Cities
are Stronger than People – Hermine Diwald
Some
people are at peace with themselves and are strong. And,
Hermine Diwald is just such a person. And, her strength and her
courage
came out of the end of the 2nd
World War, and she was only 13.
The
world had stopped fighting and life was returning to normal. But,
not so for Hermine Diwald and family. Their home town of Werschetz in
the Banat had become part of the newly reorganized east, and the
Diwalds, just like many other German families had been driven
from their homes. They had lost all their belongings
and were no longer welcome. And, their lives in internment
were not only hard and uncertain, but miserable, too.
But,
they did have a choice.
They could stay in the camp where they were and end up in Russia, or
they could run!
And, so it was that the Diwalds and a small group of friends stepped
out one night after dark and went on their way. Day after day, night
after night and kilometre after Kilometre. And, they were hungry,
thirsty and tired! But, they kept going. Their flight
to the west was not only hard, but dangerous as well.
And,
they got through. The Diwalds successfully established themselves in
Vienna and their friends went further to Germany,
But
people don’t
run from places, they run away from people! And, the place they have
run from will always be home. And
home needs keeping
alive.
And
now, many years later, Hermine Diwald and a small group of people are
still keeping Werschetz alive in the Werschetzer Zeitung - a journal
of essential
reading for those who are scattered
all over the world.
And,
there's more. The Werschetzer Zeitung has become a tradition in its
own right as well. It's not only read by those who escaped,
but by their children and grandchildren, too. Thanks to Hermine
Diwald and her friends, Werschetz has now become somewhere to visit.
Cities are stronger than people – they stay the same – it's the
people who change. And, as Hermine Diwald knows only too well, it's
all a question of timing. And, be it peace time or war, one has to
be strong to survive. And, this is her message, and
this will always be true.
Vocabulary
courage
– Mut
driven
– (drive/drove/driven) - vertrieben
belongings
– Hab
und Gut
internment
– Gefangenschaft
run
- (run/ran/run) - entkommen
flight
– Flucht
essential
– unentbehrlich
scattered
– zerstreut
escaped
– (escape/escaped/escaped) - entkam
survive
- überleben
Questions
How
old was Hermine Diwald at the end of the war?
Where
did Hermine Diwald grow up?
How
was their flight to the west?
Where
did the Diwalds make their new home?
How
did Hermine Diwald and friends keep Werschetz alive?
Why
are cities stronger than people?
What
is Hermine Diwald's message?
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– Short stories and more!
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and enjoy!
