Nuremberg Trials. Bystander

I was awaken by chilling screams and yells, they seemed to have been coming

from my door step, I recognized the voice it a Jewish neighbor of mine. I have lived in

this neighborhood for all of my life, there had not really been as much tension between

the Germans and Jews growing up as a child but lately my family and I have been woken

up in the middle of the night by screams and riots against the Jews. Widows were getting

broken sidewalks were covered in hateful things this is not the town I had known

growing up as a child but now I was raising a family here with my husband we have four

children, I was only happy that we were not Jewish pure German blood that’s what Hitler

wanted. My neighborhood is a mostly Jewish populated area which I didn’t mind, the

Germans spoke to Germans and Jews to Jews, and this is how it has always been. I don’t

really have anything against the Jews but I wasn’t raised to be friendly with them nor

cruel, they were just there, some thought of Jews as a waste of space. It was my neighbor

knocking on the door my door yelling at me to “please open the door” I had swung it

open, “Hello? Do you know what time it is?” “Hello I was going to ask you if me and my

three boys could stay with you just until the Nazis leave its not safe here right now, last

night someone threw a rock at my five year old sons window” she speaking unclearly she

was in hysterics I could see the tears streaming down her face and her boys looked the

same, one boy I'm guessing the five year old had cuts all over his face, it was probably

caused from the glass of the broken window. I had almost wanted to cry myself but I

knew that I could not allow these people into my home, my family and I could be killed

for protecting a Jew and what if Nazis had asked if I had Jewish residents or if I was I a

Jew couldn’t just lie I had to do the right thing to protect my family. “No sorry I just

can’t” I said sobbing. I wanted to help so bad. I slowly shut the door “Please” she

whispered quit so that the boys would not see her weak. The door was fully shut

now “Please, please” she said louder and louder. I heard her and her boys running away

on the pavement then four loud gunshots fired the running stopped, I just couldn’t bare

open the door to check. I did not see or hear from her again. I climbed back into bed

trying to gather my thoughts I couldn’t believe what I had just done and that I might

regret that decision for the rest of my life if they were killed that night or not.