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PHOTO PROMPT © Jennifer Pendergast
Yet another heroic pair of sisters. 😀
Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100
NUMBER 3 TATARSKA STREET
Eight-year-old Helena clung to her seventeen-year-old sister’s hand. “Fusia,” she whispered, “what if they…?”
“Hush!” Stefania squeezed Helena’s hand. “It will be all right. The Blessed Holy Mother has told me so.”
Helena bit her lip. Having heard a noise from the attic, the Gestapo climbed the ladder to where thirteen Jews hid. It had been Helena’s job to carry off their excrement and bring them food and water. Would they all be put to death?
Moments later, the officer descended the ladder, shaking his head. “It was only a rat.” He glared at the girls and muttered. “Filthy Poles.”
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
An inspiring story.
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Many thanks, Sadje.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You’re welcome ☺️
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Brave little girls.
Glad that all was well for Helena & Fusia at the end and they lived to tell their tale.
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Thank you, Anita. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Another astonishing story of survival and human kindness in the midst of evil. You capture a snippet of what those months must have been like.
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Dear Iain,
As Holocaust Remembrance Day looms large on the horizon, these stories just keep coming. I can’t imagine what it was like for them. But than heaven for people like them. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Brave girls. So much said in 100 words.
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Thank you for your kind words, Fleur.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You are welcome, Rochelle. I read Anne Frank’s Diary a while back. So compelling, I couldn’t put it down.
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Even among the wicked there can be good people, I guess. Or, at least, acts of goodness
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Dear Neil,
I think there were more good people hiding among the wicked who did acts of kindness. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Stefania is a righteous gentile. https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/about-the-program/honoring-the-righteous.html
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Dear James,
She was definitely a righteous gentile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uqIsfR1CRw
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
I am in awe of these two girls – Stefania for having the courage and the sense of what is right to help those in need at her own risk and Helena for the courage of an eight-year-old to respect her big sister. Wow. What a story!
Shalom and lotsa courageous love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
Their story is amazing and another one of those that needs to be told and retold. Thank you.
Shalom and lotsa brave hugs,
Rochelle
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Yes, it is. And thankfully, we have you to do just that 😉
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😘
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😘
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It’s a good thing Nazi’s had an aversion to attics. One has to admire the bravery of anyone who opposed the Nazi’s to their faces, regardless of how sneakily, especially young girls. You never know what a seven-year-old is going to say. Kids aren’t generally great at keeping secrets. Obviously, it was the right thing to do, but self-preservation is a strong instinct.
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Dear Nobbin,
What Helena did was pretty amazing given her age. I don’t know that Nazis had an aversion to attics or not. The “Master Race” did have its issues, didn’t it? Thank you for reading and commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such a powerful retelling of love and cruelty. Well told
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Thank you, whoever you might be.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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If there’s one thing we can always be thankful for in the world it’s that despite what we hear and see there are always righteous people in the mix. We don’t always know about them or see them until it’s time, but they’re there. Do you ever think how many lives were lost, or saved, by mere seconds or seconds, or in the case of your story, an eight-year-old child?
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Dear Michael,
It’s unfathomable. Just when I think I’ve heard or read all the stories another surfaces. We’ll probably never know how many were the righteous among the nations, will we? It’s more than heartbreaking to know that out of the six million who perished, one million were children. Thank you and may we never forget.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So moving story, Rochelle.
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Many thanks, Indira.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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My pleasure, dear. Shalom.
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So much of this is unimaginable (even more so when I read the source material). What courage and strength it would have taken the girls to survive alone in that climate, even without somehow feeding 13 extras; what spirit and strength it would have taken an 8 year old to keep such a secret… and all this without thinking of the courage, strength and spirit of those who hid.
Just incredible. And yet, true.
Thank you for bringing this story to us, Rochelle.
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Dear Jen,
Theirs is an amazing story, amid so many others. When I think I’ve read them all, another one surfaces. Thank you for your lovely comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A very inspirational, but heart breaking story of the times of total madness.
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Thank you, James.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So inspiring Rochelle 💕
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Many thanks, Angela. ❤
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The stories of history, which are never to repeat, and yet … and yet … the things humans do unto each other. SMH. It is so important to remember, especially in such times, that there are always some who do good, even in the midst of great evil deeds. Thank you, my friend.
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Na’ama Y’karah,
Indeed, we say never forget, while, all the while, forgetting. I’ll repeat and keep repeating these stories whenever I can. Todah rabah for your kind comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Amen to that.
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it was more likely that he didn’t like the smell up there, so he had to go down quickly without completing his search. 🙂
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Dear Plaridel,
History states he saw a rat. No doubt the smell wasn’t too pleasant either. However, odor alone might have been more of a tip off than a deterrent. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Absolutely incredible, inspiring and compelling! The strength of conviction and character of these two women is impossible to measure. Your story as well as the Wiki report made for some excellent reading. I now want to read their book and see the movie. Amazing story, Rochelle.
Peace 🕊️
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Dear Nancy,
The movie is available on You Tube and well worth the watch. It’s called Hidden in Silence. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle.
It’s on my list!
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A horror beyond comprehension. Well told!
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This comment was mine. It’s taking me a while to get to grips with WordPress again after a long break!
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Dear Thomas,
Word Press is being a thorn in everyone’s side with all the changes. Thank you for making the effort to comment and support.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Scary times. I could feel their fear.
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Dear Connie,
I can’t imagine the terror. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Another bell-ringer, Rochelle.
I would like to say that I cannot imagine, but I can. It was all real and it all happened and could easily happen again.
A crushing story that must be told.
Peace,
Bill
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Dear Bill,
The most frightening thing about is how easily it can happen again. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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🙂
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Stories like these give me faith in humans to have the capacity to choose courage.
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Dear Lisa,
There have been some amazingly wonderful humans through the ages. Would that there were more of those and fewer evil ones. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, indeed. You are welcome.
Shalom,
Lisa
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Rochelle, great, tense story, and so much more considering it’s based on a true story. I learn a lot of history from your stories, Rochelle. I can’t imagine how tense those kinds of situations must have been. Have a good weekend.
-David
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Dear David,
There are so many amazing true stories out there. We’ll probably never know them all. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Happy unpacking.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Stories, such as these, are just so incredible, because the people in them are. Thank you.
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Dear Dawn,
I don’t know that any of us know the level of courage we possess of until faced with the choice. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Incredibly brave in the face of such evil.
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No argument, Laurie. Incredible courage. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
What a remarkable story about two courageous sisters. I’m so thankful that they didn’t get caught hiding the Jews like Corrie Ten Boom, her sister and father.
They got a most deserved recognition. Thanks for sharing their story. They were truly an inspiration. Evil doesn’t triumph when good people decide to do something. Thank God for doing something through these two heroines.
Shalom,
Adele
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Wonderful story Rochelle! xo
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Thank you, Carol Anne.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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