During part of my college sophomore year, I boarded in the home of a woman who was in the French Resistance during World War II. Thirty-three years older, she intimidated me. It wasn’t our age difference that intimidated me, however. It was her authoritative presence.
Despite living in the same house, we seldom crossed paths and, when we did, she never said much… except for one day. I don’t recall now what caused her to begin talking about her wartime experiences.
She was Belgian and a war bride. As a member of the French Resistance during WWII, she said that at some point it became apparent there was a leak in her cell. One by one, fellow resistance members were being captured. Still, this didn’t undermine her commitment to resistance.
One night as she was waiting on a bridge to meet someone, a car pulled up. Instantly she wondered, “who can afford petrol?” The moment she asked herself this question, she said that she knew the terrifying answer. And so it was that she, too, was captured, arrested by the Gestapo. Imprisoned, she endured things you and I don’t want to imagine. Four days before she was to be transported to a German concentration camp, she was liberated by the French Canadians.
As she spoke and showed me some of the artifacts she’d kept, I never asked any questions. I just listened, overwhelmed. She was probably no more than a couple years older than I when she joined the resistance.
Much later, after she’d passed away, I learned there was more to her story. In part, her obituary in the Hackensack Recorder revealed,
She had been decorated personally by Charles DeGaulle for her work in the Resistance Movement. During the war, she was imprisoned by the Germans after being captured in her nurse’s uniform while helping Jews escape to Spain. The Temple Beth Or … honored her at a ceremony in 2004 with a prestigious “Righteous Gentile” Award in acknowledgement of her work in aiding Jews.
How does such moral courage arise? How much sooner might depravity be overcome if more of us could summon it?
In 1988, Dr. Samuel Oliner, together with his wife Pearl, wrote a book, The Altruistic Personality, in which they sought to understand the heroic altruism demonstrated by those who risked their lives to save Jews during WWII. Their research provided part of the answer in the title of one chapter: “Values of caring.” Among the insights was this:
“People are not asked to abandon self-interest but rather to accede to the fundamental idea that others, like themselves, are entitled to the same. Standards of fairness emerge out of the recognition that societies can function peaceably only when mutual rights to self-interest are recognized.”
When I see my compatriots peacefully take to the streets to defend the lives and liberty of others as well as themselves, I am heartened and grateful for their moral courage. And, I think about “Mady,” my ‘landlady’, and so many others like her who, over the course of history, have put their lives at risk in service to humankind and to ethical principles. We know ethical behavior is not always congruent with the law because human laws can be immoral — think, for example, of the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 in Germany, the United States’ Indian Removal Act of 1830, the various Jim Crow laws in the American South, apartheid legislation in South Africa, and others.
Today, I wonder what Mady would do in response to what is happening in her adopted country. The propaganda. The selective suppression of presidential transcripts. The legal and political threats. The normalization of violence. The attempts to censure judges, lawyers, journalists, politicians, and others. The firing of civil servants and the gutting of agencies/institutions created to ensure our safety and security. The scapegoating. The dehumanizing treatment of our community members. The forceful and unlawful detention and expulsion of those with a certain skin color or ethnicity, including US citizens. The recognizable signs of a dictatorship in the making.
In “On Tyranny“ (2017), historian Timothy Snyder offers lessons from the 20th century and suggestions for action: Stand up; speak out; set a good example; inspire others. Vote in local and state elections; run for office. Contribute to worthy causes and defend those institutions (e.g., a news source, a labor union) that help to preserve decency and democracy. Investigate; communicate responsibly. You needn’t sacrifice your life, though some may. Remember: “To abandon facts [truth] is to abandon freedom.”
A longtime Colorado resident, Denise Fazio spent most of her career in Human Resources, working in the corporate and the nonprofit arenas. Now retired, she continues to be involved with various organizations and causes, dedicating a good deal of her time to writing projects and virtual volunteering. Her previous letters to the editor and guest opinions can be found in a variety of Colorado news publications.
