Adara's Diary

1938

October 8, 1938

Dear Journal,

I just recently got this journal, father has just bought me this for my birthday which was yesterday I am 16 now. Oh well I should introduce myself, My name is Adara Mae Kleinman and I live in Munich, Germany. My family lives here in a small apartment my father Frank is a doctor though he can only practice on Jews. My father's name is Frank Aron Kleinman he grew up here in Munich with his parents Lilith and Aron. Grandpa Kleinman died when  he was 13 so my grandma Kleinman was forced to get a job she worked in factory to support father he was an only child. My father left Munich for Berlin to study to become a doctor there he met my mother Sarah. My mother lived in Berlin with her mother Berta who died when I was 3. Anyway so my parents met and after father graduated they married in 1922. I was then born on October 7, 1923.  When I was 5 my grandma Kleinman moved into our little apartment and she stayed she wanted to be closer to dad and me. I also live here with my sister Rebekah she is 10 years old and her birthday is close to mine her birthday is September 4, 1928. Rebekah is has brown hair and hazel eyes she is very much a girly girl and loves to dress up but sometimes she can be extremely aggravating, we share a room and its hard especially since there's 6 years between us. As mentioned above we are liberal Jews, things haven't been right for us since Hitler rise in 1933. Grandma moved in with us she had a small store in the market place not far from our home she sold mostly books and such. In April 1933 people began to boycott Jewish businesses and my grandma lost a lot of business but she has still been able to keep it open. We have now many restrictions on us now since the Nuremberg laws came in Jews are not allowed to marry non-Jews, Jews are not allowed to employ German women under 45. Those are just examples things were getting really bad at my school that my parents last month took Rebekah and I out and put us in a Jewish school. I recently made a new friend there her name is Hester Schedler, she is also 16 and recently moved here from Berlin. Her family moved here because they felt Munich would be better than Berlin I hope things won't get worse.

November 14, 1938

Dear Journal,

Things have gotten worse during the night of the 9th we heard noises and glass breaking. We live down the street from our synagogue, Rebekah woke up "What is going on Mama". Mama looked out the window and urge father over "Frank look they are burning the synagogue" Father looked out he was speechless he walked over to the couch sat down and sighed "Sarah, we must not leave the apartment, they might attack us, girls you are to stay in the apartment you are not to leave we must remain quiet." I look out the window and see the flames then I look down into the street, I see people young men with swastikas wrapped around their arms beating up an elderly man I recognize him Josef Bensa, he owned the bakery across the street from our apartment. "Father look its Mr. Bensa they are beating him" I yell to father his store windows were smashed. Father yelled at me "Adara Mae, away from the window NOW!" I stepped away from the window and sat next to Rebekah she was reading Anne of Green Gables over on the sofa. Grandma was shaking with anxiety.We heard men outside the apartment screaming "Juden  raus" then we heard screams. Rebekah began to quietly sob all I could to was comfort I her "Its okay Bekah everything will be okay" she laid her head into my lap. We heard the men outside began throwing rocks our apartment windows were smashed and Mama ,father and grandma got scared Rebekah turned white. Father rushed us out of the apartment "We must head to the attic" he said. We rushed up the flight of stairs to the 3rd floor we lived below on the 2nd. We all ran to the attic we found Rabbi Krueger's wife Eda and their  twin sons Heinz and Rupert and their daughter Eva also hiding in the attic. But Rabbi Krueger was not there father asked "Mrs. Krueger , where is Rabbi Krueger". Mrs. Krueger shrugged her shoulders she was pale and frightened. She held the her twin boys tightly to her chest the small boys were also pale and shivering from the fear of the crowd. These black haired blue eyed boys of 5 years had a look on there face I will never forget. Little Eva 9 years old was also frightened but was looking out the small attic window, when Mrs. Krueger whispered quietly "Eva, away from the window come here" Eva moved across the room and huddled beside her mother. Rebekah and I sat closer to the window to watch the crowd our own neighbors participate in a small bonfire of books burning them on  our street outside the apartment. Then a crash below, they crowd came into the Krueger's apartment below us. We heard glass smashing, furniture being moved, things being knocked over." I whispered Mrs. Krueger ''Where is the Rabbi" she finally spoke ''I don't know he left 3 hours ago I haven't seen him since''. The night pressed on and on. We stayed in the attic in the morning as well, and in the afternoon returned to our apartments. Father opened the door of our apartment and we entered, our apartment had been ransacked  in the night father's coin collection was stolen. Our living room was in shambles books from the bookcase we strewn about the floor. Father leaned down picked up our family photo the glass was broken. He sat in back on the table. He sighed and said "well, we should clean some of this up, Adara help me pick some of the books up here please." I sauntered over and started to help father. ''Rebekah and I will fix up some lunch for all of us, Mamma why don't you go lay down for a while" Mama said to grandma. grandma nodded "Thank you I shall what a night''. Grandma laid down for the afternoon and we ate small sandwiches, we later heard a knock on the door we opened it. It was Mrs. Krueger. "You are all okay" she muttered softly, We all nodded Father asked her "Has the Rabbi returned" she cried to us "no he is dead, he was beaten to death by the crowd they found him." Mrs. Krueger began to cry hysterically, mama comforted Eda. "It will be alright'' Mama continued to tell her while hugging her. Rebekah backed away into the corner father stared on, and grandma entered the room. "What has happened" she asked with a puzzled look on her face. Everyone was speechless. After a minute of silence I answered her since father was still in a daze. "Rabbi Krueger is dead" she looked at me with a shocked expression "How?" she asked "They KILLED HIM" cried Mrs. Krueger who went back to crying. "I can't stay in there alone what about the children.'' Mother answered her "Come and stay with us for the night." She uttered softly to Mrs. Krueger she accepted with a nod. That night 9 people were cramped into a small apartment, and we waited and hoped for tomorrow to be better.