How mother Maria (Skobtzova) rescued Jewish people
"At the Last Judgment I shall not be asked whether I was successful in my
ascetic exercises, nor how many bows and prostrations I made," she had explained
earlier in her life. "Instead I shall be asked, Did I feed the hungry, clothe
the naked, visit the sick and the prisoners. That is all I shall be
asked." (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jim_forest/mmaria.htm)
Dear friends!
Do you know about mother Maria (Skobtzova)? She was Russian
Orthodox nun who with her friends rescued people inc. Jewish
people in France in the World War 2. " ... June 7 (1942 - note V.) in
France the decree of Hitler office have come into effect about necessity to
wear "the yellow star of David" to all Jewish people. Practically from Jule the
mass arrests of Jewish people began.
In Lurmel (street - note V.) there was not sufficient of place already
for all needy people, and after the beginning of a new problem - a help to
Jewish people - work increased only. I. A. Krivoshein said that "a
question was already not only about financial help. It was necessary to get the
forged documents for Jews, to help them to go away
in zone of not occupation of France at that time, to conceal
them and to take care of children whose parents were arrested." Mother
Maria and her friends carried the fearless life, and from the very beginning of
the war they believed in a victory." (From the article "The
Orthodox Action: a mercy of mother Maria (Skobtzova)" (in Russian) (http://www.mere-marie.com)
Mother Maria was executed in gas chamber of Ravensbryuck in the
end of March of 1945.
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Mother Maria wrote about Jewish symbol - the star of David
- in her poem "Israel":
Two
triangles, a star,
The
shield of King David, our forefather.
This
is election, not offense.
The
great path and not an evil.
<...>
Thou art persecuted again, O
Israel,
But
what can human malice mean to thee,
who
have heard the thunder from Sinai? (http://www.incommunion.org/mmaria.htm)
"When Father Dimitri was brought in for interrogation, the Gestapo agent, a
man named Hoffmann, decided at first on a conciliatory approach. It backfired,
as the following dialogue testifies:
Hoffman: If we release you, will you give an
undertaking never again to aid Jews?
Klepinin: I can say no such thing. I am a Christian and
must act as I must. (Hoffman struck Klepinin across the face.)
Hoffman: Jew lover! How dare you talk of helping those
swine as being a Christian duty!
(Klepinin, recovering his balance, held up the cross from his
cassock.)
Klepinin: Do you know this Jew?
Read too:
Uprising in the Warsaw ghetto
THE RIGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATIONS. WHO ARE THEY?
Raoul Wallenberg - a rescuer of 100, 000 Jews
Japanese rescuer of Jewish people
About the rescuing of Danish and Bulgarian Jews in the years of World War II
Jews, Christians and the Word of God