Something Beautiful

My history teacher shared this with our class while we were learning about the Holocaust last year. I don't know why I just remembered it today, but I just thought I should share it. 

This story comes from a woman named Gerda Weissmann Klein; she shares about her time in the concentration camps and how this one moment restored her faith in humanity. (There was more background to the story, but I figured no one would want to read it.)

"All of a sudden I saw (pause) a strange car coming down the hill, no longer green, not bearing the swastika, but a white star. It was sort of a mud-splattered vehicle but I've never seen a star brighter in my life. And two men sort of jumped out, came running toward us and one came toward where I stood. He was wearing battle gear. I have to think...you know. His helmet was this mesh over that and he was wearing dark glasses and he spoke to me in German. And he said, "Does anybody here speak German or English?" and I said, "I speak German." And I felt that I had to tell him we are Jewish and I didn't know if he would know what the star means or anything, but you know, and I uh looked at him, I was a little afraid to tell him that but I said to him, "We are Jewish, you know." He didn't answer me for quite a while. And then his own voice sort of betrayed his own emotion and he said, "So am I." I would say it was the greatest hour of my life. And then he asked an incredible question. He said, "May I see the other ladies?" You know, what...what we have been addressed for six years and then to hear this man. He looked to me like a young god. I have to tell you I weighed 68 pounds. My hair was white. And you can imagine, I hadn't had a bath in years. And this creature asked for "the other ladies." And I told him that most of the girls were inside, you know. They were too ill to walk, and he said, "Won't you come with me?" And, and I said, "Sure." But I didn't know what he meant. He held the door open for me and let me precede him and in that gesture restored me to humanity. And that young American today is my husband. "

This might be one of the most precious love stories I have ever heard. And the hope that this man brought her is just beautiful. It just warms my heart.

http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/phistories/phi_individuals_kurt_gerda_klein_uu.htm