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Aviva Tova (אֲבִיבָה טוֹבָה)
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Ｔｈｅ ｏｎｌｙ ｒｅａｓｏｎ ｆｏｒ ｔｈｉｓ ｔｒｅａｔｍｅｎｔ ｗａｓ ｔｈａｔ ｔｈｅｙ ｗｅｒｅ Ｊｅｗｓ.
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▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃ ✡ Ｍｙ Ｎａｍｅ ✡
Hello there. My name is Aviva Tova. In hebrew, Aviva means "innocent" and Tova means "good." Quite an interesting name for someone with a story like mine. Although my name is hebrew, I am from Hungary, which makes me a Hungarian Jew. I go by both Aviva and Tova, so call me what you'd like. I am guessing that you are more interested in why I look this way. Well I will tell you, but it is a dark and sad story. Still want to hear it? Well, pull up a chair and make yourself comfy.
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Ｉ ｐｒａｙ ｔｏ ｔｈｅ Ｇｏｄ ｗｉｔｈｉｎ ｍｅ ｔｈａｔ Ｈｅ ｗｉｌｌ ｇｉｖｅ ｍｅ ｔｈｅ ｓｔｒｅｎｇｔｈ ｔｏ ａｓｋ Ｈｉｍ ｔｈｅ ｒｉｇｈｔ ｑｕｅｓｔｉｏｎｓ.
✡ Ｍｙ Ｃｈｉｌｄｈｏｏｄ ✡
My childhood was a relatively happy one. I lived in a small town outside of Budapest. I was still really young, still a little girl. I had just started going to classes, for both normal and religious studies. I learned how to read and write, as well as reading hebrew and understanding the torah. The old stories fascinated me, especially the story about Moses and the Pharaoh. I was awe-struck at the power our God had. He created the ten plagues.
Aside from my studies, I had a number of hobbies. I was never a girlie-girl. I enjoyed playing in the mud and puddles, chasing dogs and frogs and racing the boys. Sometimes I won the races. I showed the boys I could do anything they could. I however, did also enjoy sketching and painting. Sometimes I did art of my interpretation of my religious studies, other times maybe it was something I saw when I was playing outside. Mother said I was pretty good.▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃Ｈｕｍａｎｉｔｙ? Ｈｕｍａｎｉｔｙ ｉｓ ｎｏｔ ｃｏｎｃｅｒｎｅｄ ｗｉｔｈ ｕｓ. Ｔｏｄａｙ ａｎｙｔｈｉｎｇ ｉｓ ａｌｌｏｗｅｄ. Ａｎｙｔｈｉｎｇ ｉｓ ｐｏｓｓｉｂｌｅ.
✡ Ｂｅｆｏｒｅ Ｉ ｗａｓ ｃａｐｔｕｒｅｄ ✡
It all happened on a quiet night in 1940. Everything seemed normal, when we were woken up. There were soldiers at our door. The said we needed to gather our things and assemble near the train station. It all happened so fast. Mom helped me pack some things and before we knew it, we were standing with the rest of the jews in our town. They were all as confused and surprised as I was. Soon after, we were shuffled into cattle cars. They squished us in the cars, with barely enough room to move, even when standing. Once everyone was onboard, I felt the train start to move.
I was scared and questions flooded my mind. Where were we going? Why? What did we do to deserve this? Then all of a sudden the train screeched to stop. Confused murmurs filled my train car, and soon I heard terrible screaming coming from outside. The screaming went on for a few minutes before our train car door was opened. It was still dark outside but I heard the voice.
"Be quick. We are rebels here to save you. Follow us and you may live to see another day." the voice said. It was a confident and reassuring voice. So, I grabbed my small suitcase and exited the car. The snow was thick where we were, about ankle deep. I looked up at our rescuer and was shocked at what I saw. He didn't look alive. He had bones for wings and a tail, and was covered from head to toes with scars and strange red markings. I guess I stared too long because he stared back at me, obviously offended.
"Move along, girl." he said forcefully. "We don't have time for you to gawk at me."
I quickly looked away. "I am sorry, sir. I just want to thank you. What is your name?"
The dragon looked at me. "I am not a sir. My name is Zagan, but if you think I did this for you or your people, you are wrong. You see, I enjoy tormenting those who torment others. Seeing as the Nazis are killing innocents like you has made me want to kill them."
I looked up again at Zagan. "Well, I don't care who you are doing this for. I owe you my life. I would like to help you and the other rebels. There has to be something I can do."
At first, Zagan refused me. He and the others led us to their camp in the forest. There were other refugees there, but they all seemed to be doing their part. I wanted to do mine. I was persistent with Zagan. Begging him day after day to let me help them. Eventually he agreed, but he didn't seem happy about it. My first few jobs were simple. Cooking in the kitchen, help cleaning the clothes, stuff like that. But when I was old enough, I forced my way into a supply raid. It was the most exhilarating moment of my life. Of course, I only grabbed supplies after the other subdued the Nazis, but still, I had never felt so alive. I went on raid on a regular basis after that. Zagan taught me how to defend and attack with a knife, because there was no way they were giving a girl a gun.
I served the rebellion for three years. It was now 1943. I had done many raids on supply trains and even helped free those being transported to concentration camps, where Zagan told me they gased and burned the jews, cripples, and mentally ill that they round up. However, one night, it just all went bad. It seemed like a normal raid, kill those guarding the supplies, get the goods, and get out before someone gets suspicious. Zagan wasn't on this raid, he was doing recon in another part of the forest. When we got there, we quickly took out the men, that wasn't hard. We started grabbing the goods, when I heard the sound of many guns being risen and aimed at us. The whole thing was a set up to capture us, and we fell right into the trap. I was badly injured, I got a nasty gash on the left side of my face as I tried to fight some of the men off. The injured left me blinded in that eye. They interrogated some of the older boys and men, asking them where the rebel camp was. I don't the rebels told the Nazis anything, because I never saw those men again. As for me and the remaining rebels, we were transported to the closest concentration camp. ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Ｗｏｒｋ Ｍａｋｅｓ Ｙｏｕ Ｆｒｅｅ
✡ Ｍｙ Ｔｉｍｅ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ Ｃａｍｐ ✡ My time in the concentration camp was miserable. The SS there decided not to kill me because they though a girl who was fit and able to raid supply trains and carts would be more useful working, so they put me to work. They took my clothes away and gave me my black and white striped uniform, which was slightly too big. But worst of all, they branded me with a 5 digit number tattoo, 85391. That was all they referred to me by. 85391. I was forced to work as a tailor, mending torn clothes for the SS. They gave us little to eat. A piece of bread in the morning, and thin soup with a piece of bread at night. I slowly started to whither away. Sometimes the men beat me and the other girl and women, occassionally cracking my my beloved yellow jewels. I was sure I was going to die in this place, but one day, hope was lit in me again.
I walk along the barbed wire fence one night, before curfew, when I saw something, or rather, someone. I looked up at the guard towers, but no one seemed to notice him. I ran to the fence, happily to see Zagan on the other side. He smiled at me, telling me that they had found and grouped with part of the Russian army, and that they were headed here, to free us. How he knew I was in this camp in particular, I'll never know, but I was happy to see him. He even had presents for me. He tossed some apples over the fence. It wasn't much, but it was enough. Everyday for the next month, he'd come and tell me news of the Russian army's whereabouts and then toss me and apple. It kept my hope alive.
Then the day finally came. Zagan had told me the night before, so when I saw the smoke rising beyond the fence, I ran and hid. I did not want to get hurt or killed in the process of being freed. I listened to the battle rage for hours before a Russian soldier came and found me. He told me that the Germans had fled and that all of us were free. At the moment I went and found Zagan. He was with Ashe, another rebel I had met. He smiled at me, and I hugged him, even though I knew he'd hate that. He gave me two gifts that day to remember him by. He said that he would not put my life in anymore danger by allowing me to fight with him. The first gift was a necklace. It was silver and had a jewish star on the outside, but on the inside, was the shema, the holiest of all prayers. He said, even though he doesn't believe in prayers like that, if I was ever worried about him, to hold the necklace to my chest and say a prayer for him. The second was an anklet with two small stones, representing the ten commandments. Zagan explained that these were a reminder to always follow the laws, even if it may seem right at times to break them.
From then on, I never saw Zagan face-to-face again. But I know that he still watches over me. I was taken to London, and then to America where I live today. I make a living by drawing and painting about my experience as a rebel and in the camp, and also, talking to young children. It is important to pass my story on, so the Holocaust will never be forgotten. I know I was a lucky one. I survived. But there were millions that were unlawfully murders in the cruelest of ways. To forget them, is like killing them a second time.
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✡ Ｐｏｅｍ 1 ✡
By puddssoul:
I remember as we waited outside Budapest
We had no idea why they thought us a pest
People were crying and people were screaming
All we knew was that we were leaving
The trains billowed smoke, deeper than night
I saw the children, faces twisted by fright
I wanted to be strong, I wanted to be brave
But I knew the soldiers would just sweep me away
My family was lost in the roars of the crowd
It hurt my ears, the gunshots so loud
I climbed on the train like an obedient dog
My mind was lost in that terrible fog
As we started to move just one thought followed me
I wondered if I would ever again be free
✡ Ｐｏｅｍ 2 ✡
By Rated R
Nothing compares to the darkness around,
The entire town,
The entire nation.
All they want is emancipation,
From their chains.
But from society's harshness their blood drains.
And in the middle of it all,
Stands on dragon straight and tall.
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