Rebecca (Becca) Alder was only ten years old when the war first started. She witnessed her parents slaughtered in front of her. Can she survive? Can she find a new life, and maybe even love? Mature.
*In the process of being revised and edited*
I woke up to air raid sirens blaring in my ears. The date? October 15th, 1940. My tenth birthday. I lived in Poland with my mama and papa. I was thankfully an only child. ................................................... The sirens woke me right up as I ran to my parents rooms. We had to leave. To late. German soldiers were knocking on our doors. "Czy jest tu ktoś." The German soldiers said in polish. (Is anyone there). My parents and I jumped out the window and ran for our lives. We ran down the streets along with the others for what seemed like miles. Then we darted into an alley to rest for a bit. "Postój" Two German soldiers said as they saw us. (Holt) They took us into a van like car. They threw us into the back, in total darkness. I could see my parents terrified faces as we were thrown in. They must know where we are going. ......................................................
The van stopped awhile later. The doors opened as the soldiers threw us out. "Welcome to Warsaw, nasty Jews." They snapped coldly as they spit upon us. Well, I thought. I guess this is our new home.
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We were in the newly established Warsaw Ghetto.It seems the rumors were true!
We were lead to a small apartment to luckily have the place for ourselves. My parents tried to remain strong for me, but I knew it was tough. I looked out the window to see three soldiers crowded around a young man in about his early twenties. He was holding the Jewish holy book, Torah. One Nazi solider raised his pistol to the young man's head. I screamed, I knew what was coming. The trigger was pulled and the man fell to the ground, the Torah tumbling out of his dead hands. I cried and fell to the floor as the soldiers ripped apart our holy book. What did we ever do wrong? ................................................ The sun was setting and our first night began. "Mama, I'm hungry." I mumbled as my little stomach growled. "I know baby, I know." "We will find some food in the morning, get some rest." My mother cooed. I laid down on a big bed as my mother took my grandmothers big quilt out of her smuggled backpack. We only managed earlier to grab a few items as we rushed to escape. I took my favorite doll Minnie, father took his sacred teaching book, and mother took my grandmother's quilt. Grandma had made it for her on my mothers wedding day, a day before she died. We took what was most important to us, but what really mattered is that we were together, for now... ....................................... A week passed and we were living on food scrapes. We ate anything that even barely looked edible! People began flowing into our Ghetto. I didn't understand why we were being punished when we did nothing. Talk around the ghetto was mainly about a terrible place called concentration camps. There they would torture people, force them to work, and murder them in terrible ways. I prayed to god that we would never have to go there. ....................................... Father was the best teacher in our area back in our hometown of Łódź. He teaches many Jewish children different subjects. He decided to start secretly teaching here in the Warsaw Ghetto as well. Even though it was shockingly dangerous. He began by just teaching me and five other children, but had plans to start teaching more. ........................ Two months later Conditions here are rather terrible, people are dying everywhere. I am so skinny you can see my bones. It is almost the new year, and we are not even aloud to celebrate our Jewish holidays. This year no presents will be given, classes are cancelled for this week. For father is sick and on bed rest. I'm praying that he will recover quickly. If you are reading this, send help. For I fear we will be sent to the concentration camps in the spring. ~Rebecca Alder 1940.
