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Rachel Mann is Born
Rachel Mann was born in June, 1937. A few hours after she was born, she and her mother were thrown out of the hospital because she was Jewish. After she was born, her mother had Rachel baptized, in hopes that it would save her from the Holocaust. When her mother was away at work, Rachel would stay with someone named Frau Vater. Frau Vater was a Nazi spy who was at the building to spy on other people, but he was affecionate for Rachel, even though she was Jewish. -
WWII Starts
WWII started on September 1, 1939. Rachel Mann was only about 2 years old. Also, keep in mind that this is when the war officially started. The Nazi's and Hitler started to inflict their damage on the world long before that. Rachel probably started living in the awfulness of the war since she was born. -
Rachel's Mom is Taken by the Nazi's
In 1941 the Gestapo came for Rachel Mann's mother. The Gestapo is the secret Nazi police that worked in Nazi Germany, Occupied France and Poland. Rachel was only 4 when she had to go and stay with another family because Hitler was so convinced that he could make things better. Rachel wasn't taken because of Frau Vater. Vater was a Nazi spy in the building that liked Rachel, and saved her. She went from place to place hiding from the Nazi's over the next couple years. -
The Family she was Fostered to was Taken
When Rachel's mother got taken by the Gestapo, she was fostered to another family. This family was also Jewish. The following year, the family she was fostered to was taken by the Gestapo as well. By the time Rachel was seven, she already lost her mother, father, and the replacement family she had been sent to. Rachel wasn't taken by the Gestapo this time because Frau Vater claimed that she was his niece. Vater cared really deepy for Rachel, because he had now saved a Jewish girl more than once. -
The Pastor she is Staying With is Arrested
Over the next couple months, Rachel moved from house to house to avoid the Nazi's. Eventually, she ended up at a Catholic Church. The pastor there cared for Rachel very deeply as well. He taught her about Jesus and sang Catholic songs with her. "For the first time, I feel loved." Unfortunately, Rachel only stayed with him a few short months, because, in early 1944, the pastor was arrested for helping a Jewish girl. Rachel was sent back to Frau Vater to be cared for. -
Rachel Breathes Fresh Air for the First Time in One Year
Frau Vater took Rachel in after the pastor that had made her feel loved had been arrested. By now Rachel was about eight years old. Vater built a secret cellar for Rachel to stay hidden in. She had a small space with small amounts of food, and a bucket in the corner for her to relieve herself. “I spent all day on a stone cold floor sitting on a mattress, just a sliver of light coming in through a nailed down grimy window. I could not cry, talk, or make any noise at all.” -
Rachel is Found by the Russians
After many months in the cellar, the Russians finally find Rachel in the cellar in 1945. She is soon after reunited with her mom, who is very ill with Turbuculosis. -
Rachel Tries to Kill Herself
While Rachel was in hiding, she had no idea what was going on in the world around her. She didn't know what was happening to people all over the world. “I felt so guilty as I grew up and learned about the Holocaust. I thought; Why did I have to live and so many have to die? When I was 17 I tried to kill myself by throwing myself underneath a car. But the driver stopped and gave me a clip on the ear. It brought me to my senses.” -
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Rachel Now
Now Rachel helps people who are terminally ill, in hospice. She lived in Israel for a decade after the war but eventually moved back to her hometown of Berlin. She is still alive and well at the age of about 81.