Holocaust Memorial Day

'At times this world seems very dark, internationally, nationally and individually.' Those were Sr Sarah Groves words in her Editorial of last month's Messenger. This can indeed be said of almost any period in history. January brought Holocaust Memorial Day, when one of the darkest times of Germany's history was commemorated.

I was born during World War II and grew up in a divided Germany. Although I obviously do not myself remember much of the early years of my life, I learned a great deal from my mother who had to care for the family - consisting of four young children and her own mother who had lost everything in the allied bombing of Hannover - while my father was at the front.

As a young girl, my mother had started her employment in the office of Herr Lazarus, head of a finance company. As the name indicates, the family were Jewish. Herr Lazarus was a caring employer, and my mother was treated with kindness and encouragement, as were all his staff. The relationship with the family was close and when Herr Lazarus heard that my mother was planning a holiday at the seaside with friends, he asked her if they would include his young daughter in the group. This was agreed and photos of that time show that it was a happy holiday for all of them.

Sometime later my mother met my father. After their marriage, she gave up her employment and lost touch with the Lazarus family. What had become of them in the final years of the war was revealed in the documentation of concentration camps. Herr Lazarus died in Auschwitz. His wife had been transported to a camp in Riga, Latvia, where she died. Details of their daughter are unknown. Today, two 'Stolpersteine' (or Stumbling Stones) in the pavement in front of their former home, commemorate Herr and Frau Lazarus. It is a simple but stark memorial for the family and a reminder of the importance of tolerance, respect and love for all.

Sr Monika McCurdy

University Road Belfast