L'Chaim
Margit Chinkes' Holocaust Survivor Story
by Angelica M. Osborne
published by Angelica M. Osborne
produced by Sweetgrass Books
- Margit lived but did not tell her story. How a fourteen-year-old German girl in Frankfurt am Main was picked up by the Gestapo in 1944, endured and survived the horrors of the Holocaust, rescued herself, and went on to lead a seemingly perfect life in the United States, was a story she left to her daughter, the author, to discover. This unique account is unembellished beyond ascertainable facts but as riveting as any Holocaust novel. Margit's several cards and letters written from the detention center and the concentration camp are heartrending but reveal an inner strength that carried her through the ordeal.
The backstory of how Angie Osborne, motivated by her faith and grandchildren, traveled to Europe to uncover her mother's story from only a few fragments nearly twenty years after Margit's death is awe inspiring. This story will resonate with anyone intrigued by personal stories of World War II, students of that history, especially adolescents, and is a lesson of the price innocents pay in a world ruled by ethnic and racial division.
Includes photos, maps, and numerous documents from Margit's personal history. Three appendices.
80 pages, 6" x 9", 36 b/w photos, 2 map(s), appendix, 80 softcovers per case
softcover
ISBN 10: 1591521998
ISBN 13: 9781591521990
$14.95
IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK, YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:
| L'Chaim
Margit Chinkes' Holocaust Survivor Story |
| Margit did not go to church, but she made sure all of her children were baptized in the Catholic faith, as my dad was Catholic. She wanted all of us to receive the sacraments of the church - communion, confirmation, and marriage - in the church, which we did. She attended all of our religious ceremonies. When she knew she was going to die, she requested to be cremated and not to be buried in the Catholic Church. As a child who loves her parent, her requests were honored even though it was painful for me at the time.
Although Margit did not practice a religion, she did believe in God. She had a strong inner resolve; I can only surmise that it came from God. My mother's life was full of challenges. She was very close to death early in her life. She accepted those challenges without self-pity, always with hope and belief in a better life. She always tried to face up to each situation with dignity and fortitude. Margit never wanted to be defined by her Holocaust experience but simply as another war survivor and immigrant who lived her life loving her family. She did whatever it took to care for us. She was tenacious in learning new skills and adapting to new situations. I have learned much about my mom, perhaps more after her death than when she was alive. -from Chapter Ten: Reflections |
 |
|
|
Angie Osborne lives in Absarokee, Montana, on Rosebud Creek with her husband, Tom. She had a 30-year career as a registered nurse, and is a wife, mother of three, and grandmother of nine. She currently volunteers at her church and in Public health roles that take her to Africa with two international relief organizations. She is passionate about sharing life and love with her family and reaching out in her community. |