The Voyage (38 page)
Authors: Roberta Kagan
Epilogue
Although Alex, Anna, Manny, Elke, Viktor, Benny, Sepp, Irma, and Rebecca Morgenstern are fictional characters, the doomed voyage of the
MS St. Louis
actually took place. I’ve taken some liberties with the timing of events on board as well as the purchase of the visas because this is a work of fiction. However, Captain Schroeder was a very real person. He was the captain of the ship
,
and after the war ended, he was named Righteous Among Nations at the
Yad Vashem
Holocaust Memorial in Israel, and also awarded the Order of Merit by the Federal Republic of Germany. Captain Schroder, an anti-Nazi, was honored for having made every effort to treat his passengers as he would any passengers on his ship. He did everything in his power to maintain their dignity. Never once did the captain exhibit or allow his crew to exhibit any form of anti-Semitism. When the ship was not permitted to land in Cuba, Captain Schroder refused to sail back to Germany. As captain of the
MS St. Louis
, he never neglected the responsibility of the safety of his passengers and crew. In fact, he refused to dock until he received notification that the passengers would be safe, and would be divided between Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and France. He, of course, had no idea that soon Hitler’s tentacles of hatred and horror would stretch out and seize all of these countries except for Great Britain, and his efforts to protect those on board would be in vain, for the passengers would face Nazi persecution anyway. Years later, after the war, Captain Schroder fell upon hard financial times. He was so beloved that when the survivors of the St. Louis discovered the captain’s predicament, they joined together to send him gifts of money. As I mentioned in the beginning of the book, I had the honor of meeting with Herbert Karliner, the man responsible for having Captain Schroder listed in the Avenue of the Righteous among Nations. Mr. Karliner is a remarkable man and I feel very privileged to have met him. I also saw a play that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in this subject. The play was written by Robert M. Krakow, and was called “The Trial of Franklin D. Roosevelt.” It was a mock trial concerning the actions of the president in the case of the
MS St. Louis
. It was well written, and although I did not agree with every part of it, it was filled with terrifying, but thought provoking messages.
I was also informed by a very reputable source that many Jews became Catholics through forged papers during the Holocaust. They became rooted in the Catholic communities and many of their families remain Catholics today.
The thirties were a booming time for the building of unions in America, and the union strike at Gimbels in New York actually did take place in the summer of 1941.
Every year, and sometimes, more often than once a year, the holocaust survivors have a meeting. It is usually a luncheon in a hotel, and it is called “Café
Europa
.” It is there that these extraordinary people sometimes reconnect with friends and relatives with whom they had lost contact during the war. I had the opportunity of volunteering at one of these events. It was an experience like no other. I have done my best to describe the scene with as much accuracy as possible in this novel. The centerpieces on the tables with the names of various occupied countries were as I describe them. The large boards flashing names of those searching for others who might be in attendance is factual. During the entire luncheon the board continues to flash, one name after another of survivors, in the hope someone will recognize the names and come forward to greet them, even after all these years. When people reconnect, and believe it or not, they still do, even if they were once only neighbors, it is an amazing moment. One might think that this luncheon would be a grim occasion; however, it is anything but. It is actually a celebration of life. As the survivors grow older and leave us, it becomes more crucial that we keep their memory alive in order to assure that a tragedy such as the Holocaust never happens again.
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Detrick was born with every quality that would ensure his destiny as a leader of Adolph Hitler’s coveted Aryan race. But on his seventh birthday, an unexpected event changed the course of his destiny forever. As the Nazis rose to power, Detrick was swept into a life filled with secrets, enemies, betrayals, friendships, and most of all everlasting love.
A companion novel to All My Love, Detrick
A golden child is engineered to become a perfect specimen of Hitler’s master race. But plans can change. Alliances can be broken. Love and trust can be destroyed in an instant when people are not what they seem. In a time when the dark evil forces of the Third Reich hung like a black umbrella of doom over Europe, a little girl will be forced into a world that is spiraling out of control A world where the very people sworn to protect her cannot be trusted.
Hitler's Master Plan...
In 1935, the Nazis established a program called "The Lebensborn."
Their agenda, to genetically engineer perfect Aryan children.
These children were to be the new master race, once Hitler had cleared all undesirable elements out of Europe. Within a year, the first institution was built.
A Flicker of Light
The year is 1943...
The forests of Munich are crawling with danger under the rule of "The Third Reich," but in order to save the life of her unborn child, Petra Jorgenson must escape from the Lebensborn Institute. Alone, seven months pregnant, and penniless, avoiding the watchful eyes of the armed guards in the overhead tower, she waits until the dead of night. Then, Petra climbs under the flesh-shredding barbed wire surrounding the institute and at the risk of being captured and murdered, she runs headlong into the terrifying, desolate woods.
Even during one of the darkest periods in the history of mankind, when horrific acts of cruelty became commonplace and Germany seemed to have gone crazy following the direction of a madman, unexpected heroes came to light. And although there were those who would try to destroy it, true love would prevail. Here, in this lost land ruled by human monsters, Petra will learn that even when one faces what appears to be the end of the world, if one looks hard enough one will find that there is always "A Flicker Of Light."
If you liked “Inglourious Basterds,” Pulp Fiction” and “Django Unchained,” You’ll love “The Heart of a Gypsy!” During the Nazi occupation, bands of freedom fighters roamed the forests of Eastern Europe. They hid, while waging their own private war against Hitler’s tyrannical and murderous reign. Among these Resistance fighters, there were several groups of Romany people (Gypsies).
The Heart of a Gypsy is a spellbinding love story. It is a tale of a man with remarkable courage and the woman who loved him more than life itself. This historical novel is filled with romance, and spiced with the beauty of the Gypsy culture. Within these pages lies a tale of a people who would rather die than surrender their freedom. Come, enter into a little known world, where only a few have traveled before…the world of the Romany.
If you enjoy romance, secret magical traditions, and riveting action...you will love “The Heart of a Gypsy.”
Please be forewarned that this book contains explicit scenes of a sexual nature.
A Nazi on Trial in God’s Court
This is a very short story. It is 1,235 words. Himmler, Hitler's right hand man, has committed suicide to escape persecution after the fall of the Third Reich. What he doesn't realize is he must now face a higher court: God's court. In this story he will meet Jesus and be tried in heaven for crimes against humanity, and the final judgment may surprise you.
Romance, mystery, and betrayal...
Set during the life time of Rasputin (the mad monk of Russia), and spanning across Siberia and Europe, The Gypsy Witch, is a sweeping tale of the Romany (Gypsies), their magical ways and romantic customs.
Rasputin, known for alcohol abuse, tantric sex and womanizing, is on his way to controlling the court of Russia by convincing the Czarina that he is the only one who can heal her hemophiliac son. But when he meets a young Gypsy girl, he learns that he is not the only one with magical powers. And a woman's feelings should never be taken lightly.
