Elianna Mintz is a senior at BaisYaakovHigh School of the Twin Cities. She has participated in Keren Or in the past. She loves to write and would like to be a journalist or an author. She enjoys volunteering in her community and lending a helping hand. She loves acting, running, and taking yoga classes.
PROSE - 2008
Grades 7 - 9
First Place - Asher Mintzer
Third Place - Josh Crandell
Grades 10 - 12
First Place - Aviva Oskow
Third Place - Yehudis Mizrachi
Prose, Grades 10 - 12: Second Place
Growing Up Too Fast - Elianna Mintz
9-4-1939
Dear Diary,
These past few days have been extremely hectic and intense. This is truly the first and only moment I’ve had available to write to you. Four days ago Germany invaded Poland. This means that World War II has officially begun. Yesterday, as a result, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Jews now have a 9:00 PM curfew in the summer and 8:00 PM in the winter. For me, it doesn’t make that big of a difference since Mom and Dad never let me go out at night anymore. Last night, at 8:45 PM, Dad remembered that he had forgotten his hat at the store, so he ran out to retrieve it. However, he was unable to make it back before our curfew. The store was down the block from our house. Dad was on his way back when the clock struck 9:00 PM. I was lying in bed as I heard him groaning and limping up the stairs towards my parents’ bedroom. I heard my mother gasp and jump up to lead him to bed. My father explained that an S.S officer emerged from the shadows and started yelling and called him a dirty Jew. The officer took out his pocket watch and said that it was 9:00 PM and a filthy Jew had no right to be out on the streets. My father apologized profusely and said that he was on his way home and would be there in a moment, if the officer would kindly let him go. The S.S officer smiled, as if assenting to my father’s request, but as soon as my father made a slight motion to leave, the officer took out a stick and started to beat my Dad. He was ready to beat my father to death when a different S.S officer emerged, who recognized my father and ordered the other officer to stop his beating immediately. This second officer was a man whose life my father had saved when he was still a practicing physician. Last year, my father was known as the best doctor in Germany. He donated money to all of the German charities and was always willing to offer a helping hand. Yet, they have treated us as sub-human beings, as animals. It made no sense. That night I cried myself to sleep.
9-21-1939
Dear Diary,
We just heard over the radio that ghettos will now be established for Jews in Poland. Dad explained to me that a ghetto is a cramped area where people of the same background live together. I guess, in this case, that means Jews. Mom and Dad seem deeply troubled by this news, but I really don’t understand why it’s so bad. Living among non-Jews is what brought us into this situation to begin with. Won’t we Jews be better off living separate from the rest of the world? It seems like Jews are the only ones we can rely on. When I told Mom and Dad my viewpoint, they just looked at me like I was ignorant. However, while I was allowed to go to school I had been at the top of all of my classes and my teachers told me that I was very knowledgeable. Those were German teachers who knew I was Jewish so they obviously weren’t giving me compliments too easily. Maybe I should tell Mom and Dad that.
9-23-1939
Dear Diary,
I just experienced one of the most frightening moments of my entire life. I was in my room listening to music on the radio, rather loudly, when a Gestapo soldier barged into my room and grabbed the radio. I started yelling at him and attempted to take the radio back, but he just threw me to the floor, said Jews were not allowed to own radios and then left. I was infuriated but there was nothing I could do. My parents rushed to see what had transpired after hearing all of the commotion. Amid sobs, I told them exactly what happened. My parents dropped next to me on the ground and started crying along with me. We all felt hopeless.
10-10-1939
Dear Diary,
Dad decided it was time for us to leave Germany. The trip would be very expensive and we would only be allowed to bring ten Reich Marks with us per person. We packed up the few things we were going to take with us and left for the border with our satchels. Dad had a German friend who was willing to help us cross the border and hide out. He was a big shot in the government and would get us across the border easily. He took us to an old warehouse in Austria near the border and hid us in the basement. He gave us a radio and promised to come frequently with provisions. So far he has kept his word. We heard over the radio two days ago that the first ghetto was established in Poland. I still feel like I’d rather be around fellow Jews than to be hiding with only your parents as company in a small basement, but I don’t want to bring up the issue with my parents again. There’s not much to do around here so I have a feeling that I will be writing to you more frequently. However, I’m not sure if there will be much to say.
10-12-1939
Dear Diary,
We just heard over the radio that Austrian Jews are being deported to Poland. Mom and Dad are very nervous that they’ll find us here and deport us as well. Dad’s friend has started to come less frequently and things aren’t looking so good for us. I’m trying to recall the different prayers I was taught when I was younger. The teachers in Hebrew school always told us that the prayers would comfort us during hard times. I really need those prayers now.
6-25-1940
Dear Diary,
The day after my last entry, the Gestapo invaded our warehouse but, luckily, we were able to hide and they didn’t catch us. However, we knew it wouldn’t be safe for us there anymore and Dad’s friend told us he wouldn’t be able to come and provide us with food any longer. He told us of another place in Austria where a different family would care for us. No one helped us on the journey but we made it safely to the new hiding place. This Austrian family used their attic to help Jews trying to escape Nazi persecution. This place was much smaller and there were already two families in hiding there. There were no bathrooms and since it was dangerous for the inhabitants to go downstairs during the day, it smelled strongly of urine. However, after a week I became accustomed to the smell and it hardly fazed me. All we had was a communal bucket that everyone took turns to use. Food was very scarce and the conditions were far from ideal but I finally got my wish to be surrounded by other Jews, and I was in some ways happier. However, outside our little hiding place things were ghastly. On April 9, 1940 Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. Eighteen days later another concentration camp was created in a place called Auschwitz. On April 30, a guarded ghetto was established in Poland. Then on May 10, Germany invaded Holland, Belgium and France. Three days ago France surrendered and signed an armistice with Germany. Our radio keeps us informed of what is occurring around the world, but sometimes I wish we didn’t have it. At 6:00 p.m. every night, Mom, Dad, and the other two families crowd around the radio to hear what’s going on and just sigh and seem to get more depressed. Living under such circumstances in the attic is hard enough, so why do we need to make it worse by listening to that which we worked so hard to escape? I don’t understand it at all, but it’s important to the adults and it gives them something to look forward to each day. That’s a definite benefit and helps keep them going, so I’m not going to voice my opinion. Sometimes adults require different things than kids do. That’s what it must all boil down to.