himmel magazine
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The Word
Wall
Out of the
Fire and Into
Book Heaven
Hidden
Secrets in the
Basement
Fashion:
On the Streets
of Himmel
HIMMEL
Magazine
Fall/ Winter 1942
ON THE COVER
4 The Word Wall
5 Out of the Fire and Into Book Heaven
7 Hidden Secrets in the Basement
10
IN THIS ISSUE
2 Letter from the Editor
8 Racing to the Finish
9 Recipes by Rosa
14 On the Streets of Himmel
14
6 12 1
2
Letter from the Editor
I am proud to introduce the very first edition of Himmel Magazine! This magazine chronicles major events in my
life as I grow up in the city of Munich, Germany. By reading this magazine you will be able to learn more about
my complicated but loving family, my amazing best friend, how I earned the title “The Book Thief”, and so much
more.
I will give you all a little background on myself. I used to live with my mom, dad, and younger brother, but when I
was very young, my dad was taken away. I really don’t know why, but my guesses are because he was a
communist and not too many people around these parts like the idea of communism. My mom, no longer being
able to take care of my brother and myself, decided to send us to Munich, Germany to foster parents that would
take great care of us. While on the train with my mom and brother, however, the inevitable happened, my
brother passed away.
In that very moment, my world was completely shaken and destroyed. I had no idea how I would make it without
my little brother. Now I would have to live alone with these new strange foster parents.
My brother was buried in a small town on the way to Munich, and it was there, at the burial site, that I picked up
my first book. I don’t know why I did it. Maybe it was because it was the last thing left that would help remember
him, but for whatever reason I’m glad that I did it. This book unlocked the door to the amazing world of words,
which I am completely fascinated by. I love words, and I hope that you love them too.
I really do hope that you enjoy reading my magazine!
Yours truly,
Liesel Meminger
Thief
Words
Books
Nightmares
Library
Accordion
Reading
Jews
Letters
Spelling
Soccer
Presents
Writing
Shelter
Apples
Running
Soup
Brother
Family
Stealing
Painting Friends
Painting
School
Love
Fighting
3
4
The Word Wall
3
Adjusting to life with my new foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubberman, wasn’t easy at first. For one, I still
wanted to live with my mother. I didn’t want her to leave me in that house alone with these new strange people. I hoped
and prayed that she would come back, tell me that giving me up was a mistake, and take me back home, but she never
did. Second, my new foster mother was really mean. She always yelled at me and called me bad names, and she even
forced me to take a bath against my own will.
Through all of this, I came to understand that my foster parents did actually love and care about me. I used to
have nightmares every night. In them, I would see my brother’s face on the train. He was dead. I would wake up
screaming, and my foster father Hans, whom I called Papa, would always come to my room to comfort me. He would sit
in a little chair in the corner of my room and stay there all night to make sure that I was okay.
One night, after having a nightmare and wetting the bed, Papa came to help me change my sheets. While pulling
the covers off, a small black book that I had picked up from the snow at my brother’s burial site fell out. The title of the
book was The Grave Diggers Handbook, and it was dropped by the grave digger at the burial site. This book meant a lot to
me because it was the last thing I had to remember my brother and the last thing that I had to remember my mother.
That night, when the book fell out, Papa asked me if I would like to read it. Not knowing how to read and being
curious of what all of the bunched up letters were, I told him yes. He opened the book and began reading. This was the
best night of my life.
Reading at night became our usual after I had my nightmares. Papa would come in, help me change my sheets,
and begin reading The Grave Digger’s Handbook. It was during these times, that he would teach me to read and write. He
would give me the book and tell me to read. Whenever I came across a word that I didn’t know, we would go down to the
basement and paint it on the wall. This would come to be our word wall.
Over time, the word wall was filled with not only words from The Grave Diggers Handbook, but also words from
The Shoulder Shrug, Faust Dog, The Lighthouse, and many more books. Whenever I learned the words, Papa would cover
the wall with a fresh coat of paint and we would start all over again.
I really do miss those nights with Papa, learning how to read and write. It was during the reading lessons and night
that the door to the amazing world of words was unlocked, and my Papa held the key. I can now read and write very well,
and I give all of the credit to Papa.
Thief
Book
Out of the Fire and
Into Book Heaven
5
When I was ten years old, I had to join a group called BDM, which stood for Bund Deutscher Madchen or
Band of German girls. It was a part of the Hitler Youth Program and it involved a brown uniform and many “heil
Hitler”s. On April 20, 1940, Hitler’s Birthday, there was a celebratory fire in the town square in honor of Hitler. All of
the local Youth divisions were to attend. People were to bring books, propaganda, newspapers, flags, and posters
that went against the ideas of Hitler and the Nazi Party.
That night, many people lined the streets and yelled, “Heil Hitler!” I searched for my friend Rudy Steiner in
the crowd and realized that they had already started the fire. I never found Rudy that night, but I did find out about
the word “communism”. It was the reason my father was missing, the reason my mother was suffering, and the
reason my brother was dead and it was all because of the Führer.
I later found my father when it was over, and we decided to go home. Papa stopped to talk to one of his
friends on the way, and I turned to the pile of smoke and ashes and realized that all of the books had not burned. I
wondered over to the pile and found three unburned books. When the men responsible for clearing the ashes had
their backs turned, I reached into the pile and pulled out a book.
The book was so hot, but I
didn’t want anyone to see it,
so I stuffed it under my shirt.
This turned out to be abig
mistake because it burned
my skin. Even though it
burned, I was thrilled to have
a new book. I did, however,
feel like I was being watched.
I turned around, and sure
enough, there was a shadow
behind me. Someone was
there watching me, and that
someone was the mayor’s
wife Ilsa Hermann.
My foster mother
Rosa Huberman, whom I
called Mama, did laundry for
several people in town, Ilsa
being one of them. The next
day, Mama told me to go
deliver the washing to Mrs.
Hermann. Afraid to go alone
because I knew that she saw
me, I asked my best friend
Rudy to come along with me.
When we walked up to her
door, she took her clothes
and gave me the money, not
saying anything to neither
me nor Rudy.
A feeling of relief
washed over me at that
moment. Maybe she hadn’t
seen me after all. One day,
however, Rudy could not
come, and I had to go pick up
the washing alone. That day,
when I got to the house, Ilsa
answered the door, and said,
“Wait.” I was so scared. I
didn’t know what she was
doing, but I figured she was
just going to get the washing.
She came back with
a stack of books and told me
to come in. She led me to a
chestnut door and asked me
if I was ready to enter. I
didn’t know what to think or
what she was going to do to
me, but I told her that I was
ready. She turned the knob,
and I was immediately in
heaven.
The room was
beautiful, filled with more
books than I had ever seen in
my life.
“Can I?” I asked her as I
stepped into the room. She
nodded. I was overwhelmed
by the number of books in
the room, and I wanted to
touch each and every one of
them. I used both of my
hands and touched as many
as I could. It was amazing!
I didn’t take a book
with me that day, but later
on I would come back and
spend much time reading in
Ilsa Hermman’s library. The
woman remained a mystery
to me, but I was very
thankful that she opened up
her library to me. It was in
that very room that I found
much joy, happiness,
excitement, sadness, and
adventure reading Ilsa
Hermann’s books.
Fire
7
Hidden Secrets in the
Basement
Growing up during World War II is difficult. My family has to be on constant lookout for bomb raids and
hope that Papa doesn’t get called to serve in the war. About a month ago, our lives became even more difficult when
an enemy of Hitler arrived at our house – a Jew.
His name is Max Vandenburg, and his father saved my Papa’s life. Papa fought in World War I along with
Max’s father, and when looking for recruits to write letters, instead of fighting on the battlefield, Max’s father
volunteered Papa. This is what saved my Papa’s life, and Papa felt as if he needed to return the favor.
Max, being a Jew, came to seek refuge at our house, because of all the horrible things that are happening to
the Jews right now. Knowing that we could be in huge trouble with the Nazi Police and even worse, Hitler himself,
we knew that we had to create a safe hiding spot for Max and not let anyone know about it. We found that place in
our basement.
We set up a mattress behind the stairs of the basement and covered the area with a sheet. We put paint
cans by the sheet to make it look like a pile of junk was behind the sheet and it was very effective. We even had a
Nazi officer unexpectedly visit the basement one day, and he didn’t even notice. You can be we were relieved.
Max and I grew very close, and I found out that we had a lot in common. We both enjoyed reading and
writing and we both had nightmares. These were just a few of the many things that we had in common. I am so
thankful that I was able to make such a great friend.
8
Racing to the Finish
I was able to sit down with my best friend Rudy Steiner, aka the next Jessie Owens, after winning gold in
almost all of his races in the track and field events. This is what he had to say:
Q: How did you feel when you were out there racing against all of the other guys?
A: Honestly I was pretty nervous, but I was determined to win the gold. I wanted to prove to everyone,
especially my previous Hitler Youth Leader that I could do it that I could win.
Q: How did you prepare yourself for the events?
A: I trained and trained and trained. I saw what Jessie Owens did in the Olympics, and I wanted to be just like
him, so when I trained I pretended that I was Jessie Owens, going for the gold.
Q: What advice would you give to those who want to win gold just like you?
A: I would tell them to stay focused. You have to be focused and determined and train whenever you have
the opportunity. Whenever I had free time, I came to the track and ran.
My Mama is famous for her delectable pea soup. These are some of her recipes:
GREEN PEA SOUP
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium leek, root trimmed, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced (white and green parts only)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
2 1/2 cups homemade vegetable broth or 1 cup low-sodium store-bought vegetable broth mixed with 1 1/2 cups water
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
3 cups shelled fresh peas (from about 2 1/2 pounds of peas in their pods) or 1 (16-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed
Crème fraîche, for serving (optional)
Instructions
1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add the leek, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and a pinch
of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. 2. Add the broth, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and measured pepper and bring to a boil. Add the peas and bring to a boil again.
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the peas are tender, about 5 minutes. 3. Remove the pan from the heat, add the mint leaves, and stir to combine. Let sit uncovered until the flavors meld, about 10 minutes. 4. Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth, removing the small cap (the pour lid) from the blender lid and covering the
space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam to escape and prevents the blender lid from popping off). Transfer the soup to a clean saucepan (if serving warm) or a heatproof bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice as needed. If serving warm, reheat over low heat. If serving cold, let cool to room temperature, cover, then refrigerate until cold. Top each serving with a dollop of crème fraîche, if desired.
SPLIT PEA SOUP
Ingredients
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 -1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups medium-diced carrots (3 to 4 carrots)
1 cup medium-diced red boiling potatoes, unpeeled (3 small)
1 pound dried split green peas
8 cups chicken stock or water
Instructions
In a 4-quart stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, 1/2 pound of split peas, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Skim off the foam while cooking. Add the remaining split peas and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes, or until all the peas are soft. Stir frequently to keep the solids from burning on the bottom. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Recipes by Rosa
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On the Streets of
Himmel
11
Only One Will Survive
Only One Will
Survive…..