Status: complete
Regrets Collect
Regrets Collect
This is the start….
Screaming. That was something that the young boy wished he could do. He wanted to scream. He wanted to call for help. He wanted many things and yet he was unable to have a single one of them. He was simply able to be dragged from his home, kicking and silently screaming. Yes, silently screaming. You see, the young boy was mute. He could not utter a word and had never been able to. That was his downfall. That was his curse. Until now, his family had dealt with it privately. They had homeschooled him. They had kept him a secret. Things had gone well. Yet, on this fateful day in Munich, 1943…the family was far from lucky. Jude Ackerman was worse than a hidden Jew to his family. He was a hidden child. He was the subject of bitter lies to a Facist government. His family had lied to save him, to protect him. Yet, in Munich in 1943 during the peak of the holocaust, or final solution, he had been their downfall.
Jude Ackerman was born on April 24, 1935 to Luca and Leah Ackerman. He was the youngest of two boys. His older brother, Fynn, was thirteen when he was born. He was the perfect age to help with his little brother. The Ackerman’s were farmers and they provided crops to many neighbors and friends. It wasn’t until Jude was almost a year old and had not made a peep, that the Ackerman’s suspected a problem. He had cried plenty, silent tears wetting his face. Yet, he had never made a sound. After a year of these soundless tears and the Ackerman’s decided to mention it to their family physician which is how they discovered that little Jude was mute. He could communicate non-verbally just fine. In fact, from an early age he displayed intelligence by finding creative ways to communicate with his family. They, in turn, learned sign language. However, they knew that others would not accept this. So, they kept Jude indoors. He did not help with the farm. He did not go out and play. He became the secret child, known only to his parents, his brother, close family friends, neighbors and the family physician. He was kept out of the school system. He was kept secret. Which worked well, until the war truly began and anyone considered “undesirable” was targeted by the Nazi party.
Change is coming…
The war brought many changes to many families. Jude’s family was no different. Jude’s family had to deal with rationing, just like every other family in Germany at the time. They also had to deal with air raids. It was because of these air raids that Jude’s muteness, his “disability” was discovered by the Nazis. In 1943, when Munich was a feared target for bombings, the Gestapo came to investigate basements. They needed more air raid shelters and every home in Munich was being checked for depth. The Ackerman home was not an exception to this policy. In fact, the Ackerman basement was the perfect air raid shelter. Their farm was large and because of it, their basement was deep and had plenty of room for mass numbers of neighbors to congregate to for protection.
The basement is what brought the Gestapo to Jude’s house. That basement was what lead to Jude’s removal from his home and his march, alongside many Jews, out of Munich. However, before Jude was removed from his home, the Gestapo came to investigate the basement. They knocked on the door and Jude’s family, while fearful of what people might think of Jude, never anticipated that he could be taken from them. They never anticipated that the Nazis would target their own people. They were German citizens. They were not Jews. They felt that they were safe and so, they did not think twice about allowing the Gestapo to enter their home. They did not even think that they would pay Jude any attention, let alone try to speak with the mute boy.
The Ackerman’s were stunned when one of the soldiers made a point to speak to their son. He had been quietly sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book and writing down any words he did not know, as was part of his homeschooling. They didn’t anticipate that the soldier would peek at his book and would begin to ask questions of the boy. They didn’t think that Jude would be forced to stare at the soldier, unable to answer the questions in anything but writing. The Ackerman’s had no idea that Jude’s writing, his decision to hold up the paper as his answer, would be his demise. They had no idea that in just a few days, the Gestapo would be back for their precious, quiet little eight year old son.
Today is the day…
June 1, 1943 is a day that the Ackerman family would never forget. That was the day that Jude Ackerman was removed from his home. The day started like any other. His mother made the family breakfast before Jude’s brother and father went to work on the farm. However, before they even got out the door there was a knock. The Gestapo immediately asked for Jude, but his mother sent him to his room with his older brother. Fynn held Jude in his arms, his ear at the bedroom door, listening. There was arguing. Even Jude could hear that. However, the eight year old could not make out the words. What he did make out, however, was a struggle. A struggle and breaking glass. Then, more banging, this time on the bedroom door. The Gestapo had won.
Fynn Ackerman, however, much like his parents, was not willing to hand his brother over. He had learned enough to know that the Nazis wanted nothing good for his brother. Jude was not athletic and he had taken no tests to prove his intelligence. They did not want him to be a soldier, he was too young. They could not be here for anything good. So, Fynn held onto Jude. The Gestapo had to literally pry the eight year old from his brother’s arms and drag the boy out of the house, kicking and fighting to get anywhere. In fact, they had to knock the boy unconscious to get anywhere with him. They saw no wrong in doing so, as Jude was disabled. He was not human at all in their eyes simply because of his muteness.
Life goes on…
Life went on for Jude. Yet, everything was different. He had no idea what happened to his family. He didn’t know if they were punished for trying to stop him. He did not know if they were killed in the bombings of Munich. He knew nothing but the harsh conditions he faced in the concentration camp. Initially, he was taken to Dachau. He was housed there for a few nights, in crowded barracks with the other prisoners, none of whom he could communicate with.
From Dachau, he was marched to the train station, with others considered too ill for work or disabled. They were packed into overcrowded train cars. Jude was squished in the back of the train, unable to cry, scream or complain. All he could hope was to survive and maybe, just maybe, see his family again. Yet, he didn’t even know his address.
Jude arrived at another camp…one he did not know the name of… just days after he was taken from his comfortable farm house with his loving family. Life at this camp was harsh. People there were forced to perform hard labor. Conditions were dirty and crowded. Jude was haunted by the images of death surrounding him. People dropped dead or were shot dead on a daily basis. If someone fell while working, they were shot. If someone tried to escape, they were shot. Any minor disobedience would lead to death. All anyone could do was hope and pray. Jude learned within the first few days not to make friends. Any time he tried to make a friend or one of the older prisoners tried to take care of him, they died within days. Life in a concentration camp was fleeting and Jude kept to himself, did as he was told and hoped to survive. He couldn’t talk back if he wanted to and he wouldn’t have for fear of punishment.
It was after four weeks at the camp that the SS officers came for him. At first, Jude thought that perhaps he was being freed. However, as he was brought to the infirmary, a sense of foreboding overcame the eight year old. He was eight, but not stupid and no longer quite so innocent. He knew that many people who ended up in the infirmary never returned to the barracks and he had seen bodies being moved to the crematorium from this very building. Chances of survival seemed slim and Jude felt the tears forming in his eyes. Yet, he fought them back for fear of punishment. He did not wish to be shot just because he was crying. Survival chances might be slim, but they were there if he did not get himself killed first.
That is how Jude ended up with Benjamin Gavilik. That is how Jude ended up saved from being a victim of the holocaust, though many died, many he saw and knew at the camp…Jude was spared.
Rescue me…
Days. Days of experimentation. That was what sent Jude to the crematorium, believed to be dead. He had been the subject of many experiments. Some had left him incapacitated. That is why he ended up at the crematorium. He was the last one brought there for the day, unconscious, limp and with a visible disfigurement to his neck. However, as the guard was about to move him into the oven, the man realized he was breathing. He was breathing shallowly, but he was breathing just the same.
In that moment, the guard holding him, Benjamin Gavilik, made a dangerous decision. He picked the boy up and smuggled him into the bathroom. If he was caught by the Gestapo, he would have been severely punished or even killed himself. Even so, he did it.
After that, Benjamin took it even further. Late at night, when his shift ended and the camp was quiet, he covered the boy with blankets and smuggled him out of the camp and fled to his own home. There, he would work on nursing the boy back to health. There, he would become the boys “Papa.” Before doing so, he would try to find the boy’s family, only to learn that they had, in fact, been killed in one of the many bombings on Munich.
The Nazi man rescued Jude and he went on to smuggle out many more men, women and children at risk to himself if he had been caught. He knew, from living with Jude and nursing the boy back to health, learning about the boy and witnessing the impact that the horrors had on the child, that it was worth it to save others. He saw them as human, unlike Hitler and almost all of the other Nazis.
So…Benjamin saved Jude, but Jude also saved Benjamin’s soul. Together they lived as a family until death intervened long after the war ended.
Screaming. That was something that the young boy wished he could do. He wanted to scream. He wanted to call for help. He wanted many things and yet he was unable to have a single one of them. He was simply able to be dragged from his home, kicking and silently screaming. Yes, silently screaming. You see, the young boy was mute. He could not utter a word and had never been able to. That was his downfall. That was his curse. Until now, his family had dealt with it privately. They had homeschooled him. They had kept him a secret. Things had gone well. Yet, on this fateful day in Munich, 1943…the family was far from lucky. Jude Ackerman was worse than a hidden Jew to his family. He was a hidden child. He was the subject of bitter lies to a Facist government. His family had lied to save him, to protect him. Yet, in Munich in 1943 during the peak of the holocaust, or final solution, he had been their downfall.
Jude Ackerman was born on April 24, 1935 to Luca and Leah Ackerman. He was the youngest of two boys. His older brother, Fynn, was thirteen when he was born. He was the perfect age to help with his little brother. The Ackerman’s were farmers and they provided crops to many neighbors and friends. It wasn’t until Jude was almost a year old and had not made a peep, that the Ackerman’s suspected a problem. He had cried plenty, silent tears wetting his face. Yet, he had never made a sound. After a year of these soundless tears and the Ackerman’s decided to mention it to their family physician which is how they discovered that little Jude was mute. He could communicate non-verbally just fine. In fact, from an early age he displayed intelligence by finding creative ways to communicate with his family. They, in turn, learned sign language. However, they knew that others would not accept this. So, they kept Jude indoors. He did not help with the farm. He did not go out and play. He became the secret child, known only to his parents, his brother, close family friends, neighbors and the family physician. He was kept out of the school system. He was kept secret. Which worked well, until the war truly began and anyone considered “undesirable” was targeted by the Nazi party.
Change is coming…
The war brought many changes to many families. Jude’s family was no different. Jude’s family had to deal with rationing, just like every other family in Germany at the time. They also had to deal with air raids. It was because of these air raids that Jude’s muteness, his “disability” was discovered by the Nazis. In 1943, when Munich was a feared target for bombings, the Gestapo came to investigate basements. They needed more air raid shelters and every home in Munich was being checked for depth. The Ackerman home was not an exception to this policy. In fact, the Ackerman basement was the perfect air raid shelter. Their farm was large and because of it, their basement was deep and had plenty of room for mass numbers of neighbors to congregate to for protection.
The basement is what brought the Gestapo to Jude’s house. That basement was what lead to Jude’s removal from his home and his march, alongside many Jews, out of Munich. However, before Jude was removed from his home, the Gestapo came to investigate the basement. They knocked on the door and Jude’s family, while fearful of what people might think of Jude, never anticipated that he could be taken from them. They never anticipated that the Nazis would target their own people. They were German citizens. They were not Jews. They felt that they were safe and so, they did not think twice about allowing the Gestapo to enter their home. They did not even think that they would pay Jude any attention, let alone try to speak with the mute boy.
The Ackerman’s were stunned when one of the soldiers made a point to speak to their son. He had been quietly sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book and writing down any words he did not know, as was part of his homeschooling. They didn’t anticipate that the soldier would peek at his book and would begin to ask questions of the boy. They didn’t think that Jude would be forced to stare at the soldier, unable to answer the questions in anything but writing. The Ackerman’s had no idea that Jude’s writing, his decision to hold up the paper as his answer, would be his demise. They had no idea that in just a few days, the Gestapo would be back for their precious, quiet little eight year old son.
Today is the day…
June 1, 1943 is a day that the Ackerman family would never forget. That was the day that Jude Ackerman was removed from his home. The day started like any other. His mother made the family breakfast before Jude’s brother and father went to work on the farm. However, before they even got out the door there was a knock. The Gestapo immediately asked for Jude, but his mother sent him to his room with his older brother. Fynn held Jude in his arms, his ear at the bedroom door, listening. There was arguing. Even Jude could hear that. However, the eight year old could not make out the words. What he did make out, however, was a struggle. A struggle and breaking glass. Then, more banging, this time on the bedroom door. The Gestapo had won.
Fynn Ackerman, however, much like his parents, was not willing to hand his brother over. He had learned enough to know that the Nazis wanted nothing good for his brother. Jude was not athletic and he had taken no tests to prove his intelligence. They did not want him to be a soldier, he was too young. They could not be here for anything good. So, Fynn held onto Jude. The Gestapo had to literally pry the eight year old from his brother’s arms and drag the boy out of the house, kicking and fighting to get anywhere. In fact, they had to knock the boy unconscious to get anywhere with him. They saw no wrong in doing so, as Jude was disabled. He was not human at all in their eyes simply because of his muteness.
Life goes on…
Life went on for Jude. Yet, everything was different. He had no idea what happened to his family. He didn’t know if they were punished for trying to stop him. He did not know if they were killed in the bombings of Munich. He knew nothing but the harsh conditions he faced in the concentration camp. Initially, he was taken to Dachau. He was housed there for a few nights, in crowded barracks with the other prisoners, none of whom he could communicate with.
From Dachau, he was marched to the train station, with others considered too ill for work or disabled. They were packed into overcrowded train cars. Jude was squished in the back of the train, unable to cry, scream or complain. All he could hope was to survive and maybe, just maybe, see his family again. Yet, he didn’t even know his address.
Jude arrived at another camp…one he did not know the name of… just days after he was taken from his comfortable farm house with his loving family. Life at this camp was harsh. People there were forced to perform hard labor. Conditions were dirty and crowded. Jude was haunted by the images of death surrounding him. People dropped dead or were shot dead on a daily basis. If someone fell while working, they were shot. If someone tried to escape, they were shot. Any minor disobedience would lead to death. All anyone could do was hope and pray. Jude learned within the first few days not to make friends. Any time he tried to make a friend or one of the older prisoners tried to take care of him, they died within days. Life in a concentration camp was fleeting and Jude kept to himself, did as he was told and hoped to survive. He couldn’t talk back if he wanted to and he wouldn’t have for fear of punishment.
It was after four weeks at the camp that the SS officers came for him. At first, Jude thought that perhaps he was being freed. However, as he was brought to the infirmary, a sense of foreboding overcame the eight year old. He was eight, but not stupid and no longer quite so innocent. He knew that many people who ended up in the infirmary never returned to the barracks and he had seen bodies being moved to the crematorium from this very building. Chances of survival seemed slim and Jude felt the tears forming in his eyes. Yet, he fought them back for fear of punishment. He did not wish to be shot just because he was crying. Survival chances might be slim, but they were there if he did not get himself killed first.
That is how Jude ended up with Benjamin Gavilik. That is how Jude ended up saved from being a victim of the holocaust, though many died, many he saw and knew at the camp…Jude was spared.
Rescue me…
Days. Days of experimentation. That was what sent Jude to the crematorium, believed to be dead. He had been the subject of many experiments. Some had left him incapacitated. That is why he ended up at the crematorium. He was the last one brought there for the day, unconscious, limp and with a visible disfigurement to his neck. However, as the guard was about to move him into the oven, the man realized he was breathing. He was breathing shallowly, but he was breathing just the same.
In that moment, the guard holding him, Benjamin Gavilik, made a dangerous decision. He picked the boy up and smuggled him into the bathroom. If he was caught by the Gestapo, he would have been severely punished or even killed himself. Even so, he did it.
After that, Benjamin took it even further. Late at night, when his shift ended and the camp was quiet, he covered the boy with blankets and smuggled him out of the camp and fled to his own home. There, he would work on nursing the boy back to health. There, he would become the boys “Papa.” Before doing so, he would try to find the boy’s family, only to learn that they had, in fact, been killed in one of the many bombings on Munich.
The Nazi man rescued Jude and he went on to smuggle out many more men, women and children at risk to himself if he had been caught. He knew, from living with Jude and nursing the boy back to health, learning about the boy and witnessing the impact that the horrors had on the child, that it was worth it to save others. He saw them as human, unlike Hitler and almost all of the other Nazis.
So…Benjamin saved Jude, but Jude also saved Benjamin’s soul. Together they lived as a family until death intervened long after the war ended.