(for Edith Stein)
She adored Husserl the
depths of his thought
But philosophy was not
enough for her
She became a student of
love
We breathe in the ashes of those burned
In the ovens of Auschwitz
Flowers bloom out of the dust
She walks with us in the
darkness
She is familiar with it
She knows the way out
They were not aliens from
another planet
They put their human faces on
just like us
Before they dropped Zyklon B in a
hole
In the roof and waited for
the bodies to fall
That they shared in our
common humanity
Somehow made monsters of us
all
But why should we feel responsible
For their crimes,
When we barely recognize our
own?
But the stain remains just
the same
It will take all of human
history to recover
From that loss.
We breathe in the ashes of
those burned
In the ovens of Auschwitz
Flowers bloom out of the
dust
She walks with us in the
darkness
She is familiar with it
She knows the way out
“As a child of the Jewish
people who, by the grace of God, for the past eleven years has also
been a child of the Catholic Church, I dare to speak to the Father of
Christianity about that which oppresses millions of Germans. For
weeks we have seen deeds perpetrated in Germany which mock
any sense of justice and humanity, not to mention love of neighbor.
For years the leaders of National Socialism have been preaching
hatred of the Jews...But the responsibility must fall, after all, on
those who brought them to this point and it also falls on those who
keep silent in the face of such happenings.
Everything that
happened and continues to happen on a daily basis originates with a
government that calls itself 'Christian.' For weeks not only Jews but
also thousands of faithful Catholics in Germany, and, I believe, all
over the world, have been waiting and hoping for the Church of Christ
to raise its voice to put a stop to this abuse of Christ's name.”
—Edith Stein, Letter to Pope Pius XI (1933)
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Letter to her Prioress at
Carmel Echt
JM
Drente-Westerbork, Barracks
36, August 6, 1942
Dear Mother,
A Mother Superior from one
of the convents arrived last evening with suitcases for her child and
now offers to take some short letters along. Early tomorrow a
transport leaves (Silesia or Czechoslovakia??).
What is most necessary:
woolen stockings, two blankets. For Rosa all the warm underwear and
whatever was in the laundry; for us both towels and wash cloths. Rosa
also has no toothbrush, no Cross and no rosary. I would like the next
volume of the breviary (so far I have been able to pray gloriously).
Our identity cards, registration cards (as Jews), and ration cards.
A thousand thanks,
greetings to all, Y.R.’s grateful child,
B.
(P.S.) 1 habit and aprons,
1 small veil.
The letter of August 6,
1942, was the final letter. On Friday, August 7, at the railway
station in Schifferstadt, Germany, a woman in dark clothing inside a
sealed transport hailed the stationmaster who was standing on the
platform. She identified herself as Edith Stein and asked him to pass
her greetings and a message to friends who lived there. The message
was, “We are travelling east.”
The transport carrying
Edith and Rosa Stein arrived at Auschwitz on Sunday, August 9. All
the women and children as well as most of the men were immediately
gassed. They were buried in a mass grave.
“It was Edith Stein’s
complete calm and self-possession that marked her out from the rest
of the prisoners. There was a spirit of indescribable misery in the
camp; the new prisoners, especially, suffered from extreme anxiety.
Edith Stein went among the women like an angel, comforting, helping,
and consoling them. Many of the mothers were on the brink of insanity
and had sat moaning for days, without giving any thought to their
children. Edith Stein immediately set about taking care of these
little ones. She washed them, combed their hair, and tried to make
sure they were fed and cared for.”
