Lessons We Can Learn From History: The Jewish Holocaust

 

By Donna Wichelman

Part I of a two-part article on the Jewish Roundup of 10 January 1944 in France. (Originally posted on February 4, 2024 as part of a series on World War Two.)

In October 2023, I had the privilege of interviewing four people from Libourne, 
France, where my Historical World War II Slip-time novel is set. Sadly, two of them have passed away--Monsieur René Avril and Madame Marie-José Delage. You can access their stories at the June 4th Blog and August 4th Blog, 2026 blog posts. But this past May, I had the opportunity to visit with Madame Josette Melinon once again to thank her for sharing her story with me about her family's tragic loses as Jews living in France during the German occupation between June 1940 and August 1944 in Bordeaux.

Donna and Madame Josette Melinon: Donna's Archives, October 2023

This past 10 January 2026 marked the 82nd anniversary of the 10th of January 1944 roundup of Jews in German-occupied France. It’s with that in mind that I continue my series on the German Occupation of France during World War II by turning to a topic that many of us find difficult to acknowledge because it’s so horrific. Yet, we can't ignore that the Holocaust existed and six million Jews were annihilated by war's end. Though many in our present-day world try to sweep it under the carpet or deny it ever happened, the preponderance of the evidence is inescapable.

2024 Commemoration Events of the 80th Anniversary of the 10 January 1944

So, when I entered Madame Josette Melinon's house on 9 October, 2023, I knew her story would be sobering. Indeed, Madame Melinon’s passion for what happened to her relatives during the occupation took hold in 2004 when one of the teachers in the middle school nearby took a class to see an exhibition of the Jewish children deported to a town called Oświęcim near the German/Polish border. We know the place as the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Among the children they saw was a young lady who was from their hometown of Libourne, and they wanted to learn more about her.

The teacher posted an article in the local newspaper asking if anyone knew about the young lady. Madame Melinon read the article and recognized the girl as Myriam Errera, her mother’s cousin. The teacher organized a meeting and invited Madame Melinon and her older sister, giving them the opportunity to read a letter to the group. In the letter, she told of her own arrest along with her parents and sister during the Roundup on 10 January 1944 in the Bordeaux region of occupied France. The telling of that story began a journey that Madame Melinon has continued to this day.

According to Wikipedia, the Roundup of 10 January 1944 was the fourth and final roundup of Jews in the Aquitaine between July 1942 and January 1944. Before the war, more than five thousand Jews had lived in Bordeaux, many of them refugees who had fled Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia between 1938 and 1940. Maurice Papon, then secretary general of the Gironde and future minister of the Fifth Republic, organized the roundup, detaining 335 men, women, and children. On 12 January 1944, 317 people were taken to Drancy Internment Camp in northern France and later that month sent to Auschwitz.

Newspaper Article About the Roundup of Jews in Paris 1941, Madame Josette Melinon's Archives

Nazi Flag on the Libourne Town Hall During the Occupation, Libourne City Archives

“I was at home with my sister,” Madame Melinon, who was a young girl at the time, said. “After dinner, my father was listening to the English radio at our friends’ house. When the Germans arrived, my mother ran to the garden to tell my father what was happening. I can remember the picture in my memory—the picture of the German boots that went upstairs in our house, which affected me because we weren’t allowed to go upstairs with our shoes on. But they were going up with their boots on.

“When they [the soldiers] arrived on the first floor (second floor in the United States), they followed my mother into her bedroom and said to her, ‘Knickers baby. Knickers, baby.’ And she gave them all of her knickers.

“We had to walk along the road that goes down to the river while it was raining, and there were five or six Germans in front of us. My mother held my hand very tightly. But when we arrived at the prison, I remember straight stairs leading up and walls that were a very dirty pink. The stairs came out onto a room with people I knew—most of them family— and my grandmother sitting on a bench. They all passed me around and kissed me, and I felt stifled without understanding what was happening.”

Prison Where Madame Melinon and Her Family Were Taken, the Association Libournaise Souvenir Myriam Errera

Madame Josette Melinon was one of the eighteen people, including her father and sister, who did not ride with the others to Drancy. If it had not been for quick thinking by her father, her story would have ended that night.

You see, Madame Melinon’s mother’s side of the family was Jewish—her great-grandmother from eastern France was Ashkenazi, and her great-grandfather was Sephardic from Portugal. Her father’s side, however, was Catholic. Her mother and father had initially decided to raise the oldest child (her sister) in the Catholic faith and the second (Josette) in the Jewish faith. But events changed all that.

Three days and two nights passed until her father could find papers proving he was not a Jew. In addition, he found a priest who risked backdating a baptismal certificate for Josette and located baptismal certificates going back seven generations as required by the German SS.

Josette and Her Father 10 January 1944, Madame Melinon's Archives

Josette's Baptismal Certificate, Madame Melinon's Archives

The baptismal certificates were enough to prove that Josette’s father, sister, and Josette were Christians, and the Nazis let them go. But what happened to Josette’s mother and the rest of her relatives, including Myriam Errera, the girl whose picture the middle school students saw? Moreover, how and why did the Association Souvenir Myriam Errera come to exist? And what are the lessons we can learn from history in the 21st century?

Read the rest of Madame Melinon’s story in Part II about this dreadful era in our world’s history.

See also: this French newspaper article.

Donna is an Angel Book Award-winning author of Historical Romance for A Song of Deliverance. Rhythms of the Heart, Book 2 is an interconnected stand-alone set in the same Victoria mining community of Georgetown, Colorado.

Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna's love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, belonging, and forgiveness.

Donna was a communications professional before becoming a full-time writer. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. Her romantic suspense novels, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor, in her Waldensian Series. 

Donna and her husband of forty-one years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. They love spending time with their grandchildren and bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible. 

Author Spotlight: Terrie Todd, a Late Bloomer!

Me in Grade 3

Growing up in a small town in Manitoba, Canada, as the youngest of five kids, I loved nothing more than imaginary play by myself. I’m grateful to have been raised in a family that loved Jesus. I attended church regularly, and the annual week at Bible camp during summer break was the highlight of my year. My earliest recollection of being drawn to the world of books was when our second-grade teacher read to us from Fingerling: Just a Little Man. I loved the story so much I borrowed it to take home and conveniently forgot to return it for a year or more! I’ve since learned that the book was originally written in Dutch by Dick Laan and is extremely hard to find. It was my seventh- and eighth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Armstrong, who first made me believe I might have a knack for writing. 

Grade 10 at Sunshine

Influenced by our pastors’ family, whose daughter was a good friend, I attended high school at Sunshine Bible Academy near Miller, South Dakota, because I loved the idea of learning from Christian teachers and being surrounded by like-minded friends. My four years there were a wonderful experience where I grew in my faith and expanded my horizons. That’s also where I met my future husband, a South Dakota boy named Jon Todd, whose parents had meanwhile moved to Manitoba! We married four months after my graduation in 1977.

October 1, 1977

We spent our first five years of married life in Longview, Texas, where Jon attended LeTourneau College (now University), where we made more lifelong friends, and where I worked at a McDonald’s restaurant for a year and then at a swimming pool company. By the time we returned to Canada, our first son was born, and our daughter was on the way. Another son was born in 1986. We’ve stayed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, all these years. We now have five grandsons added to the family, and we’re a little more geographically spread out than I’d like. 

Our family in 2022. Our 45th anniversary.

Although I loved being a stay-at-home mom, financial reality had me trying a variety of careers. I cleaned homes for a decade, was a clerk at a community college for four years, followed by 14 years on staff at my church as an Administrative Assistant and Creative Arts Director. Drama was a huge part of my life during those years, and I later published some of the scripts I wrote for our church drama team. I’m still involved in my local community theater group.

An Easter monologue in 2013. Photo by G. Loewen Photography

My "Covid" project

In 2009, at the age of 50, I decided that if I wanted to pursue writing, I needed to carve out time and get serious. I left my full-time job at the church and took a part-time position as an Administrative Assistant at city hall, another wonderful learning opportunity. With more free time, I began working on my first novel. I chose the historical genre because it seemed like it would be easier to get my characters into trouble, and I made this first project split-time because that’s what I loved reading. I joined writers’ groups, read books on the craft, attended conferences, and entered contests. During those years, I began writing a weekly faith and humor column for our local newspaper, which continued for 14 years and financed my writing habit. In 2020, I published a volume of my most popular columns, called Out of My Mind: A Decade of Faith and Humour.

Mom (80) and me at the Christian Writers Guild conference in 2012. My novel was a finalist, but my friend Peter Leavell won.

From the time I began writing my first novel, The Silver Suitcase, it took four years to land my first agent, then another two years for her to find a publisher, and another year before I could hold the book in my hands. My second and third novels quickly followed. 

Author photo by G. Loewen Photography, with some AI magic I added for fun.

At age 60, I retired from city hall to write full time. It’s been much harder than I imagined, but I am pleased to currently have ten novels and a nonfiction book published, with a few nice awards won along the way. On the Acknowledgments page of each of my books, you’ll see the same closing line: “Above all, my thanks are due to my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, master storyteller and main character in the greatest story ever told.” Jesus understood better than we do how the power of story can break through barriers and reach hearts. My prayer, first and foremost, is that my stories will do just that.

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Weird Inventions That Saved Lives: The Bifurcated Needle

Blogger: Amber Lemus

By Photo Credit: James Gathany
Content Providers(s): CDC

Returning to our series of Weird Inventions That Saved Lives, we meet a microbiologist by the name of Benjamin Rubin. Rubin was born in New York City on September 27th, 1917. Although we don’t know why he chose microbiology as his doctorate major, we do know that he was always fascinated by science. 

In 1965, Rubin was working for a company called Wyeth Laboratories, who was helping on the campaign to eradicate smallpox. Smallpox was a terrible disease ravaging the entire world. More than two million people each year were killed by Smallpox, and yet there was no cure. There was a vaccine, but the administration of this vaccine was a costly, difficult and inaccessible process, especially in underdeveloped countries. The new technology of the vaccine gun made it possible to administer over one thousand doses of the vaccine per hour, which was an amazing rate and useful for outbreaks in large cities or for vaccinating large military encampments. However, the heavy steel devices were difficult to transport, especially into jungles or rural areas, it took specialized training to use them, and they were expensive to manufacture. Not to mention you needed a constant supply of sterile parts and sealants, and the vaccine itself was in short supply.

Vaccine "Jet" Gun
Public Domain Photo - CDC

Rubin set his mind to solve this problem and find a way to make the administration of the vaccine more accessible. He grinded down a needle from a sewing machine into a forked needle. With a few adjustments, he discovered this needle could hold a tiny bit of the vaccine between the tines and when jabbed into the patient’s skin, it would successfully deliver the dose needed to inoculate the patient. He called it the bifurcated needle.

This new method used less of the vaccine, making the same amount inoculate four times as many people, and also made it possible for traveling into dense jungles or sparsely populated areas. Workers could administer the vaccine with little training. And best of all, these needles were cheap. It cost only five dollars per one thousand needles. They were reusable and could be sterilized easily and en masse. It was a brilliantly simple solution.

Benjamin A. Rubin
Photo: Public Domain
National Inventor's Hall of Fame

The Wyeth Laboratory company believed so strongly in the mission to eradicate smallpox that they even waived the royalty payments for the needles manufactured during the eradication campaign under their contract with the WHO. 

The WHO deployed Rubin’s new tool worldwide and the bifurcated needle delivered more than 200 million doses of the smallpox vaccine per year. 

In 1980, the WHO announced that Smallpox was dead. For the first time in history, mankind eradicated a deadly disease. This simple device, created from a grinded down sewing needle, saved more than two million lives per year. 

Benjamin Rubin was inducted into the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame in 1992. 

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".  

She lives at the foot of the Rocky Mountains with her prince charming and three children. Between enjoying life as a homeschool mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/  and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

Echoes of the Ancient New Testament Cities: Sardis

Matthew J. Elliott

Used from www.toursaroundturkey.com

Today marks the end of this journey with the 7 churches written to in the book of Revelation. It's been revealing to me, and I hope it has been for you, as readers!  Sardis was a church that had one of the most unexpected histories throughout this entire series so far. We still have a few more cities to visit, but the reputation Sardis had merited its own article. 

I’ve shared about earthquakes a lot in this series, and Sardis was similarly rebuilt after a massive earthquake around 17 AD. This earthquake destroyed twelve major cities in Asia Minor, and Tacitus explicitly states in his Book of Annals that Sardis was hit the hardest. Emperor Tiberius pledged 10 million sesterces (or a million dollars) and granted them a 5-year waiver on imperial taxes. 

That is not the most troublesome part of their history either. Sardis was the capital of the ancient Lydian Empire and was well known for its wealth and prestige. History attributes this wealth to the city being the first to create coins made of pure gold and silver from the Pactolus River, which flowed at the bottom of the giant plateau of cliffs where the city stood. The city was protected on three sides.

Used from lavistachurchofchrist.org

With that kind of prestige, Sardis was well sought after, and it fell twice. Once in 547 BC to Cyrus the Great and then again in 218 BC under Antiochus the Great's conquest. This city did not fall twice because it was not well protected. It fell because the city guard was overconfident. They believed the city walls made it impenetrable. Both armies scaled the wall at night using secret paths that were left unprotected while the city slept. Does that sound familiar? 

The city was famous for its old riches and also for the assistance Rome offered it. In everything, the city leaned heavily into its reputation, and all of it led to nothing more than a city that fell twice because of the prideful ambition of its people. By the end of the first century, the city was a shadow of its former glory, holding on to what it had lost, but limiting its own growth and prosperity. 

Culturally, Sardis was also known to be a major center for wool production and fabric dyeing. Some sources I found indicated that it was invented in Sardis. While I did not verify that claim, it is something fascinating to think about considering Revelation 3:4. It was also a place where Pagan rituals were regularly practiced in the Temple of Artemis, which would have required a massive amount of clean robes for the people who lived there. 

One of the more fascinating things that I found was how ancient Greek and Roman cities, such as Sardis, kept official records of citizenship. Criminals and anyone who died were physically erased from official records. I will say that this claim is not exclusive to Sardis, but the fact that we have Revelation 3:5 indicates there is some connection to the city. I don’t know if I like the idea of my loved ones or even criminals being wiped from existence.

Something that was made abundantly clear to me about the seven churches in Revelation is that the messages sent to them in scripture are directly tied to their history and culture. In Sardis, their primary enemy was not an external force like it was in Pergamum or even internal heresies like it was in Thyatira. The city was an enemy to itself, and they needed to wake up and understand that things weren’t going to change until they fell again.

This city was filled with compromises. While archaeology and history show a thriving population to the world, internally they were lifeless, self-centered, and filled with pride. There were a few who remained faithful, and the promises they received offered a substantial reward for their courage to stand firm.  That is something worth keeping a watchful eye on. 

Sardis is a great reminder that reputation and reality are not the same thing. They had everything: wealth, prestige, strategic placement, and even imperial favor. But those things mean nothing without the right focus on them. Sardis teaches us that our spiritual strength isn’t just maintained, it is something we exercise daily so that it pushes us deeper into faith. 

 ~ Biography ~

Matthew James Elliott (M.J. Elliott) is a passionate writer who loves to encourage and inspire others. He served in various ministry roles for over 15 years, which gave him a unique perspective on people and Biblical History. Matthew holds a degree in Biblical Studies from Oklahoma Wesleyan University, with a focus on Pastoral Care, Christian Education, and Worship.

Matthew is married and has three wonderful children who bring him immense joy and inspiration. One of his favorite things to do with them is to share stories they can someday learn from. When writing a story, he aspires to minister to others with love, equip them with encouragement, and use the gift God has given him as a writer to help readers experience God in a real and meaningful way.

Find Matthew on Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, BookBub, and His Website. He has written Devotionals, An Episodic Series, Novellas, and Commentaries for The Gospel Daily.

~ Highlighted Release ~

If you're curious about The Hope of Inheritance, or any of my books, you can keep up with me on Facebook. You can also read my episodic content on REAM Right Now! The Ephesus Pages, Mysteries in Ephesus (Season 2) is available there for free to my followers. I will be releasing more content there soon.

~~~

In the aftermath of the Great Fire of 64 AD, Rome lies in ruins. Emperor Nero and his ruthless Prefect of the City, Lysias, unleash a wave of persecution that threatens the very existence of the early church.

Nathaniel, a seasoned scribe and longtime companion of Luke, records the journeys that will shape the future of the faith as it was taught by those who walked with Christ. They are known as The Founders.

From the destruction of Colossae to the tribulations in Ephesus… From the Council of Corinth to the shattered streets of Rome… Nathaniel and his brother Zadok witness courage, betrayal, and the final days of two of the greatest founders — Peter and Paul.

Four men are chosen.

Their message will change everything.

Hope will rise again.

Lulu Bell Parr - Wild West Champion by Nancy J. Farrier

Lulu Bell Parr_Photo by Terry Baer

We’ve all heard of the famous cowgirls, Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane. We know of their prowess with guns and horses, and the way they made a name for themselves in an era when women weren’t know to have such skills. One of the lesser known women who had a claim to fame in the time period is Lulu Bell Parr.

Lulu grew up in Indiana. Her parents died when she was very young, probably 3-years-old. She and her brother went to live with an aunt and uncle in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Living on their farm, Lulu fell in love with the animals and became a skilled rider by the time she was eight-years-old. 

Although not much is known about Lulu’s early years, she left home in 1903 and joined the Pawnee Bill Wild West Show. She had skill in doing trick riding and shooting guns, but she excelled at riding bucking broncos. She seemed to have a knack for riding an unbroken horse and the people who flocked to the shows loved to watch her. At one point she was titled, “Champion Lady Bucking Horse Rider of the World.”

In 1908, Lulu left Pawnee Bill’s show and joined Colonel Cummins Wild West Brighton Tour. She wanted the chance to go to Europe and perform there. The highlight of her trip was the chance to perform in front of King Edward in England. 

Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill

The following year, Lulu left Colonel Cummins because she had the chance to be part of the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Back in the United States, she traveled with Buffalo Bill until 1913. Buffalo Bill was so taken with Lulu that he presented her with an ivory handled colt with the words engraved, “Buffalo Bill Code to Lulu Parr – 1911.”

In 1916, Lulu moved back to the Pawnee Bill show, but the popularity of the Wild West shows was beginning to wane. Until her retirement in 1929, she went from one small time show to another. By the time she retired at fifty-three, she was broke.

Photo by Terry Baer

Lulu went to Ohio and lived with her brother and his wife. She often entertained neighborhood children with her stories of the wild west and the adventures she’d experienced. She collected mementos from her time with the shows. Lulu’s outfits that she wore were intricate and colorful. Lulu died in 1960 from a stroke.

Have you ever heard of Lulu Bell Parr? While most of us have heard of Buffalo Bill, have you ever heard of Pawnee Bill or Colonel Cummings? I would love to hear your thoughts.  

Nancy J. Farrier is an award-winning, New York Times best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.