I wonder at what point the citizens of our country will decide that things have gone too far.

Do you?

 

I often think about my family in 1930s Germany. What was the precipitating event that caused my grandfather, Mortiz, to begin making his escape plans? It wasn’t Kristallnacht, the notorious Night of Broken Glass in November 1938 that many consider the start of what would become the Holocaust. No, Moritz’s plans were already in place long before that event.

 

Moritz had been trying to leave Germany with his family by legal means. But, due to the U.S. immigration quotas, his number was “too high.” So, he made a plan—just in case—well before 1938.

 

Moritz started smuggling his own money by bicycle across the border to a neighboring town in Aalten, Holland (aka The Netherlands). There, a local rabbi/friend deposited it into a bank account. The funds were managed by a Dutch relative, Harry. Just in case.

Do I need to offshore my money? Just in case. I wonder. Do you?

 

Moritz had a secret window built in the attic of their home and business. They would later use this window to escape arrest and avoid the men being sent to a concentration camp in November 1938. Moritz had built this window. Just in case.

Do I need to create a hidden escape spot in my home? Just in case. I wonder. Do you?

 

Moritz made a plan to cross the border into Holland via a customer’s farm. That farm lay half in Germany and half in Holland. And, Moritz had determined the time the local Gendarme, who guarded this area, left for lunch on his bicycle each day.

Do I need to map out a path of escape to another town, another state, another country? Just in case. I wonder. Do you?

 

 

And yet, even with all these plans, Moritz and Uncle Kurt were arrested within weeks of Germany’s May 1940 invasion of Holland. But Moritz’s plans enabled my father and my Oma to survive.

 

So, I ask you: What is the precipitating event that will wake you up to the catastrophe unfolding around you, here, now?

The one that will propel you to start planning?

~~~

As you’ve read this post, has your main thought been: “I’m not worried for myself—I don’t need to make these plans”?

 

If so, I urge you to think of others.

• Think of people who live in or near flood zones. This could be your son.
• Think of pregnant women who will die if they bring their child to full term. This could be your daughter.
• Think of people of color. This could be your neighbor.
• Think of immigrants. This could be your child’s or your niece or nephew’s partner.
• Think of queer people. This could be a close friend, and you might not even know it.
• Think of people with treatable diseases who can no longer be treated. This could be you.
• Think of someone walking in the wrong place at the wrong time. This could be anyone.

 

If you aren’t thinking about the vulnerable people among us, and you are only thinking of yourself, I ask you to consider your humanity. Where has it gone?

 

I wonder at what point the citizens of our country will decide that things have gone too far.

I wonder at what point enough of our country’s citizens will stand up and speak out against the bullying and authoritarian activities we are witnessing among government officials and others in positions of power.

I wonder at what point each of us will remind those who are losing their ability to hold compassion for others that we are all human beings.

 

I wonder. Do you?

 

© July 2025 by Irene Stern Frielich

Photo: Moritz Stern with his son, Walter, circa 1930. Moritz’s planning in the 1930s enabled Walter to survive, though Moritz did not.

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News about Shattered Stars, Healing Hearts

Stay tuned for details about my presentation tour to Westchester and Long Island, NY in early November.

For details, please visit https://shatteredstars.org/events/ or message me.

The presentation is about my father’s survival in Germany and the Netherlands. It is a story told by my father (via audio clips) with help from me, and focuses on the upstanders who helped him. I talk about the importance of standing up and speaking out. It is a message that is as essential as ever.

Feel free to share this info with your friends and family. Let’s consider ways we can all make a difference in this world.