Escape

I had been thinking about blogging for a while, or rather daydreaming about it. Then last month, on March 15, the Ides of March, I felt an irresistible urge to begin.

Rear of Křenová 14. Photo by Eva Šamánková.

On that date in 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. A few weeks after the Occupation, the Gestapo showed up at my grandparents’ apartment. In those early days, the Nazis were primarily interested in arresting prominent Jewish businessmen and confiscating their property. My grandparents, who had been slowly forming a plan to emigrate, if necessary, realized that the unthinkable had become a reality and leaving was now an imperative. My grandfather Alfred was not arrested then but it became clear that he was a target.

Fortunately, thanks to contacts in England, Alfred and Rosa and their two daughters, granddaughter, and a son—my father—got out and survived the war. In the meantime, my grandparents left almost everything behind including close family members and their new apartment building. That building, which survived war and many years of neglect, reminds me of their achievements, industriousness, and vision for the future.