today; Reiner Devries was the senior editor, but had gone to Mallorca Spain, for a much needed vacation. According to all, he was the backbone of the office, and was sorely missed by all. Reiner had recently divorced his wife of fifteen years. In Germany where the ‘No Fault Divorce Law’ was invented, a vacation was the best thing for any male caught up in such a horrendous financial dilemma. Cameron was extremely unhappy about Reiner’s absence, but they had to get started as soon as possible. Cameron asked the not so friendly Frau Rausching to get the staff together.
They all met in the official conference room, which was at the end of the office. It was in sharp contrast to the modern decor in the inner office. Cameron was instantly amazed at the magnificent adornments and opulence of this large meeting room. It had no resemblance to the rest of the building. It was right out of the nineteenth century. Heavy oak panels covered the entire room from floor to ceiling. They not only looked expensive, but permeated an aura of nobless and royalty. A huge Austrian crystal chandelier hung from the ornate twenty-foot high ceiling. It was so lavish that it appeared to be made out of diamonds instead of cut crystal.
At the northern end of the conference room hung a giant portrait of an elderly man beaming down on everyone in the room. A large figure of a man no doubt, his physical dimensions were only surpassed by his beautiful enormous gray handlebar mustache.
This lustrous facial appendage dominated his entire face, and the portrait as well. One could tell that the painter put a great deal of effort into this most telling feature.
Beate noticed Cameron intently staring at the painting and said.
“Herr Clark, that you are staring at is Herr Doktor Willhem Von Struebenz, the original owner and Direktor of our company circa 1929.”
“Thank you Beate, I am glad to know. For a moment there I had a feeling the old gentleman was not happy to see me in this room.” Replied Cameron in a half joking manner.
“Well I am sure he would not be happy if he knew the real purpose of our engagement.” Answered Beate as she sat down next to Cameron.
“What do you mean?” Asked Cameron in an inquisitive manner.
“Herr Doktor Willhem Von Struebenz was the Nazi Gauleiter (Nazi political leader for that region) for Kreiss Aachen and a very dedicated party official from 1934 until his untimely death in 1945.” Replied Beate pointing her finger towards the old gentleman.
“It’s nice to know, but his evil puss is not going to change our mission!” Stated Cameron with emphasis. The room suddenly grew quiet as they all sat down.
Cameron began his presentation with an outline of their respective assignments, as he understood it. His outline and the many questions kept the meeting going until well into the late afternoon. After all was said and done, he felt comfortable with his staff and their respective assignments. Cameron was amazed at the length it took to brief them and what was expected of them. He had been so intense that they had skipped lunch all together, and the workday was nearly over. He let everyone go an hour early and apologized for his tardiness.
Cameron stayed behind and wrapped up the rest of his paper work. There was one more thing he had to do before he left the office. He walked over to the conference room, and slowly opened the door. He turned on the light and once again stared at the portrait of the old man. Herr Doktor Willhem Von Struebenz glared down from his lofty perch. By then, he was the only one left, and the office was deserted. No witnesses, he thought to himself. Cameron slowly raised his middle finger, in an act of defiance. This infantile and rude gesture had somehow made him feel much better. At least the old goat knew, who the real boss was now.
The drive home took a little longer than expected. Traffic was pretty fierce today, until he reached the Dueren exit. Once he got on the main Landstrasse (highway) towards the Eifel region, traffic slowed down, and the rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. He pulled up in front of Dieter’s front door at around seven fifteen. Dieter and Kate were waiting for him. She had prepared a great German dinner and was dying to show off her culinary skills. In fact, Cameron had never tasted a better Goulash beef stew and noodles. The noodles were hand made and added to the incredible taste of the dish. Even his wife Ingrid’s cooking, paled to Kate’s cuisine. She had obviously spent a great deal of time on this sumptuous meal.
They all ate their meal in absolute silence. It seemed as if noise of any kind would somehow disturb their enjoyment and ruin their evening delight. Dieter brought out a couple of bottles of Spaetlase (late bloom) sweet Moselle region wines. These vintage wines added to the absoluteness of this meal. In addition, Kate had baked a beautiful Apfeltorte (Apple cake) to finish off this one in a lifetime dinner. Although the meal was consumed in silence, there was a great deal of chatter afterwards. Both men complimented Kate and asked her if she wanted to join them in the living room for an after dinner drink. Kate thanked the men, but declined. She could not stand the smell of cigars, and she knew that her husband could not drink brandy, without smoking a stogie.
Dieter went to his bar and opened a bottle of German brandy. Asbath Uhralt was its name, and it was one of the better brands in Germany. After a couple double shots, both men mellowed out to the point of almost falling asleep. Eventually, Dieter brought up the conversation around to Das Haus. He started to tell Cameron about the historical, political and religious significance of his future new home. Das Haus was more than just a mere stack of stones, bricks and paint, explained Dieter to an exhausted Cameron.
“It is probably the most important house in our village.” explained Dieter as he stood up from his comfortable chair.
“That is a pretty strong statement Dieter. Give me some more details.” Asked Cameron.
Dieter started to tell him an incredible, but true story of a Jewish family tragedy. The story was all about the Goldmann family, and some of the other Jewish inhabitants, who inhabited Niedergeyer and the surrounding villages.
“Did you know that I was Erik Goldmann’s best friend? I played soccer with him for many years? Erik was the best soccer player in our region. We were in kindergarten together and stayed friends, and close buddies until the day he was sent to Buchenwald. I knew him for over thirteen years.” Stated Dieter in a mournful kind of way.
Cameron did not answer at first, but shook his head. Dieter paused for a few seconds; then continued with renewed vigor and determination. He hoped that Cameron would show some interest in this amazing saga.
Initially Cameron was somewhat jaded, but as Dieter continued to expand his tale, his interest grew. Dieter was a great storyteller and managed to capture Cameron’s attention.
“This is a great story, incredible and fascinating. Who would ever thought that such an unbelievable event would have taken place in this little village? Who else knows about these events?” Asked a curious Cameron.
“Well, some of the villagers who are still living will remember the Goldmann family. But no one knows all the details like I do.” Stated an obviously proud Dieter.
“You must tell me more.” Finished an enthralled Cameron Clark.
Krystalnacht The Night of the Crystal
November 8, 9 and 10, 1938
Dieter continued telling his incredible, but true story. He realized that Cameron might not feel the same way he felt, but he plunged ahead anyway.
“The carefully planned and well executed attack on Germany’s Jews was carried out on the nights of November ninth and tenth, nineteen thirty-eight. A scant ten months prior to the beginning of WWII; Hitler had already shown his true colors by taking back the Rheinland from the French in 1936, he sent troops to Spain, annexed Austria etc.” Stated Dieter in a somber tone.
He