I’m doing a deep dive into oral history from my maternal grandparents. I found this quote from my grandfather - Opa - Jan (pronounced John) Harger to be salient today.

He was interviewed by a historian with Hope College about what it was like to grow up in 1930’s Germany.

“JH: All in all I can say it was a very hard time for people growing up over there, especially like I say, you don't know as a child what went on. We didn't know. All my relatives and all my aunts and uncles, and all my family was against Hitler. I heard that all the time, but I didn't know actually what was all involved then. But to grow up with that idea, I mean church, school, and home had to work together to educate the child.

But I always got split ideas. At home, Hitler taboo; and in school you had to believe in him. That is awful hard. I hope none of my grandchildren have to go through this.”

This pacifist would be drafted to fight in the German Wehrmacht in 1940.

He was 16.

Opa, it seems your hopes might not be fulfilled. But like your family, we’re doing our best to educate a new generation just as your parents sought to educate you.