the Lion - Memoirs of a Young Girl in Nazi Europe
by Simone Arnold Liebster
A reader from Patterson, NY USA
says: "This excellent autobiography provides a glimpse into
the life and trials of a girl and her family who found themselves
facing the wrath of Hitler. As members of the Jehovah's Witnesses,
they refused to support Hitler's war machine and so the Nazis vowed
to exterminate the group. Persecuted for their beliefs, not for
their ethnicity, this story tells of Simone's quiet fight for right.
Sustained by her hope and faith, she overcame opposition of the
strongest kind and has found the strength and courage to share her
story. For anyone who loved Anne Frank, this is a must read!"
About Simone Arnold Liebster
period of National Socialism, the religious beliefs, teachings and
actions of the Jehovah's Witnesses were a public proclamation that
approximated a way of life whose central tenets collided with those
of the National Socialist state. Here was a small group of some
20 to 25,000 "average Germans" and those from other regions incorporated
into the Third Reich who were publicly proclaiming their belief
in a kind of shadow state, which was in direct opposition to the
Nazi regime. Here was a group, which rejected the racial laws of
the state, the oath of allegiance to Adolf Hitler, the German salute,
and the duty to take up arms for Germany.
We are familiar
with the statistics: nearly 10,000 Jehovah's Witnesses imprisoned
and at least 2,000 admitted to Nazi concentration camps of which
at least half were murdered, over 250 by beheading.
do not know as well is the day-to-day existence of this extraordinary
group of committed men, women and children under the rule of National
why Simone Arnold Liebster's autobiography is of such importance.
It brings a name and a voice to these statistics. It tells the story
of spiritual resistance to a monstrous evil, and does so through
the eyes and memories of a child.
resisted the forces of Nazi evil when a simple declaration of state
loyalty would ensure their well being, when a simple signature would
free them from the hell of a labor or concentration camp and protect
them from violence and murder have earned a special place and a
special admiration. They give us hope and a belief in the ultimate
triumph of human good.
Liebster must be counted among these special people.