During a recent Sunday service, I found the congregation singing a hymn that wasn't familiar to me:
Once to Every Man and Nation
Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some great decision, offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever, ’twixt that darkness and that light.
Then to side with truth is noble, when we share her wretched crust,
Ere her cause bring fame and profit, and ’tis prosperous to be just;
Then it is the brave man chooses while the coward stands aside,
Till the multitude make virtue of the faith they had denied.
By the light of burning martyrs, Christ, Thy bleeding feet we track,
Toiling up new Calv’ries ever with the cross that turns not back;
New occasions teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth,
They must upward still and onward, who would keep abreast of truth.
Though the cause of evil prosper, yet the truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold, and upon the throne be wrong;Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own.
The
fourth verse is particularly powerful and especially suited for the
memoir I have been editing for a friend. What happens when Wrong takes
the throne? What happened when Hitler became president of Germany?
My Father's Legacy is Edith DeSimone's story of her life in Germany, from her birth in 1927 until the end of World War II, when she immigrated to the United States. Over the past months, I have felt honored to organize her narrative into a set of seventeen chapters.
Now available at www.edithkanter.com, My Father’s Legacy is the dramatic story of the Kanter family’s experiences during World War II. In this difficult time, the most influential person in Edith's life was her father, a devout Christian who actively opposed Hitler’s policies. Her father's wisdom and moral fortitude guided Edith as she struggled to understand the devastation caused by death, the persistence of hope, and the focused exhaustion of survival. Edith’s direct, clear prose describes the atrocities she faced while living outside of Berlin, in the Sudetenland, and as a refugee returning to her hometown.
An excerpt:
When the bell rang, we all knew to be sitting silently in our seats. Miss von Helbig greeted the class with “Heil Hitler!” We answered, and then she introduced herself. We took turns standing up and introducing ourselves. When she pointed at me I stood up and said, “My name is Edith Kanter.”
The smile left her face, and while staring at me she said, “That’s a Jewish name! Are you Aryan?” I had no idea what she was talking about, so I had no answer. She told me to take my belongings and go to the principal’s office. “Tell him I sent you and tell him what your name is.”
The principle asked me the same question, “Was I Jewish or was I Aryan?” I had to give him the same answer: I did not know. He wrote a note for my parents and sent me home.
I hope that many will visit the site and take the opportunity to read Edith's account and respond to it. Our goal is to share Edith’s story with others here in the United States and around the world. If you appreciate Edith’s story, please show your support by liking our Facebook page and sharing Edith’s memoir with friends!
Once to Every Man and Nation
In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some great decision, offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever, ’twixt that darkness and that light.
Ere her cause bring fame and profit, and ’tis prosperous to be just;
Then it is the brave man chooses while the coward stands aside,
Till the multitude make virtue of the faith they had denied.
Toiling up new Calv’ries ever with the cross that turns not back;
New occasions teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth,
They must upward still and onward, who would keep abreast of truth.
Though her portion be the scaffold, and upon the throne be wrong;Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own.
My Father's Legacy is Edith DeSimone's story of her life in Germany, from her birth in 1927 until the end of World War II, when she immigrated to the United States. Over the past months, I have felt honored to organize her narrative into a set of seventeen chapters.
Now available at www.edithkanter.com, My Father’s Legacy is the dramatic story of the Kanter family’s experiences during World War II. In this difficult time, the most influential person in Edith's life was her father, a devout Christian who actively opposed Hitler’s policies. Her father's wisdom and moral fortitude guided Edith as she struggled to understand the devastation caused by death, the persistence of hope, and the focused exhaustion of survival. Edith’s direct, clear prose describes the atrocities she faced while living outside of Berlin, in the Sudetenland, and as a refugee returning to her hometown.
When the bell rang, we all knew to be sitting silently in our seats. Miss von Helbig greeted the class with “Heil Hitler!” We answered, and then she introduced herself. We took turns standing up and introducing ourselves. When she pointed at me I stood up and said, “My name is Edith Kanter.”
The smile left her face, and while staring at me she said, “That’s a Jewish name! Are you Aryan?” I had no idea what she was talking about, so I had no answer. She told me to take my belongings and go to the principal’s office. “Tell him I sent you and tell him what your name is.”
The principle asked me the same question, “Was I Jewish or was I Aryan?” I had to give him the same answer: I did not know. He wrote a note for my parents and sent me home.
I hope that many will visit the site and take the opportunity to read Edith's account and respond to it. Our goal is to share Edith’s story with others here in the United States and around the world. If you appreciate Edith’s story, please show your support by liking our Facebook page and sharing Edith’s memoir with friends!
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