Touch Wood Essay, Research Paper

“Touch Wood” by Ren e Roth-Hano

|Touch WoodX is based on the author+s own life when she was growing as a Jewish girl during the German invasion of France. In 1940, Ren e and her family were living in Alsace, France, where nothing ever changed. No one expected anything unusual to happen. Then one day, a war with Germany is announced on the radio. The Germans wanted to annex Alsace and forced the Jews to leave. France was split into two zones- the Free Zone and the German occupied zone. Ren e+s father chose for them to move to Paris, because it is a big city where he can find work, and also because Ren e+s mother has childhood friends there. So, Ren e, her parents, her two younger sisters, and their blind grandmother move into a crowded apartment in the German-occupied zone.

Ren e was disappointed in Paris when she arrived. She finds that everything seems to be smaller in Paris. Eventually, her new neighborhood becomes more of a home and helps Ren e to miss Alsace a little. Ren e+s parents had left Poland and then Hungary to find a freer, better life. They settled in France and thought they+d be safe. Then Adolf Hitler, a German man who hated Jewish people, started trouble all over again. First, seven synagogues were blown up. Then, the Germans created a curfew prohibiting Jews to go during certain hours. Any Jew caught in the street after curfew would be taken as hostage. Also, all Jewish people must wear a Star of David on their shirts. An ordinance is created requiring all Jewish firms to be registered. Then the Jewish are forbidden to go to most public places, and they are only allowed an hour to grocery shop. Suddenly, their family+s Jewish neighbors are being taken away one by one. Ren e+s family becomes fearful. At one point, they have to hide from the police. Ren e+s parents decide to take action. They have friends who know Mother Superior. They send Ren e and her sisters to a Catholic residence in Normandy until the war is over. Their father emphasizes for them not to tell anyone that they are Jewish. When they arrive in Normandy, they find a cozy bedroom, appetizing meals, and friendly people. Ren e has to deal with a nosy housekeeper, who could possibly uncover their secret. Ren e and her sisters love their new school, which is much more spacious and modern than the one in Paris. Ren e+s main concern is confusion over her religious identity. They must convert to Catholicism to perfect their disguise. Their parents have given permission for Ren e and her sisters to be baptized and to take their first communion. They decide to pray to the Catholic god to make the war end soon, to help the French and their Allies win the war, and to protect the Jews. Ren e becomes worried when she hears about the bombing of Paris, but she was relieved to hear that her parents were not affected. Then thirty young girls come from Paris to live in the residency where Mother Superior feels they will enjoy the fresh air and will be able to eat better than they did in Paris. Ren e+s life during the war was full of illnesses. First, her sisters and her suffer from scabies, a contagious disease that their doctor says he+s only seen in animals. When their mother comes to visit them, she must cut Ren e+s hair because of the nits in it. Then Ren e is sick in bed for a month with jaundice. It was a miracle that she recovered from it. Because her body wasn+t very resistant after recovering from jaundice, Ren e became infected with impetigo. Somehow she managed to overcome all of her illnesses. In 1944, the wine market being used by the Germans to store ammunition is bombed by the Allies. The fire spreads to several surrounding houses. Then the residence where they are living is bombed. They must flee their home. A farmer volunteers for them to live in his barn until they are safe. German soldiers are very close to the barn, for they can hear the troops singing. The bombshells are coming from the Germans, who refuse to surrender, and from the Allies, who continue to advance. Then two English Allies parachute down to them, reassuring them that the rest of the troop is on the way. A few days later, Ren e and some of the people who are staying with them go to see what the circumstances are. They arrive in time to see that the Germans are surrendering. Ren e and her sisters manage to get a ride back to their home in Paris from a Red Cross car. They arrive home, much to their parent+s surprise. Ren e becomes very concerned if she is Catholic anymore. Her parents are very glad to see her and her sisters. Ren e is changed forever by her wartime experiences.