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Genre: All-too-realistic Fiction
Word Count: 100
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Miriam paged through tattoo parlor designs. “Should I get a rose or a bird?”
Eva’s faded eyes flashed. “Why blemish such beautiful skin?”
“You’ve got one, Bubbe.”
“I detest it.”
Miriam skimmed her fingertips over the numbers on her great-grandmother’s arm. “Why don’t you have it removed?”
“The needle burned into me while they carried Mama away. They silenced Papa’s pleas with a bullet.” A spectral smile spread Eva’s withered lips. “It took four of them to hold me down.”
“I get it. You keep it so you’ll always remember.”
“No, bubbeleh. I keep it so you will never forget.”
Thoughtful tale.
The motive of grandma is clear. Things we do and hold on for others to remember…
Miriam wants a tattoo for a different motive!
Vast difference!
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Dear Anita,
It’s not that simple to have a tattoo removed. But Grandma has made her point. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A lovely story in remembrance of the Holocaust, Rochelle. No one should ever forget. It’s deeply disturbing that there exist Neo-Nazis these days. It’s even more disturbing that our present President didn’t call them out after the events in Charlottesville. Good writing as always. —- Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
I share your concern over the growing Antisemitism these days. Disturbing times we live in. Thank you re my story. As long as I can, I’ll keep writing these stories.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A child character in a Hindi movie gets inked with “My father is a thief” by some people who hold a grudge against the father. The character carries the scar throughout and the story is based on his rebellious ways. I am reminded of that with your story.
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Dear Reena,
The Hindi movie sounds like a good one…if not a sad and powerful one. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The event will always be tattooed in her mind regardless of the physical tattoo. I hope she managed to have a good life.
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Dear Tanille,
Sadly, those tattoos and their stories are disappearing and with them, the collective memory of the atrocities. I think Bubbie had a good life, but the scars remain. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Another episode in the series that you have made your own, m’lady, as expertly crafted as ever, and with your characteristic human touch.
Are you aware that the photo has a .webp extension (not for the first time) and that clicking on it gives an error 404?
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Dear CE,
I like the way you worded that. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
PS I think you’ll find the issue has been taken care of.
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Those last two lines are classic! Just that… Well done.
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Thank you, Sandra. Your kind words are always appreciated.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love her explanation by inversion. It’s always a killer
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Thank you, Neil.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Powerful!!
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Thank you, Danny. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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We all need to remember – very well told.
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Dear Trent,
I’ll keep telling these stories as long as I can write. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I’m sure you will, and that is a good thing.
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As the shiver runs down my spine and my jaw hits the floor… you’ve done it again! What a deep water piece. Hate to say I love it (for the content) but I do. Great writing! Great for Halloween week, too. So very scary. I had the privilege (if one could call it that) to meet a survivor with a tat. I cried when they showed it to me and told me how they’d received it. And… I’ve NEVER forgotten.
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Dear Bear,
Those tats were a constant during my childhood. Sadly. And to know what they represent. Thank you for your stunning comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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when you know what they represent it means even more, eh. If I sit here and close my eyes, I can still see it… see the numbers… see the “look” in the eyes. You know the one. Maybe that’s part of what’s driven me to write some of the stories that I do. sighing and remembering that special person…
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I understand completely. Keep it up, my friend. ❤
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Perhaps she will give some thought to what her own tattoo should represent now. Powerful and poignant. Well done.
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Dear Iain,
Perhaps she will. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So moving! I had a tear or two
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Thank you for your comments and your tears (high praise 😉 ).
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
I heard this morning a story about the holocaust and now read this as well. Feels not only a reminder of how quickly we sink into inhumanity but prophetic given the tenor of the times not just in Europe but here in the U.S. Great storytelling as always, Rochelle.
Aleichem shalom,
Dora
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Dear Dora,
I’ve heard it said that we’re back in 1939. When I see Jewish graves and shootings in synagogues in the U.S. it sickens and frightens me. Thank you re my story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I pray that people will wake up before it’s too late.The demonization of groups of people (by race/by faith) is how it begins.
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Anyone who thinks those numbers were painless hasn’t read “The Tatooist of Auschwitz.” I have seen several older survivors with those now-faded numbers on their arms. It always makes my stomach clench, my eyes fill with tears. How soon we forget.
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Dear Linda,
I know exactly how you feel. I feel the same way. Frighteningly, we as a world, are forgetting. Thank you for adding your affirming comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I think and have commented on other stories you’ve written in this vein that the Holocaust is something that no one who has ever heard of could ever forget. Nothing like that could ever happen again. Then, I read about people being locked in cages, separated from their families, and dying in America. I’ve read ‘Mein Kampf.’ I see the same “God and country” rhetoric, the same xenophobia, demagoguery, vitriol, hatred, conspiracy theories, blind followers easily worked into a frenzy… It’s terrifying. Even if everything changes at the top next week 🙏, that rotted underbelly still exists. It’s officially become mainstream, and they’re the ones with the guns.
Very well-told story, Rochelle. As others have commented, those last two lines really bring it home. On a lighter note, I’ve often seen beautiful women with tattoos and wondered why.
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Dear Nobbin,
We shouldn’t forget, but we’ve become complacent and think it can’t happen again. Nu?
As for beautiful women with tattoos, I’ve seen and know some. I don’t get it either. But then, my dad wouldn’t talk to me for a while after I got my ears pierced. He was so disgusted by it. Thank you re my story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Important to remember. A poignant story.
Shalom,
Ronda
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Lest we forget. Thank you, Ronda.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
You bring stories to life in a way that makes me take a look around, to relate in a tangible way to your characters.
The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum has an exceptional project called Dimensions in Testimony. So none of us ever forget.
https://www.dhhrm.org/exhibitions/dimensions-in-testimony-theater/
If you ever plan to visit in person, let me know and I’ll meet you there.
Steph
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Dear StepHonie,
I would love to visit that museum for sure. Who knows? I’ll never say never and give it a place on my bucket list. 😉 I’ll have to bring a box of tissues. I was a drizzly mess at Yad V’shem in Jerusalem. But I’m glad there are people who are doing these things so we don’t forget.
Thank you re my story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, your story is much larger than 100 words. We must never forget.
Shalom,
Lisa
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Dear Lisa,
Thank you for your kind and affirming words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, you are very welcome. Your voice reading gives it that much more impact.
Shalom,
Lisa
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Thank you for the encouragement on the reading. 😀
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We must never forget, especially in the ever tumultous times we live in. The last lines were a stark reminder. Superb writing, as usual, dear Rochelle.
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Dear Neel,
Tumultuous times indeed. Thank you for your wonderful and affirming comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Those last two lines have been spoken by many I’m sure.
As for people soiling their skin with tattoos, I only hope they don’t live to regret it. (I also hope my daughter doesn’t read what I just wrote – she’s like an artist’s canvas!)
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Dear Keith,
I’m not a big fan of tattoos. One of the best lines regarding them came from MASH when BJ Honeycutt asked, “Why would someone put something on their skin they’d never hang on their wall?” Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Great quote, I must remember that!
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Excellent story. I love how the last line turns it on its head. Really powerful stuff. I have no recollection of this photograph.
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Dear Josh,
Trust me, you sent the photo. 😉 Or many SWR sent it when you weren’t looking. Thank you. And thank you for your affirming words re my story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Absolute killer last line. A strong story illustrating an important message.
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Thank you for your kind words, Penny. They mean a lot.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Speechless. Well done.
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Thank you, Ted. Nuff said.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Excellent story as always. Important. Sensitive. Strong.
Like the many who survived these times, less and less of whom are still among us. I know someone who’d gotten the same tattoo of numbers as were on his grandparent’s arm. To remember. So others never forget.
Na’ama
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Na’ama Y’karah,
What a beautiful thing to do to keep the memory alive. (It would also make a great sequel to this story. 😉 ) I’m not a big fan of tattoos but is one I’d do. Thank you. אנו זוכר’ם
שלום
רחל
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PS you can catch the sequel you inspired next week. 😉 I couldn’t help myself.
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Yes, there are quite a few young people in Israel who’d done that, once a story of one family member who did, became known. It was a way to continue the memory, and to hold reality to light, literally.
חיבוקים ונשיקות
נעמה
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😘😘
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PS – who does the photo credit go to? Thanks!
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Oops. I forgot to credit. It goes to J Hardy Carroll. 😀
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Thanks! I’ll update! 🙂
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“I get it. You keep it so you’ll always remember.”
“No, bubbeleh. I keep it so you will never forget.”
Hi Rochelle,
For me these two lines reflect a significance that is not fully understood or appreciated by the younger generation.
Miriam is aware of Eve’s experience, but Eva’s tattoo is perhaps an embarrassment and Miriam would rather hide and bury the past. Eva defends her responsibility to all the victims to ensure no one is allowed to brush the past aside and more importantly allow the world to forget those horrors Yet, I ask’ has the world learned anything from that specific event? Everyone with a sense of human decency has, unfortunately the evil men do still continue.
On a change of note: I am distracted this week , so forgive me for not contributing 100 words.
Best wishes,
James..
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Dear James,
Not to worry about your 100 words this week. I think you left them here. 😉 Seriously, Eva’s intentions are to remind the rest of the world. I’ve known a few survivors, one in the KC area, who go around to schools educating the students. Sonia, the one here, feels it’s her duty to not let the world forget. It’s not that she’s bitter. She just doesn’t want to see it happen again….to anyone.
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a magnificent comment. As I see today’s world events I wonder where we’re headed and what we’ve actually learned.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The last line took my breath away. Powerful. Excellent story, Rochelle!
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Thank you for such a high compliment, Brenda.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A powerful testimony. I love the contrast between the two and the feeling that maybe this message will carry some weight.
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Dear Anne,
I can’t imagine Miriam coming away from that conversation without some change of heart. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
What a powerful story. Great-grandmother’s tattoo wasn’t by choice. It’s a permanent reminder of what she went through and survived. I loved the last line.
Shalom,
Adele
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Thank you for affirming comments, Adele.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Brilliant and important, vital even. Good stuff Rochelle.
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Thank you, Shrawley. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Nameless in Belton W(T)F,
I never was much for tattoos. Although, I’m reaching the age where having my name and address etched on forehead might not be a bad idea. Instead, I’m wearing a tag that reads, “If found, please do NOT return.”
Thanks for another reminder about the horrors of the holocaust.
Clarence,
Lost in the ozone again.
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Dear Clarence,
If you have your name and addressed etched on your forehead, have them do it backwards so you can read it in the mirror. 😉
I wonder what some of these tats are going to look like in 50 years when those sporting them shrivel. Wil Mother become Mhr?
Always happy to remind.
Shalom,
Nameless in Belton W(T)F
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I wonder if any Jews had their tattoos removed?
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I haven’t heard of any, Liz.
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“All-too-realistic fiction” indeed. I do worry that as we get further from that terrible period, people will forget.
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Dear Ali,
You and me both. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yet another wonderful and memorable tale from you! Loved it! 💕
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Thank you, Priya! 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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a lesson for the ages. we should never let the world forget the horrors of the past. otherwise, we’ll be doomed to repeat it.
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Dear Plaridel,
Thank you for such an affirming comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Oh this grabbed me and won’t let go. Beautiful story. Beautiful message. Such strength in Grandma. I hope her granddaughter listens!
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Dear Laurie,
I couldn’t get a better compliment. Thank you. I think the granddaughter will get the message. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What an absolutely moving and beautiful story Rochelle! I hope we humans never forget.
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Dear Shelley,
We can only hope humans will remember. Sometimes I wonder. Thank you for your encouraging comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
The last two lines are so powerful. Well done.
Peace,
Bill
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Dear Bill,
I’m so glad you thought so. Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A moving story and a wonderful last line. So important to remember the past so that similar mistakes are not carried out again.
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Dear Subroto,
We can only hope that it never happens again. Thank you for your affirming comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You’re right, we should never forget nor should we say it never happened! That makes my blood boil. Well done, once again. Lish
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Dear Lish,
It was so up close and personal when I was growing up. But then it was recent history. Now, even the Vietnam war is distant history, isn’t it? As long as I can write, I promise to remind. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Me too!!!
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Dear Rochelle,
Your inimitable way of going for the jugular while bringing these stories to life is unparalleled! Bubbe knows what she is telling her bubbeleh.
Shalom and lotsa understanding love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
Going for the jugular is the way to etch it into people’s memories. Yes? Thank you for your grand comment/compliment.
Shalom and lotsa memorable hugs,
Rochelle
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Yes, for sure!
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