Selected to Live

This is a true story of Johanna Ruth Dobschiner who was born and raised by her Jewish Orthodox family in Germany. They lived a happy secure life, her parents, herself, and two brothers.Then as anti-Semitism swept through their country, they along with countless others fled to Holland looking for a normal, safe life. They had found it for a short while...it wasen't long before the German soldiers, had invaded Holland too, and sooner ...than later the round ups started all across the cities. First to leave where her very young brothers, being told all young boys were needed for the war effort..in the various factories. It wasen't very long, before they received word that the youngest son had died, and his ashes were shipped back,for burial...then not much time had passed and her second brother had also perished.They lived in constant fear, as each night their sleep was invaded by the thunderous sounds of soldiers boots, banging on neighbors doors, famlies taken in the middle of early morning hours, never to be seen or heard from again. As time went on they knew it was a matter of time before it happend to them, and it did, her parents and foster children they took in were all marched out of the house, but where Johanns room was situated...they never noticed it or bothered to check it...and she remained hidden and untouched.as her parents were leaving the house they made up a last minute excuse to go and turn the water and gas off, they snuck into her room, kissed her many times, told her to stay still, stay quiet, stay brave and free. When she was able, she left her house and she was able to stay at a hospital that she had worked for telling them what had happened....but even that was raided... and because she was dressed as a nurse, they assumed she was a nurse, she started taking care of people at the train station, as they were hearded onto trains, those who looked sick enough, that she could falsely say to the soldiers, they had an infectious disease and had to go back to the hospital.They took her at her word, and sent them back to the hospital. Again she had escaped encampment. In Desperation she took the offer to go underground, and through sympathetic Dutch famlies she was hidden in many homes, attics, and cellars. It was through these people and different hiding places she bagan reading the New Testament out of curiosity,and looking for an answer to this crazy world of misery. she became more curious about the teachings and realized she wanted to accept Jesus Christ as her Saviour. Thus begins her religious awakening and journey to a new religion, which led to her being baptized, and then receiving Communion. It was a very good heartful story, with of course a strong religious background...but not in a way that was to preachy, or Crazy religious. It was what she held onto to get from one hour to the next, to one day to the next.Some may think differently...but truthfully if you had lived and witnessed what she had..losing everyone in her life that was dear to her heart, Having Absolutely Nothing to her Name, and all the fear, minute to minute, day by day... if she chose to believe that it was her faith in Jesus that saved her, so many times, who are we to even condemn her story if it has religious overtones to it. I think it was truely nothing short of a pure miracle that DID keep her alive...and who knows..maybe SHE was selected to live..to spread the word of Jesus.Just as the title of her book says " Selected to live" ! It was very easy reading...of course with a lot of heartbreak for all the Jewish people, but in the end, it was nice to have her uplifting TRUE story Told.