Christmas is the only time I see my extended family during the year. December 25th is not as exciting for me as it is to every other child in America. Presents are great, (cash is even better), but my weird great aunt and uncle always stay with us for a few days. It is not as if I live in a vacation destination so I really do not understand why they make the long drive from Harrison County, Texas to Mission Hills, Kansas. I try to avoid them as much as possible when they stay with us. My great Uncle Robert is ancient. I think he looks prehistoric, but in reality he is only 93. Although he is deaf in his left ear, he is very with it. I have always considered him a kooky old man, but my mother hates when I say bad things about him.
My brother hates being around me during this time. Max is four years my senior and is expected to be more mature and social than me. He also is always bitter because he thinks he should get more expensive gifts from relatives since he is older, but that never happens. After the holidays ended, Max found something on the nightstand in our guest room. It was torn and ragged, something I would most likely would have thrown away. He brought it to my parents attention and the called me downstairs for a “family meeting,” a thing my Mom is really into lately because of the new parenting book she has been reading. Needless to say, I was pissed that I had to be there and gave Max a death stare for causing this gathering.
My father looked at us with sad eyes and a gentle smile. He revealed a darkened yellow piece of cloth with six points. I knew exactly what is was, but had no idea why it was found in my house. “Jude” was written in black letters across the star. My dad began to tell a story about Uncle Robert. He lived in Germany as a tailor before and during WWII. His favorite seamstress, Ester, was a young Jew. After the Nazis came to power and began to send Jews to concentration camps, Robert knew he needed to do something to protect her. He agreed to let her stay in his basement as long as she stayed there at all times. As the Nazi party became more powerful and dominant, Ester knew she would need to flee the country if she had any hope of survival. One night she took off in the cloak of darkness and took all of her remaining possessions. She left only an army green pea coat behind, an item Robert has since held near and dear to his heart. Sewn just above the left breast was a yellow Star of David with bold black letters that read “Jude.”
I never knew Uncle Robert hid a person during the Holocaust. I wanted to know what became of Ester, but my father said Robert never heard from her after she left. I am going to ask him about it next year for sure. I never realized all of the historical events he could have been a part of. The real question is: how did he end up in Texas?
In Memory of Robert Schuster
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