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Disappeared My Testimony Disparu Mon Témoignage Jean Sklar Copyright © 2017 by Jean Sklar and Theodore D. Sklar All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Printed in the United States of America ISBN 978-1-948582-31-5 Shakespeare and Co. 939 Lexington Avenue New York, NY, 10065 Szklarz family Metz, France 1938 Second row: Cecile Lea, Jacques Front row (left to right): Nathan, Traitel, Paulette and Annette, Jean Pierre and Celine Rychner I have only one passion, that of the light, in the name of humanity which has suffered so much and is entitled to happiness. --Émile Zola, “J’Accuse…!” 1898 Bow before the unknown Jewish martyr in respect and piety for all of the martyrs, go in thought with them on their dolorous path, it will guide you to the highest summit of justice and truth. --Translated from the inscription in French on the exterior of the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris, France. PPROLOGUE The Moselle River in Europe meanders down from its source located on the western slopes of the Ballon d’Alsace in the Vosges mountains. It flows through France, Luxembourg and Germany until it joins the Rhine River at Koblenz, Germany. Approximately one- hundred and sixteen miles from its source the Moselle reaches the City of Metz, France. The river cuts through the city and it bifurcates, leaving several islands, called Les Îles, in between the two distributaries. I was born at 6:00 p.m. on July 10, 1929 in L’hôpital Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secors located in the Nouvelle Ville section of Metz, not far from the Moselle. I spent the first ten years of my life in Metz growing up alongside that river. My family’s apartment, my school, my synagogue and my playgrounds were all located near the river. My mother washed our clothes in the river, at a place called Lavoir des Thermes. One of my cherished family photographs was taken in a park along the banks of the Moselle called Metz-Plage. I understand that at one time Metz was occupied by the Romans. There are Roman artifacts in the city, including Roman roads beneath a main road, and remnants of Roman baths and fountains. Metz evolved into a large fortress city that garrisoned the armies of France’s sprawling Colonial Empire, even when I lived there. I saw some of the fortifications. There were soldiers from various regiments from France’s colonies - Algerians, Tunisians, Moroccans, and Senegalese. The soldiers marched through the town in their colorful uniforms, which varied by regiment, and they played military music and sang songs. In the fields around the city, the soldiers engaged in maneuvers and fired off their guns. Bi-planes that were based at the air force field located nearby at Frescaty buzzed the sky. I played in the remnants of the trenches where a generation of young men were slaughtered during World War I. Parts of the Maginot Line, a string of fortifications built by France after World 1 War I to contain any future German aggression, were near Metz. During the winter of 1938/1939 it was so unusually cold that the Moselle froze solid enough to allow military vehicles, tanks and trucks, to drive over it. The Moselle, and Metz, have been the geographic focal point of many historical events, and many wars. While nations fight for strategic and political advantage over rivers like the Moselle, over lands like Alsace-Lorraine, and over cities like Metz, the people who live there are forced to suffer the consequences. I am a witness to one of those chapters of history. This is my testimony. I will begin by introducing you to my family. I am their voices. I am their memories. 2