No safe haven for Jews.

• Author: Hillman, Laura
• Position: Literary Scene - Jews during the time of Adolf Hitler

SINCE ADOLF HITLER had come to power, it was dangerous for Jews to walk on public streets. In spite of the risk, we ambled along a tree-lined avenue in a suburb of Berlin, the ever-present yellow Stars of David sewn to our jackets. Every now and then we stopped to admire spring flowers sprouting just above the ground. I especially admired the crocuses and daffodils, which reminded me of home. Irma, the tallest of us, was more interested in finding something to eat than looking at flowers, while Kaethe, the plump redhead, wanted adventure more than anything else.

This particular day, Kaethe had come up with an idea. She knew of an ice cream parlor where one could get a cone without a ration card. "We've been cooped up at school too long," she said. "All we do is study. It drives me crazy. We should have more fun."

I shook my head. "Fun, is that all you can think about? Terrible things are happening to Jews. We should not even be on this street. They might take us away on one of those transports."

Kaethe paid tittle attention to what I had to say. She wanted ice cream, but there still was the matter of the yellow stars sewn to our clothes. No shopkeeper would serve us if he knew who we were. To Kaethe, it was a minor problem. She showed us that by draping a shawl over the star it would be completely hidden. Not wanting to spoil her fun, I gave in.

Something else was troubling me that day. It had been more than a month since I last had heard from Mama and Papa. It was not like them not to write. Dear God, what if they had been deported? For now, though, I put aside my fears. Kaethe was right: what could possibly happen if we covered up the star?

We had not gone very far when two boys in the uniform of the Hitler Youth came around a comer. They were younger than we were, barely teens themselves. We tried hurrying past them, but the taller boy held up a hand and said, "We have not seen you around here before. Where are you from?"

Before we could answer, he invited us to come to a parade that night. To assure us how special this parade was, he added, "The Fuhrer himself will be there!"

I felt my legs buckling under me from fear. "See what you got us into," I whispered angrily. "What should we do now?"

"Start giggling, Hannelore," Kaethe said. "Pretend you are a moron. You too, Irma."

The second boy looked closely at our shawls. "Why are you wearing those silly things?" he asked. Before I could think of an answer, he pulled at my shawl, exposing...