Tuesday Mona Gobalek gave a one woman show to a packed auditorium at Chattanooga City High School 
Center for Creative Arts. She combined her Emmy nominated talent as a classical pianist and her vividly emotional monologue from her book Children of Willesden Lane.
The evening was part of the Facing History curriculum that is taught at the Center for Creative Arts high school. Facing History program has been operating since 1976. Its approach is to" offer an interdisciplinary approach to citizenship education that connects the history of the Holocaust and other examples of genocide to the moral questions young people face in their own lives.
This program is part of the Community Conversations series sponsored by Allstate Foundation, which brings "prominent scholars, authors, filmmakers, and policy leaders to speak." The goal is to explore issues of civic responsibility.
Mona Golabek's mother was a child refuge from Nazi Germany. Her book The Children of Willesden Lane is her account of her mother's story.
It is a story of a Jewish family living in Germany during World War II who has the opportunity to send one of their three teenage children on the Kinder Transport to safety out of Germany. The other two were to stay in Germany with the parents to face the Nazi threat.
It is a story of a 14 year old girl put on a train to leave her family and home, to travel with complete strangers, afraid, uncertain, alone.
It is a story of that girl rising out of a life as a boarder in a Jewish hostel with dozens of other children refuges.
It is a story of these children supporting each other through nights of German bombing in London.
It is a story of hope and love, and the gift of music.
Richard Smith
American Acceptance Mortgage, Inc
Toll Free 888-474-9920 Cell 423-280-0345
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I can't image the distress affected these kids. Breaking up a family is just heartbreaking. Wonderful that she rose above this to be such a success and shares her stories. We should count our blessings.
Richard Smith, cutlural denizen? Who knew. I am constantly amazed!\
Bo
Virginia,
It is heart wrenching to think of choosing 1 of your three daughters to live. Cannot imagine.
Those decisions were made in Nazi Germany. I think it was in Sophie's Choice that a similar decision was portrayed.
Richard
Bo,
Not sure that denizen accurately describes my cultural life, but Chattanooga certainly has a lot to offer in that way. It is hard not to catch something every once in a while. I did miss the Chattanooga Symphony playing Beethoven's 9th this week.
Richard