I’m reading a book, published in 2003, by Louise Murphy, “Hansel and Gretel.”  Two Jewish children are taken in by an old lady outside a small Polish village during WWII.  They live under cruel Nazi terrorism.  The Poles take extreme measures themselves to stay alive and survive.

But amid the horror is a scene from Christmas Eve. Nelka, whose new born baby has been taken away from her by an SS Oberfurher, to control her, joins in telling the Christmas story in the “witch’s” hut.

Now listen children, listen.  “Mary and Joseph were given the gift of a child.  They were so poor that the babe was laid in a manger, and angels and shepherds and wise men came to see the beauty of the baby.  An evil king wanted to kill the child, but angels warned Joseph in a dream, and he put Mary and the baby on a donkey and fled into Egypt, so the evil king couldn’t kill his son.  The baby was saved and lived to grow up.  And he teaches us to be brave always and never lose hope.  Never.  Even when all the world wants to kill your innocent babe.  In the darkness of deep winter when everything is cold and dead, the babe is born, and God begins to walk in the world.  He walks for four months among us, and then he will be killed, and rise from the dead because there is no death.  Death will die in four months.

God cannot see the darkness that man has created and not throw out light to combat it.  He is walking in the world.”

“Are you sure Nelka?”

“Yes, Hansel.”

He knew that she would never lie to him.