Klein: The hours after
For today’s entry I will shamelessly lift the books’ description from the authors’ website: kleinfoundation.org
On September 23, 1945, Gerda Weissmann wrote to Kurt Klein, “With you I have been able to laugh again as I never thought I could. I guess there is no pain or sorrow that love can’t heal.”
Before then, Gerda had lost everything and everyone… except her soul. In May 1945, barely alive in a Nazi slave labor camp on the German/Czech border, Gerda and her fellow prisoners were liberated by the Americans. When GI Kurt Klein approached her, Gerda led him to the others who lay sick and dying in the bunks, and quoted Goethe: “Noble be man, merciful and good.” And a great love had begun and then forged through a year of letterwriting leading up to their wedding on June 18, 1946.
Their letters, collected in THE HOURS AFTER, Letters of Love and Longing in War’s Aftermath, show the redemptive power of love in the face of tragedy and loss. They reveal a time when the world was beginning again and two young people — made old by the horrors of war — reclaim their youth and discover love.
THE HOURS AFTER is not a book about the horrors of the Holocaust but rather an honest unfolding of passion and vitality. In the shadow of a devasted world, Gerda and Kurt fell in love through their words. THE HOURS AFTER proclaims the beauty and power of letters, made all the more poignant now when the art of letter writing is fading from contemporary society.
I respect the Kleins for their attitude and their work. Through their foundation, “they have created the opportunity for young people to understand the world and translate that understanding into positive actions. The Foundation, which became operational in 1998, promotes tolerance for differences, respect for others and the empowerment of students through education and community service.” I recommend reading their blossoming story through their letters to get an understanding how you can develop a similarly positive outlook of life.
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