[yshavurah] Fwd: HeroicStories #507: Captain of Kindness
- From: Adamsmicki@xxxxxxx
- To: yshavurah@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 19:28:38 EDT
Heroic Stories is something I receive on a regular basis over the internet.
I thought this story was particular worthy of passing around. I do believe
honoring the positive in life is much better than dwelling on the negative.
Micki Adams
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Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 14:00:00 -0700
To: Adamsmicki@xxxxxxx
From: HeroicStories <heroicstories-admin@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: HeroicStories #507: Captain of Kindness
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Reaching over 34,000 subscribers in 106 countries, this is...
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HeroicStories #507: 22 April 2004 www.HeroicStories.com
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Captain of Kindness Story Editor:
Joe Wolf Clayton Bennett
Colorado, USA
As the Statue of Liberty loomed larger, hearts on the ship raced faster.
Those hearts belonged to hundreds of refugees from Europe, who crossed
the Atlantic to begin a new life in the United States. Four of those
refugees were my mother, my father, my four-year-old brother Eli, and my
brother David, then an infant. I hadn't been born yet.
The date was Saturday, June 1, 1940. They were ready to begin a new life
in a new land. And one man -- the ship's captain -- would show them what
it means to be an American.
One year earlier, my father had been taken to Buchenwald, a Nazi death
camp in Germany. Hitler's armies had only begun to carry out the
so-called "final solution." Camp inmates were forced to watch as the
Nazis hung some prisoners, then told to write post-dated postcards to
their families, in case they died or were killed.
My father, like his father, was a professional "ba'al koreh," a Torah
reader for the synagogue. He knew the entire "tanakh" (the Torah,
including the prophets, megillahs, etc.) by heart, and could chant them
all from memory. With some help from my mother, he translated books from
Hebrew, French and German; he also spoke Spanish.
My mother convinced the guards that my father was the only one who could
teach certain subjects at his school. She didn't mention that it was a
Jewish school the Nazis had already closed. They released him at her
insistence, without realizing her bluff.
He returned covered with lice. They began planning and working to escape
Germany to England, then to the United States, with their son Eli. My
mother was then pregnant with my brother David. David was born while
they were in England, waiting for passage to America -- the New World,
where they could embark on a new life.
They boarded the H.M.S. Samaria one spring day in 1940 and headed west.
After several days at sea, surviving the dangers of German U-boats and
troop ship convoys headed east, the 2,300-passenger ship reached Canada,
then America.
But there was a new problem: disembarking! Being orthodox,
Sabbath-observant Jews, they were prohibited by Jewish law from leaving
the ship before dark that day, a Shabbos. The ship's crew insisted that
everyone leave immediately, but my parents stood firm. They had already
endured too much religious persecution.
The captain himself appeared and listened to my parents' story. He said,
"You've had enough trouble. Stay on the ship as long as you need to; you
will have no more problems." That simple gesture of religious acceptance
was my family's welcome to America.
My father is now 97 years old; my mother is 95. Like many immigrants,
they worked hard and got along just well enough. Like many survivors of
the Nazis, they didn't talk much about their experiences. But they told
the story of the captain of the H.M.S. Samaria, and still remember him,
as our family will for generations.
----------==========----------o----------==========----------
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The Gift of Speech (#507) told the story of a woman who helped countless
grade school children to overcome speech impediments -- and the
awe-inspiring eulogy one of her students gave for her. Jim in
Pennsylvania replied: "As a former stutterer and stammer, people would
look at me and think I was dumb or stupid or strange. I am not. I am a
person with feelings and understanding needed. At the present time, I've
graduated college and am going back to school to obtain a RN / EMT
license. Thank you to all the speech helpers and MDs out there."
Dena in Missouri comments on "Sending the Helpers" (#505). "This story
really hit me, as most of them do. I pondered how Mark's wife's boss is
a truly wonderful guy, and how Mark's boss is like many bosses we know
today. It is always great to hear of people doing things out of the
kindness of their hearts. Also regards the guys who helped, it's great
to know there are people like that still around. Thanks for all the
great stories, they give me hope about mankind, knowing that there are
still good people all over the place."
Dennis (location unknown) makes a good point about #505: "I take
exception to Susan's response in issue #504, that described one boss as
not 'caring' when an employee of his had a flooded house and demanded
that he come to work. Small businesses can founder if too many employees
are out at the wrong time, or a single employee is out at the wrong
time. I think it would be uncaring and careless to make all of the
employees become unemployed to provide immediate help to someone else.
I'm not saying this happened, but I'm saying we don't know why that was
done, and maybe it'd be better to find out why -- before implying that
the original author's boss was less than honorable."
Laura in Michigan added another comment about "Mad Mark's Advice"
(#504), about a rough but effective teacher of motorcycle safety. (Still
on our archives: http://www.HeroicStories.com/archives.html .) Laura:
"This story hit me close to home. Last week my 21-year-old brother
bought his first motorcycle, and had an accident with it two days later.
He's OK, only a broken leg, but I wish that he'd had someone like Mad
Mark around, who could have gotten through to him that he needs special
skills to ride. Though he won't be riding for a while, he will certainly
be more careful in the future. He'll receive a copy of this story to
enhance his recovery, and I hope he finds a mentor like Mark."
We asked the author of "Mad Mark's Advice" for motorcycle riding safety
tips, so Laura, here's something else to pass along. Bill Roberson
wrote: "Mad Mark never said anything to me about wearing a helmet,
because he didn't have to: I ALWAYS wore one, even though the law didn't
require it at the time. Riding with a full-face helmet is mandatory for
me and those I ride with; those who go without are taking an enormous,
unneccessary risk with their lives. As Christina noted, even a 'small'
concussive injury is enough to derail your life. And I have never seen a
'small' head injury from a fallen motorcycle rider with no helmet.
Conversely, several fellow riders and I have endured accidents that
trashed our helmets and other protective clothing. Because we had
protected ourselves, we enjoy life and motorcycling today. You can
always buy a new helmet. You cannot buy a new head. You wouldn't journey
to the North Pole in shorts and a floral shirt, right? Same with
motorcycles: dress for the occasion. That means a full-face helmet,
leather or ballistic nylon riding jacket, riding gloves, boots and
reinforced jeans or riding pants. *Ask* a veteran rider or apparel
dealer to help you get the right gear.
[Bill continues:] "To learn to ride a motorcycle safely if you don't
have a wise sage such as Mad Mark in your neighborhood, contact the
Motorcycle Safety Foundation at www.msf-usa.org . They list times,
places and costs for closed-course riding instruction classes in your
area. A MSF class is the best way for beginning riders to practice,
understand and appreciate the skills and rewards of safe motorcycling.
It also meets the written and riding test requirements in most states,
saving you a trip to the DMV. Ride smart, ride safe."
Joyce Schowalter, Editor in Chief
Co-Conspirator to Make the World a Better Place
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