Forgive Hitler – The Kathy Diosy Story Told by Kel Richards – Book Review

Katherine Diosy was born in Budapest in 1920. When she was a schoolgirl in Vienna, she was ordered to take to the streets to greet visiting Adolf Hitler, after he and his thugs had swallowed the country. Jews were even ordered to attend, to increase the crowd and show the outside world how everyone in Austria approved of it. She stood a few feet from the man himself as he was led to her side, a pale-faced guy with a morose, brooding gaze.

Kathy was astonished to discover that even her teachers were undercover Nazis, and even more to discover that she and her only friend were now considered outcasts, outcasts, forced to sit in a corner, without the other students in the school speaking to them. at any time, and it was a great relief to be able to return to his family and friends in a Hungary still free, if only on the condition that the school fees for the rest of the year were paid.

That security wouldn’t last long.

The long shadow of evil turned towards Budapest and again Kathy and her family were persecuted, ordered to go to train stations at ungodly hours, and much worse than that. Kathy argued with her mother about attending. The daughter bravely ripped off her yellow star and hid, huddling in the abandoned apartment of a cousin, the same cousin who had been called up to the Hungarian army to fight alongside the German army on the Russian front. The unfortunate young man, suffering from cold and poor rations and receiving no mail from home, finally receives a letter from his homeland, only to find out that it is an electricity bill for the collapsed and bombed flat in Buda, where Kathy is hiding. in the hallway. living in silence with a single candle for company.

Eventually the Russians arrive and everything will be fine, except it won’t be for the young and conquered. Things get worse again, much worse, but at least there is some comfort for Kathy from the hanging Nazis that decorate many of the streetlights throughout Buda. Kathy touches their feet, for convenience it is good to know that at least some have paid the ultimate price for murdering and deporting hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews and others to the camps, including many of Kathy’s immediate family members. Can you ever forgive them? Would you do it?

She requests to emigrate to the US But they crawl, citing one excuse after another, but Australia will accept them, and finally Kathy leaves a Europe shattered and bitter for the sun and peace of a country that is on the other side of the world. .

Forgiving Hitler is three books in one. First, Kathy’s own story, an intimate story of a woman’s hectic life and how other human beings can sink so low. Second, we stop from time to time to update ourselves on how the war is progressing. This part did not convince me; and one or two of the facts weren’t quite correct either, but hey, it was just a slight deviation from the real story.

And the third thread followed Kathy’s strange religious conversion. She came from an ancient Jewish family, but they were what might be called inactive Jews. They did not follow a kosher diet and only visited synagogues once a year. Someone had a bright breath that if they converted to Catholicism, everyone would be safe. A piece of priestly paper in their pocket stating that they were now Catholic would save them from any trouble from the Nazis, and what’s more, they could obtain such a document simply by making a substantial contribution to the church funds, except for the piece of paper. It was as useful as the 1920 German banknote.

Upon arrival in Australia, he tries again to join the Catholic Church, but surprisingly, and quite strangely, they do not want to know because he has never attended a Catholic service in his life. But Anglicans and even evangelists are enthusiastic enough, and here you find some peace, and even the ability to forgive, perhaps.

The book comes from a religious publisher, and that made me wonder about definitive conversions, but please read it and make up your mind.

Overall, this is a fantastic book, detailing a young woman’s struggle with walls of evil the likes of which have never been seen before. Kathy’s story held me through; the other two lines were never so compelling or compelling.

However, a great read and Kathy’s story will last a long time in your memory.