30th January, 1939
The hall was filled with people as the Fuhrer took his place upon the stand at the front of the room. Surrounded by his most trusted men, he addressed to the crowd a proposal by Roosevelt himself. All of Germany was in front of their television sets (those who could afford it) and all others at their radio sets. The small town of Hildesheim was of no exception, where all of it's residents listened in earnest to the latest proposal from America, present in front of an audience live in Berlin. A young girl looks upong the blurred image on their screen, sat with her family in front of the television set in their large estate in uptown Hildesheim. Her father proudly sits tall beside her mother, never once faltering in concentration.
The Aryan girl gazed upon the flickering black and white image on her screen of the countries new leader, a righteous man who had saved Germany from the depression and hyperinflation dilemma. Henrich Gottschalk often reminded Elsa and her mother that as servants of God, they must serve the man before her on the screen, as their prophet from God himself.
"...teilung wurde durch die Verkündigung des bolschewistischen Lehre gebracht." A scoff of disdain sounded from behind the girl, cross-legged on the floor by the television set. Often she had heard talk of the bolshevist movements being cause of German suffering. "There ist an infection, Elsa," her father spoke, not tearing his eyes away from the screen "and our Fuhrer is our doctor."
An infection of the mind, that was what had lead to the Treaty of Versailles. She was a learned girl, her school giving her plentiful resources to study and learn of the treachery that had befallen the once proud Germany. Her father had not hesitated to support the rise of the Natzi regime, who had already set their country on it's road to prosperity once more.
"Heil!" The sound ricocheted off the walls of the Gottschalk living room. Henrich joined in jovially with the audience in attendance of the speech itself, and grinned proudly as his daughter and wife followed suit, all of the family in a pleasant mood. Elsa could not help but smile at her family around her - to see her mother, cradling her sleeping brother in her arms, smiling after the years of little to eat but bread and tap water was truly a blessing. She would thank the Fuhrer when he did eventually visit them at the local youth meeting, with all her heart that he could have brought such happiness and make Germany prosperous again.
She smiled once more, and promised to herself and to God she would be his willing servant in this battle on Earth.
Static fills the are air as the radio crackles to life for the evening broadcast. A strong voice recognized by all the world as that of the Fuhrer begins to address his people. Of those of the Hasidic community who could tune into the broadcast, many would avoid the Fuhrer's broadcast in a stage of passive protest, but not tonight. Even those in the ghetto's of Germany, living in slums and on the brink of starvation, knew this would be a monumental address by revealing to the people Roosevelt's proposal.
The air had been alive with a spark of anxiety in the last few months, ever since it was announced there had been communications concerning the invasion of surrounding Europe, Jews and Christians alike lay in wait of possible negotiations. Many had escaped from Germany before restrictions were put into place, but those who could not afford to do so by legal means chose to stay. The Erlichmann's were no different.
A girl with auburn hair and freckled cheeks sat by the radio on her Papa's knee, listening intently to the muffled words strewn out from their battered Air Master tabletop. The daughter of a once respected Rebbe turned trader gripped her fathers' arm tightly as laughter filled the air following an extensive list of countries Roosevelt has explicitly stated the invasion of would result in the outbreak of war.
"Polen, Ungarn, Rumänien, Jugoslawien, Russland …" Laughter filled the air, the audience in attendance at Berlin were in awe at the extensive nature of Roosevelt's letter. The age-worn man gently patted his daughter back in a knowing gesture, keeping his ears on both the broadcast and the streets outside. It was not uncommon for raids on known Hasidic households to be carried out, and the first had already shaken up his daughter enough to prevent her sleeping for two weeks.
"Ha'makom, Anna. The time time will come when our freedom returns to us" Ezekiel spoke calmly, thoroughly convinced of this fate. "A'donai will give them up into your hands, and you are to do to them as I have given you orders" he smiled, and Anna smiled back as this frequent repetition of the forbidden script she had taken to become her mantra. She trusted just as her father that they would achieve their freedom someday - as long as they remained honest to themselves and honest to God, there was nothing truly to fear.
This did not change for a moment the fact she was a young girl in a strange dystopia, where destiny of persecution lay within one's heritage. It did not stop her clutching her fathers' arm tighter as a voice blared through the radio once again, stronger than ever.
"Weltkrieg zu stürzen, dann wird das Ergebnis nicht der Sieg des Judentums sein, sondern di Vernichtun der judischen Rasse in Europa!" The cheers sounded through the small room, cut off sharply by her father.
Anna clutched his shirt and neither moved from that night. Only she new her resolute promise, to stay honest despite the harships to be forced upon them.