The Underground Reporters Read Online Free PDF Page B

board, was turned away by both Cuba and the United States, and sent back to Europe. Who knows what will become of those families. We can’t ignore what is happening.”
    “I’m not ignoring anything,” sighed John’s father. “I just think that wecan’t rush into doing something extreme. I still believe we are safest here.”
    John watched his parents, feeling torn apart by the suspense. Would they decide to leave their home? Did they really believe it was too dangerous to stay? His mother looked so sad, while his father tried, as always, to remain cheerful. Finally they sat up in their chairs and shook their heads. It was not necessary to run, surely. It couldn’t be.
    Even so, John’s parents were stirred to do something they thought might be in their sons’ best interest. One night, they sat down with John and Karel to discuss the possibility of sending the boys away. “It’s impossible for your mother and me to leave our home,” said their father. “But perhaps we should send you somewhere until the trouble passes. There are transports of children leaving Europe for England, to stay with families who are willing to take them in. It is called the ‘Kindertransport.’”
    “It will be better for you if you leave with the other children,” their mother added.
    “But I don’t want to leave,” insisted John. “My friends are here, and you are here. I want to stay.”
    His parents lowered their eyes. They didn’t want to send their young sons away, of course, but they desperately wanted to protect them. It was so hard to know the right thing to do. But before they could even begin to arrange for Karel and John to leave, the transports of children were stopped. The whole family was trapped, and surrounded by the war.
    John was secretly relieved that he would not have to leave his home, and his friends and family. He and his parents never spoke about his leaving again.

P ART TWO

    The swimming hole today.

CHAPTER 7
T HE R EQUEST
J UNE 1940
    Spring had arrived and John was restless. “What are we going to do all summer if we can’t go swimming at the public pool and we can’t go to the park?” he asked his parents. Like most people his age, John lived for the summer months and the chance to play outdoors in warm weather. The winter months had gone agonizingly slowly for all the Jewish children, with so little to do and nowhere to go.
    “We must find a way for you and the other children to play together,” his father agreed. The children needed a place where they could have fun without restrictions and without fear. They could no longer play on the streets or in the parks, and they needed each others’ company during these difficult times. Jewish parents across Budejovice turned to the city’s Jewish council for help in finding a playground.
    The council was called the Kile (pronounced Key-leh), and it had always organized the social activities of the Jewish community in Budejovice. Kile comes from the Hebrew word kehilot, which means “communities.”After the arrival of the Nazis in 1939, the Kile had become the group responsible for carrying out the orders of the Nazis. In every occupied city or town, the Nazis encouraged a central Jewish authority; this was a good way to keep track of all the Jews. The Kile was forced to create a list of names of all Jewish people living in Budejovice, along with their properties and businesses. The Kile then enforced all the laws regarding curfews and job restrictions, and chose who would participate in the forced labor.
    Sometimes, the Nazis appointed certain Jews to be on these councils. These were often prominent members of the Jewish community, people whom other Jewish families would be inclined to listen to. Many Jews refused to take part in these councils, believing that they would be betraying their own people if they carried out Nazi orders. Other Jews volunteered to be on these councils, hoping that, by doing so, they might improve the lives of their