Some of his neighbors and friends chastised him, but he dutifully cared for the graves of the ancient Jewish inhabitants until his death.
Despite his gruff exterior, he had a heart of gold. Dieter at times risked his life by actually helping two French POW’s escape Germany. They were able to make it back to France alive, and after the war became good friends. On another occasion he helped some shot down American flyers find their way to Belgium and freedom. His wealth and prominence protected him from those who did not agree with his views, and hopefully those lost Jewish souls will remember him kindly for his deeds.
It must be remembered that although some of the events are true, or based on events as told to me. I have altered it enough it to make it a novel based on partially true events by those involved in this epic drama. However the courageous Rabbi Goldmann, Erik and his family’s valorous deeds are true, to the best of my knowledge.
The Beginning
Cameron Clark is sitting in his new F-250 Ford Heavy Duty Turbo Diesel pick-up and loving every moment of it. He is driving westbound on an extremely busy Highway 50 towards his home near Sacramento, California. Traffic this time of day is just awful in both directions, and just to make matters worst today, a westbound big-rig truck flipped on its side, spilling twenty-tons of tomatoes. This swamp of future spaghetti sauce has ground the afternoon traffic to a halt. One hundred-five degrees has turned the tomatoes into a red, gooey mess, which no one can escape from.
As Cameron sits in this quagmire of pollution and red contamination, he reflects on his ‘New’ truck. There is something magic about the smell of a new vehicle, he thinks to himself. There is nothing quite like it. Many deodorizer manufacturers have attempted to duplicate that new smell, but without much success. The odor is almost addicting, he thinks to himself. He is brought out of his daydream when a bright red Mustang cuts in front of him and slams on its brakes. This sudden maneuver forces him to do the same, and allowing Cameron to find an open lane. Before you can say 7.3 Liter Turbo Diesel, Cameron is cruising along at just under seventy-five miles an hour and listening to his favorite talk show host on KFBK AM 1530, Sacramento, California.
Listening to the afternoon news and talk shows had become a daily routine. As a freelance writer he had the opportunity to pretty much choose his subject matter, and he relied on this popular news station for many of his tips. However today, he had some interesting news for his family. Jerry Kunstoff, the Chief Editor and owner of the Sacramento Daily Recorder, a major local newspaper, and several other newspapers both in the USA and abroad. Jerry had hired Cameron to write a series of expose articles on the “New Germany.” Could a “United New Germany” once again pose a threat to the world?
Sacramento and the surrounding communities had recently been the target of several right-wing/neo-Nazi attacks, and there was a strong belief by Jerry and the newspaper staff, that Nazi sentiments still existed in Germany, and perhaps they were the puppet masters to these many acts of hate and terrorism. Was there a worldwide conspiracy? Were some of the European, American or Muslim radicals somehow united? Was there an international plot? Were some of the prison gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood, (AB), White Order, etc. also involved? Jerry was extremely interested in finding out and he knew that Cameron was his man. After all, Cameron has spent nearly four years “in country” and he was also married to a German girl.
Cameron’s new assignment had many interesting facets to it. It was in a political arena, which greatly held his interest, and he only hoped that he was up to it. His entire prior career was going to be sorely tested by this assignment. Cameron had made an effort to keep his overseas contacts alive and he was convinced they might come in handy one day soon.
This new adventure reminded him of one of those WWII black and white propaganda films. The plot was usually very simple, a tough young reporter is sent to Berlin a few months prior to our entry into WWII. The hero is usually chased by a great film Nazi character, played by such notable actors as Basil Rathbone or Hans Conreid and chased throughout Germany. Of course there always is beautiful girl involved, and it all happily ends on the Swiss border, steps ahead of the evil Nazis. However in this plot, Cameron now had to be worried about his wife and daughter and the reality of our turbulent world.
Cameron was personally very excited, and extremely surprised that his new boss, Jerry Kunstoff, was as ebullient as he was. Jerry, a forty-year veteran in the journalism wars rarely got excited, but today, he was as nervous and feral as a virgin on her first romantic interlude. Cameron was happy to have the opportunity for this interesting and stimulating job. It had been a long time since he had such a rewarding position and he was bound and determined to make the most of it.
The Discussion
After what seemed like an eternity, Cameron pulled into the driveway of his modest two-story home. The drive home tonight had been particularly hectic and longer than usual. Cameron lived in a fairly nice neighborhood and knew most of his neighbors on a first name basis. His stay at home job gave him the opportunity to know everyone on his block, and he took the advantage to develop acquaintances, and most important of all, time with his daughter Jennifer and wife Ingrid.
“Is that you honey?” Asked Ingrid, as he walked through the front door.
“Sure is. Who were you expecting? The mailman?” Replied Cameron, as he walked through the living room entrance towards the kitchen.
Cameron stopped between the living room and kitchen doorway and admired his wife from behind. Ingrid was of good German stock, he thought to himself, and she looked like she would be more at home on a farm, than a Bank Operations Manager. The years had been kind to her. However she was always very secretive about her exact age. When Cameron questioned her, she would become very defensive and say, “It’s none of your business. My age is a secret.” She would then make a joke of it and change the subject. Cameron always wondered why she was being so secretive, but he eventually accepted her coyness, and did not discuss it anymore.
When Cameron first met her in Germany forty-years earlier she had been a tall buxom statuesque blonde. Despite having Jennifer late in life, and a very busy life; both at work and home, she had not gained more than twenty pounds in the past four decades. She was still very beautiful, athletic looking and Cameron was delighted in his wife’s vigor and good looks.
Ingrid took the news of their upcoming trip with both joy and trepidation. On one hand she was very happy to see her family again, but on the other hand she hated to leave her home in Dixon. It had taken many years to decorate and landscape their yard in such a way that she was the envy of the neighborhood. Starting all over again in Germany would be difficult for her, she thought. And yet the excitement of returning to her Heimat (Homeland) excited her more than she expected.
Although born and raised in Germany, she had married Cameron in her early twenties and spent most of her adult life in California; except for her semi-annual trips to the Vaterland. Cameron and Ingrid never really discussed politics, but Cameron could tell that she was very proud of her Germanic ancestry.
Dixon had become her new home and she was positive that her daughter would greatly miss being taken out of school. Jennifer was actively involved in her school and in the community. Ingrid expected that this assignment would not last more than a year or two, and they could always lease out heir home for the twelve or twenty-four months, during their absence.
When
