, but she was ostracized by the other children who called her schwarz schimpanse.
One day a uniformed woman entered the classroom. “Trina Azikiwe, I’m here to take you to the doctor.
“I’m not sick.”
The officer dealt Trina’s cheek a stinging blow. “Silence, Rheinlandbastard!”
Trina would never forget the cruel procedure that rendered her forever childless or the doctor’s admonition. “Never have sexual relations with good Germans.”
Good Germans? There were none better than her golden-haired mother and handsome bronze father who perished for their ‘sin’ in Dachau.
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NOTE -Schwarz schimpanze – Black chimpanzee…(Do I need to translate ‘Rheinlandbastard?’)
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Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
This kind of thing still goes on. Human kind finds it so easy to forget humanity. But the clinical, methodical way the Nazis went about it is chilling. Let’s hope most people still find it so.
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Dear Jane,
The Nazis did raise the bar on cruelty. Chilling indeed. What humans are capable of is appalling. I don’t understand it and I never want to. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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It’s the people who do understand it that we need to be afraid of.
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Oh wow I didn’t realise Germany had a black population since the 1800’s. But it makes absolute sense when you think of the slave trade or cheap labour sourced from colonies. Racism makes my blood boil, not only because I face it everyday myself. But I can’t stand the thinking that one is superior than the other simply by the colour of their skin, or their heritage.
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Dear Fatima,
I only recently learned these facts myself. Although the blacks came into Germany, not as slaves, but as allies and soldiers. It also makes me sad to see that you face racism yourself. I’m shaking my head at humans and want to ask God what He was thinking. Thank you for your kind comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yes you’re right, they came from the colonies as soldiers not as slaves.
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Yes you’re right. They came from the colonies as soldiers and perhaps cheap labour. So very interesting!
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A heart wrenching tale, written so beautifully. Thanks for writing it , Rochelle. Thanks also for the article .
Regards,
Moon
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Dear Moon,
I was stunned but not surprised when I learned of this recently. Hitler and his henchmen were unbelievable monsters.. Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle, for reminding us the concentration camps also held people of colour, gypsies, and gays among others
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Dear Neil,
Unfathomable, isn’t it? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Racism is an age old malaise and is one of the most despicable acts of mankind. Thanks Rochelle for bringing to light the horrors of this inhuman practice so beautifully.
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Dear Neel,
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was never a reason to write a story like this? I hate to sound cliche but there are so many wonderful differences in humans…if only we could see it instead of putting up barriers or lashing out. In any case, thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I also didn’t realize Germany had such a large black population. Again the Nazis handled matters in the most inhumane and evil ways. They were a scourge upon the earth. Good writing as always, Rochelle. —- Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
This is a relatively new piece of knowledge for me. The most sinister thing about the Nazis is the cold, calculating way they carried out their atrocities. Thank you re the writing.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Stunning and sad. The anger is a prison of its own.
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Thank you, Josh. There are all kinds of prisons, aren’t there?
Shalom,
Rochelle
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And still, people never learn. Good story.
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Dear Cuzzin Kent,
We’re all remedial in one way or another, aren’t we? SMH Thank you.
Shalom,
Cuzzin Shelley
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Another powerful story. The institutionalized racism and hatred of the Nazis is so beyond comprehension. How painstakingly they reordered their atrocities…. What I find chilling is how many extreme racists there are in this country and how empowered they seem to feel in the currently political environment.
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Dear Trent,
I don’t believe there has ever been (and hopefully never will be) such a calculated slaughter as the Nazi Holocaust. They took racism to a ‘scientific level’ and then kept impeccable records. As I mentioned to someone else, there weren’t as many black victims because they were a small part of the German population. Had there been 6 million to kill I’ve no doubt they would’ve been included. I hate racism! Thank you for your comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a horrid and cruel reality written here. The thought alone is terrifying. I read this, and my mind kept circling back to events of the last 24 hrs… Last eve I watched on the news as one of our young men was returned to us from being imprisoned. (His crime, and the punishment aside, he’s still a young man.) Comatose for over a year in that place and my mind can only imagine the tortures inflicted upon him to have created such a degree of sickness. To his captures, he was a horrid creature, to us, he is one of our own… a little misguided by the naivety of youth, but one of our own just the same. May we all truly raise prayers for him to be healed and whole again.
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Dear Jelli,
It’s unimaginable what humans are capable of. I have no words for what you’ve shared. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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My mind was so overwhelmed that this weeks story just didn’t sit well there. Couldn’t get reality to move aside. On second reading, the depth of your words and the story only stand to emphasize what a sick and depraved world we live in. Stories like this should be told, retold, and acted upon such that we can give evil a good and solid kick in the A*.
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Dear Jelli,
You’e had an insane week. No need to backpedal. Just when I think I’ve heard it all where the Nazis are concerned, I learn a ‘new’ one. 😦 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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It makes my stomach quiver. The evil that lurks in the heart of all mankind is periodically unleashed, and horror quickly follows. I suppose there are those who feel that the Nazi period of domination was so long ago that it no longer matters. It does. It must, because it is modern history’s pattern-setter for every other nation that decides it must dominate the world.
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Dear Linda,
I fear that as the last of the survivors leave this world, it will be easier and easier to forget. Alas the evil marches merrily on…ISIS, Hamas (the word itself literally means ‘evil’) etc. etc. So much inhumanity in the name of racial purity. It makes my stomach quiver, too. Thank you for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Indeed it does matter, Gran. We must never forget it. And, we must ever and always work to see that it never occurs again, though our puny human powers have failed in even that task so many times.
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I learned some new facts after going to the link you attached. Your stories are all powerful. Some are warm and emotional, many are not, but one thing for sure….I always learn a piece of history that I wasn’t familiar with. Keep teaching us Ms. wordsmith.
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Dear Jan,
I love it when you call me a wordsmith. ❤
Thank you, m;love
Rochelle
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A history lesson wrapped up in a wonderfully-told story, dear Rochelle. You are an endless fount of information. I love that you find a subject, go digging and produce such wonderful stories. Keep ’em coming.
I, too, had no clue…
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Dear Dale,
Me loves me research trail…most of the time. This wasn’t fun but it told me things I didn’t know. When I find them I share them. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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And you does it so well 😜
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It is terrible the way these women were treated. It gave me shivers reading this.
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Dear Colline,
In this case, not even women…children and not just girls. 😦 This all gives me shivers. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you for writing this story, Rochelle and for providing the link to the background article. Informative while truly depressing. You’re right to highlight the plight of black Germans under the Nazis. While the suffering was not on the scale of other targetted groups, it was no less inhumane, no less painful to the individuals. Warnings from history.
Thanks again Rochelle, for always keeping us so well informed.
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Dear Lynn,
I only recently was apprised of this part of the horrible Nazi legacy. I suspect their suffering wasn’t on the same “scale” only because there weren’t as many blacks as there were Jews. And other equally sad and horrid detail is that it’s hard to find black holocaust survivors because there weren’t many. Their treatment was brutal and more often than not, fatal.
Thank you for your affirming comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Just horrific. It’s the dehumanisation of others that’s frightening, the ability to think so little of another person that you deny the fact they have the same thoughts and feelings, are capable of the same pain. It’s a danger whenever we view a group of people as ‘other’ from ourselves.
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😦 all too true.
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Dear Rochelle,
While I knew about the mistreatment of blacks by the Nazi regime, it isn’t a topic I ever read specifically about until today. Thanks for shedding light on this bit of history. Only the light of truth can defeat the darkness.
Peace (and a healthy dose of chicken grease),
MG
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Dear MG,
So many obscure stories like this in history (and today). I need a bigger flashlight. 😉 This was new to me until this past May. It shouldn’t surprise me, but, like many of us, I wasn’t aware that Germany had any black citizens.
Thanks for the chicken grease…great for frying chicken skins. An old Jewish, artery clogging treat.
Shalom, my dear friend,
Rochelle
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I had no idea and don’t know why I didn’t. Of course, the Nazi’s wouldn’t have like negros. Thanks for another peek into history.
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Dear Lish,
This bit of history was news to me in May. Just when I think I’ve heard and read it all, I learn something new. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Excellent story Rochelle. This is an aspect of the Nazi atrocity that’s rarely told. All sorts of people, “undesirable” by Nazi degenerates were sterilized for being different. I’ve heard about this before (though I read through your follow on link) but it’s good to read this again and remember the full depth of the insanity. Another great read, Rochelle.
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Dear Eric,
The Nazis certainly didn’t corner the market on evil, but they took it to a chillingly systematic level. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Horrifying. Words fail me.
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Thank you, Magarisa.
Shalom (and may we one day find it),
Rochelle
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The chilling thing that happened also outside Nazi states…. forced sterilization was a practice also in Sweden… the theories or race purity existed was a “science” that existed also outside the borders of nazism…
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Dear Björn,
I believe forced sterilization is practiced in the Republic of China. Although the Nazis made these children undergo it without anesthesia and without their parents’ knowledge. And there’s a whole lot more to be said. If it chilled you, my mission is accomplished.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such a powerful story. The hatred and fear is still with us. Especially in the present day United States.
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Dear Emilio,
I’m afraid that bigotry and hatred are like Whack-A-Mole. Once smacked down in one place, it rears its ugly head in another. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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It’s a great story because people sometimes forget that there were other minorities targeted by the Nazis. I read that link that you posted and from there found the fascinating story of the little boy whose picture was used in the article. Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi a German-American journalist and author. http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0003/black_nazi.html
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Dear Subroto,
Because other minorities made up a smaller percentage of the population their plight in Nazi Germany went unnoticed. I thought about relaying Mr. Mssaquoi’s story but it just didn’t work for 100 words. Thank you for sharing the link and your comments re my story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Count me among those who had never heard about this particular aspect of that horrible chapter of history. Thank you for the educational link. So many moving, powerful stories for so many people, each in their own specific situation, but all related. We have to keep telling and hearing these stories, so that people don’t forget, so that one more person is pushed away from letting it repeat.
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Dear Joy,
“Never again!” needs to be our battle cry against all manner of racial genocide. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I come to your page and I always find something new to learn about. This post was fantastic, as always.
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Dear Shivam,
Thank you for such a lovely comment/compliment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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i’ve been to concentration camps in poland and austria and the folks who managed the camps looked like normal people in the photos. It amazed me that they were capable of so much evil.
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Dear Plaridel,
It is appalling, isn’t it? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I am happy that the protagonist of this fiction has my name ‘Trina’…great post as usual.
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Dear Trina,
I hope your life is happier that my protagonist. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yes I am happier than her😀
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Shocking. All the more so, because of the reality.
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Dear Clare,
All too often truth is not only stranger, but more evil, than fiction. 😦 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Black skins were too easy a target – slightly harder to track down were gypsies, and homosexuals, but the Nazis were diligent.
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Dear Liz,
The Nazis were not only diligent but systematic (to the nth degree) killers. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such a terrible time. I didn’t realise there were black people in Germany back then, but thinking about it there must have been, of course. Well written and educational.
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Dear Ali,
I really didn’t think there were any black people in Germany either until I read about this in May. Horrid. In many ways they were treated worse than the Jews, it’s just there weren’t as many of them. Thank you re my writing. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
You have written this extremely well, in a way that stabs at the heart.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, I clicked on that picture, to find out more and suffered repeated stabbings to the heart D: I just cannot stand it, the cruelty. That boy who was sterilised without anesthesia … am I to understand that everybody who was sterilised or experimented upon, didn’t have an anesthetic?
Phew! Even though I acknowledge that it’s important to know about such atrocities. I need to go and think about something nice for a while if I’m not going to sink into depression.
All best wishes,
Sarah
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Dearest Sarah,
I don’t think any of those children were anesthetized when they were forced to undergo the procedure. In fact most of them were either sent to the camps or used in “experimentation.” Sorry if I’m sending you back out to a happy place. 😉 I had to do that after writing certain scenes in my books.
Thank you re my writing. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dearest Rochelle,
I worked with someone who had been experimented upon in a camp during that time. She was one of the most caring people towards the vulnerable and needy of this world that I’ve ever met. Thus, out of her sadness and suffering, she developed this desire to protect, nurture, and spread sunshine wherever she went.
All best wishes,
Sarah
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Like others, I didn’t realize this part of the Third Reich’s extermination program and clicked over to read more.
Race was used as an excuse for this, but even Germans weren’t safe. I’ve heard one group Hitler exterminated was the German Boy Scouts. And of course anyone who objected to his regime. Amazingly, Hitler had no racial objections when the Japanese allied themselves with him. And did he plan to share Europe with the not blue-eyed, not blond Italians?
Nevertheless—and sad to say—history shows the Nazis really weren’t unique in their atrocities. Theirs have just been better documented.
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That’s a fact, Christine. No one was safe in Germany or the areas they controlled. Anyone, including those closest to Hitler were in as much danger as anyone. The Nazis were systematic in their slaughter as well as well documented. The fact that they did that while the allies turned their heads is all the more chilling.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such a sad story wonderfully written. My partner is Danish (The Viking) and was thrilled to learn how the Danish people saved nearly their entire population of Jews in a period of only a few nights. Amazing story. If you’re interested, there’s a great book about it. A Conspiracy of Decency by Emmy E. Werner.
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Dear Mrs. C.,
The king of Denmark was one of the greatest heroes of WW II. Your partner has every reason to be proud. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such a power and sad piece. You pack so much in so few words. The “crime” of miscegenation has always intrigued me in literature. These stories are always so personal, so heartbreaking, and so humanizing.
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Dear Nortina,
Sad, horrible and unthinkable. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Very true. Thanks for reading!
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Important to know the history we’ve forgotten or did not know existed. Amazing how such a short piece can be so impactful.
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Dear Jenn,
We need to remember. Thank you. 😀
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You too saw a monster in Dale’s photo. You ripped my heart out with this one.
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Dear Cindy,
Few monsters are more horrible. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Another good job, Rochelle. So real and so touching. And it’s so very important that people keep being reminded.
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Dear Sandra,
No argument. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Well written Rochelle.
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Thank you, Kitty.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Welcome Rochelle 🙂
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Thanks for running the challenge Rochelle. Please have a look at mine at https://kittysverses.wordpress.com/2017/06/16/silver-lining
Thank you all for stopping by and reading.
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Your story makes me wonder how such cruelness was ever allowed to happen. Hopefully it will never happen again although we still need to do a lot of work on eradicating all sorts of prejudice.
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Dear Sally,
I can’t fathom the cruelty of people against others based on race. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I have no idea what to leave for a comment because this story left me speechless. Thank you for the story and for the ‘click to know more’ link. I learned things I’d never thought of before.
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Dear Michael,
Thank you for a wonderful comment. I’m constantly floored with every new detail I learn.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Difficult powerful story – the power of the pen! One of the (probably many) odd and inconsistent aspects of the second world war was segregated companies of soldiers fighting fascism and racism in Nazi Germany.
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Dear Miranda,
Black POW’s of the Germans were also treated worse than whites. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such a powerful and sad story. I felt the sting of the officer’s slap. You enlighten us every time with your historical tales. So well told.
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Dear Sarah Ann,
I can’t ask for a better comment on an ugly story. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Querida Rochelle,
Otra vez, un buen cuento banado en historia. (I can’t find the little ~ that goes on top of some spanish words. hope you get what – banado – is)
I hated this woman who took Trina to be mutilated. I wanted to smack her back. I guess that tells you how perfect your writing was on this one. ~~~ : – )
I knew about the blacks in Germany because my father-in-law once told us a story. Even in this day and age, there are little girls still being mutilated as in India.
A bit of history from me: US sterilized women in PR to stop population in the 1850’s. I just learned about this.
We live in a stranger society than we think. Is it denial? I’ve stopped watching the news. I hear it 2nd handed from my hubby.
A thought provoking story from long ago that could fit right in today. Your great ….
Hasta la próxima,
Abrazos y Shalom
Isadora 😎
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“Even in this day and age, there are little girls still being mutilated as in India.”
It is sad when that happens but it is by no means a mainstream practice. There is only one small community that practices it. The heartening fact is that within that community people are speaking out. In fact a change.org petition (https://tinyurl.com/y92wzk2c) started this year by the women of this community, convinced the Health Minister to declare that FGM is now illegal in India.
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Querida Isadora,
Human cruelty knows no bounds. Your emotional response is a compliment. Gracias.
Abrazos y shalom,
Rochelle
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Omg… how i hate that this happened. Thank you Rochelle, as always you write such horror so well that as a reader i cannot let it go.
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Dear Laurie,
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were no such stories to be written? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So very true. Something to hope for
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Every time I think I’ve heard of all of the horrors that were perpetrated, there comes to light another. And yet from all of this the human race has not learned. Powerful as always, Rochelle.
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Dear Sascha,
This was a new one on me, too. 😟 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Another really powerful portrayal of an historical event. Thanks, Rochelle
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Thank you, Michael.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I was having a conversation the other day about human cruelty and our darkest decades. It’s hard to pick just one. Thanks Rochelle for reminding us of this important history.
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Dear Dawn,
There are way too many stories to tell. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wish one day our kids or grand-kids do not face racism or even have to write a story of racism, cruelty, genocide . Then the world would be indeed a beautiful place to live.
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Dear Kalpana,
I share your wish. Alas there are stories that need to be written and history that shouldn’t be forgotten. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Heartbreaking little story. Also shocking. We hear that these kind of things happened, but it is still chilling to read.
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Dear Rebecca,
Heartbreaking indeed. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Why do we need to write fiction when we have enough horror in our history?
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Dear James,
Reality is uglier than fiction, isn’t it?
Shalom,
Rochelle
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It can be, but reality can also be beautiful, otherwise how can we go on?
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