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Edith Stein and Companions
On the same summer day in 1942, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and hundreds of other Catholic Jews were arrested in Holland by the occupying Nazis. One hundred thirteen of those taken into custody, several of them priests and nuns, perished at Auschwitz and other concentration camps. They were murdered in retaliation for the anti-Nazi pastoral letter written by the Dutch Catholic bishops.
While Saint Teresa Benedicta is the most famous member of this group, having been canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1998, all of them deserve the title of martyr, for they were killed not only because they were Jews but also because of the faith of the Church, which had compelled the Dutch bishops to protest the Nazi regime. Through extensive research in both original and secondary sources, P.W.F.M. Hamans has compiled these martyrs' biographies, several of them detailed and accompanied by photographs. Included in this volume are some remarkable conversion stories, including that of Edith Stein, the German philosopher who had entered the Church in 1922 and later became a Carmelite nun, taking the name Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.
Several of the witnesses chronicled here had already suffered for their faith in Christ before falling victim to Hitler's "Final Solution," enduring both rejection by their own people, including family members, and persecution by the so-called Christian society in which they lived. Among these were those who, also like Sister Teresa Benedicta, perceived the cross they were being asked to bear and accepted it willingly for the salvation of the world. Illustrated
While Saint Teresa Benedicta is the most famous member of this group, having been canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1998, all of them deserve the title of martyr, for they were killed not only because they were Jews but also because of the faith of the Church, which had compelled the Dutch bishops to protest the Nazi regime. Through extensive research in both original and secondary sources, P.W.F.M. Hamans has compiled these martyrs' biographies, several of them detailed and accompanied by photographs. Included in this volume are some remarkable conversion stories, including that of Edith Stein, the German philosopher who had entered the Church in 1922 and later became a Carmelite nun, taking the name Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.
Several of the witnesses chronicled here had already suffered for their faith in Christ before falling victim to Hitler's "Final Solution," enduring both rejection by their own people, including family members, and persecution by the so-called Christian society in which they lived. Among these were those who, also like Sister Teresa Benedicta, perceived the cross they were being asked to bear and accepted it willingly for the salvation of the world. Illustrated
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First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 26, 2013
I expected a real big biography of the Stein sisters. And I did not know that this book was in fact a collection of biographies and Stein sisters were one among them. That was revealing. But I can not say that this could offer much into the spiritual insights that one gathers normally from such biographies of the saintly persons.
This book tells in a brief manner the life stories of some Catholic Jews who lost their lives during the World War II directly as a result of the German persecution of the Jews. The Germans had not made the Catholic Jews their targets earlier. And the change was effected by the Bishops of Netherlands who openly condemned the Nazi persecution of Jews. As an counter attack the Catholic Jews were also targeted and were killed in Auschwitz. This whole historical situation is given in the first chapter itself. The remaining chapters talk of some killed Catholic Jews on whom some details could be collected. Each person is given a chapter. And the details of early life and their path to faith are given less space and the last events (the arrest and the subsequent journey towards death) takes much space. The reason is obvious. The details of later days were easy to get and the earlier ones were not that easy. Thus most of the time it gives a grim feeling. You read and then you already expect the tragedy.
But there are few information that are much revealing and spiritually nourishing. Many of the Jews who became Catholics had to undergo separation from their families and friends. They were seen as deserters. Many were looked down as an outsider by their own family members. And still they held to the new faith/true faith that they found. What gave them that strength was their love for Jesus. They even gave their lives knowing very well that they were victims of instinctive revenge taken by the Nazi against the Catholic Bishops. Many of them gave courage to the fellow travelers and making them prepared to give their lives for the conversion of Jews.
Last Note: One Nun's(a Catholic Jew) last recorded words are (when she was arrested she told them to the superior): Now the Old Testament suffers for the New.
This book tells in a brief manner the life stories of some Catholic Jews who lost their lives during the World War II directly as a result of the German persecution of the Jews. The Germans had not made the Catholic Jews their targets earlier. And the change was effected by the Bishops of Netherlands who openly condemned the Nazi persecution of Jews. As an counter attack the Catholic Jews were also targeted and were killed in Auschwitz. This whole historical situation is given in the first chapter itself. The remaining chapters talk of some killed Catholic Jews on whom some details could be collected. Each person is given a chapter. And the details of early life and their path to faith are given less space and the last events (the arrest and the subsequent journey towards death) takes much space. The reason is obvious. The details of later days were easy to get and the earlier ones were not that easy. Thus most of the time it gives a grim feeling. You read and then you already expect the tragedy.
But there are few information that are much revealing and spiritually nourishing. Many of the Jews who became Catholics had to undergo separation from their families and friends. They were seen as deserters. Many were looked down as an outsider by their own family members. And still they held to the new faith/true faith that they found. What gave them that strength was their love for Jesus. They even gave their lives knowing very well that they were victims of instinctive revenge taken by the Nazi against the Catholic Bishops. Many of them gave courage to the fellow travelers and making them prepared to give their lives for the conversion of Jews.
Last Note: One Nun's(a Catholic Jew) last recorded words are (when she was arrested she told them to the superior): Now the Old Testament suffers for the New.
January 20, 2020
While the story of Edith Stein is somewhat well-know, this book goes into the lives of other Catholic Jews who were arrested at the same time and most were killed on the same day as Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. This book is not intended to provide an in-depth biography of Edith Stein. Mostly this book provides, as much as possible, a biography of those who were mostly arrested and executed as retaliation regarding the Dutch Bishop’s pastoral letter.
This book includes a list of eighty-three persons, which is probably not a complete list. This list included thirty-one men and fifty-two women. This included two priests, two brothers, six women religious, and two third-order members.
What I found very interesting was the story of the lives of these people who for the most part were adult converts to the Catholic faith. They often had difficult lives because of their decision being ostracized by their families. This runs parallel to the life of Edith Stein and her sister. Parts of this book is repetitive as far as events go, but the effort is to provide biographies for as many people as they were able to. I am glad to know these stories now, as heart-wrenching as they are.
Some were caught by surprise to some extent regarding their arrest. Others though seemed to have been preparing for this and offering their lives as a sacrifice for the conversion of others - a common thread.
Since this was in retaliation to the Dutch Bishop’s letter I found some of there responses to this intriguing.
“She recounted, among other things, that the leaders of the camp had said to the prisoners who were religious sisters and brothers “You know, after all, that you can thank the bishops for your fate.” The religious had answered, “We thank God that we have such bishops, and we gladly suffer for our Holy Church.”
”In her last letter to her confessor, Father Matthias Frehe, O.P., Dr. Lisamaria Meirowsky writes from the Westerbork concentration camp on August 6:“
”I want to send you a last greeting and to tell you that I am full of confidence and wholly surrendered to God’s holy will. Even more, I consider it a grace and election to have to leave under these circumstances and in this way to give witness to the words of our fathers and shepherds in Christ… . I go with courage, confidence, and joy, as do the religious who go with me. We are permitted to bear witness to Jesus, and with our bishops we are allowed to bear witness to the truth. We go as children of our Mother, the Church, and want to unite our suffering with that of our King, Redeemer, and Bridegroom. We want to offer our suffering for the conversion of many, for the Jews, for those who persecute us: thereby we want to contribute to peace in the Kingdom of Christ."
This book includes a list of eighty-three persons, which is probably not a complete list. This list included thirty-one men and fifty-two women. This included two priests, two brothers, six women religious, and two third-order members.
What I found very interesting was the story of the lives of these people who for the most part were adult converts to the Catholic faith. They often had difficult lives because of their decision being ostracized by their families. This runs parallel to the life of Edith Stein and her sister. Parts of this book is repetitive as far as events go, but the effort is to provide biographies for as many people as they were able to. I am glad to know these stories now, as heart-wrenching as they are.
Some were caught by surprise to some extent regarding their arrest. Others though seemed to have been preparing for this and offering their lives as a sacrifice for the conversion of others - a common thread.
Since this was in retaliation to the Dutch Bishop’s letter I found some of there responses to this intriguing.
“She recounted, among other things, that the leaders of the camp had said to the prisoners who were religious sisters and brothers “You know, after all, that you can thank the bishops for your fate.” The religious had answered, “We thank God that we have such bishops, and we gladly suffer for our Holy Church.”
”In her last letter to her confessor, Father Matthias Frehe, O.P., Dr. Lisamaria Meirowsky writes from the Westerbork concentration camp on August 6:“
”I want to send you a last greeting and to tell you that I am full of confidence and wholly surrendered to God’s holy will. Even more, I consider it a grace and election to have to leave under these circumstances and in this way to give witness to the words of our fathers and shepherds in Christ… . I go with courage, confidence, and joy, as do the religious who go with me. We are permitted to bear witness to Jesus, and with our bishops we are allowed to bear witness to the truth. We go as children of our Mother, the Church, and want to unite our suffering with that of our King, Redeemer, and Bridegroom. We want to offer our suffering for the conversion of many, for the Jews, for those who persecute us: thereby we want to contribute to peace in the Kingdom of Christ."
February 7, 2012
This book consists of biographies of Catholic Jews who perished at Auschwitz at the time St. Edith Stein, another Catholic Jew, was murdered. She knew some of those included in this book. Their deaths were in revenge to Archbishop Jong's letter, demanding just treatment of Jews, that he required to be read at each parish in the Netherlands. Amazingly, these sainted souls did not harbor bitterness toward him. In fact, at least one of them sent word to him not to feel guilty. This is a great title to read during Lent.
October 18, 2018
More than twenty testimonies of Jewish Christians, all of whom met an untimely end along with their famous sister, Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross), offers a stark reminder of the life-and-death consequences that can result when the powers of evil are called out by the powers of Good.
And yet, they are also a solemn testimony to the graces that are available to those who are willing to take up their cross and follow not just some empty ideology, but the footsteps of Christ himself.
St. Teresa Benedicta, pray for us.
And yet, they are also a solemn testimony to the graces that are available to those who are willing to take up their cross and follow not just some empty ideology, but the footsteps of Christ himself.
St. Teresa Benedicta, pray for us.
February 21, 2024
Listened to this book through FORMED.
“Now the Old Testament suffers for the New.” This book recounts the lives of Jews who converted to Catholicism and suffered both ostracization from their families and death under the Nazi regime.
“Now the Old Testament suffers for the New.” This book recounts the lives of Jews who converted to Catholicism and suffered both ostracization from their families and death under the Nazi regime.
February 8, 2020
What an eye opener for both Catholic and Jewish faiths.
September 9, 2024
Very insightful and informative on how what lead to so many Catholic Jews being martyred. Definitely recommend.
December 30, 2014
I took Edith Stein as my confirmation saint when I entered the Church in 1998. My wiseacre reason is that I wanted a new saint who had a light caseload and time for a high-maintenance protege, but there are several more serious factors. I came into the Catholic Church in part by way of a whirlwind romance with Judaism. I was on the verge of conversion when I realized that I loved the prayers and rituals not only because of their deep beauty, but because they connected me to Jesus in a more tangible way. I have also, since I was a child, been horrified by and drawn to the stories of the Holocaust -- the contrast between the darkest and the best of human nature that can perhaps only be seen so clearly at Auschwitz. That's perhaps a digression, but I wanted to explain why Stein and the other Catholic martyrs of the Nazis are so dear to me.
This book is a translation of a work originally published in Dutch. Hamans describes how, in July 1942, Dutch Catholics heard read at Mass a letter strongly condemning Nazi actions against the Jews. In direct, verified retaliation for that letter, Catholics of Jewish background (previously harassed but not detained or transported) were rounded up and transported to the death camps. The best known of these are St. Edith and her sister Rosa, but Hamans tells more detailed stories of about a dozen more individuals and families, and lists, in an appendix, many more, all converts to the Catholic faith from Judaism or Catholic children of such converts. Many were priests or vowed religious. Most were killed in Auschwitz on or around August 9, St. Edith's feast day, though some survived a bit longer.
There is a certain amount of repetition in the book, which the late Dr. Ralph McInerny, in his preface to the English work, rightly describes as a kind of litany for these martyrs.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough for people who have an interest in this historical era, or the complex relationship between Catholicism and Judaism. (Note, too, that this book gives one possible answer to the often-asked question, "Why did the authorities of the Church not speak out more strongly and publicly?" This book documents the human toll of speaking out rather than working in secret.
This book is a translation of a work originally published in Dutch. Hamans describes how, in July 1942, Dutch Catholics heard read at Mass a letter strongly condemning Nazi actions against the Jews. In direct, verified retaliation for that letter, Catholics of Jewish background (previously harassed but not detained or transported) were rounded up and transported to the death camps. The best known of these are St. Edith and her sister Rosa, but Hamans tells more detailed stories of about a dozen more individuals and families, and lists, in an appendix, many more, all converts to the Catholic faith from Judaism or Catholic children of such converts. Many were priests or vowed religious. Most were killed in Auschwitz on or around August 9, St. Edith's feast day, though some survived a bit longer.
There is a certain amount of repetition in the book, which the late Dr. Ralph McInerny, in his preface to the English work, rightly describes as a kind of litany for these martyrs.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough for people who have an interest in this historical era, or the complex relationship between Catholicism and Judaism. (Note, too, that this book gives one possible answer to the often-asked question, "Why did the authorities of the Church not speak out more strongly and publicly?" This book documents the human toll of speaking out rather than working in secret.
June 12, 2014
Not an easy book to read, either in subject matter or structure. Fr. Paul Hamans has compilied brief biographies on the Dutch Jewish converts to Catholicism who, alongside St. Edith Stein, were sent to concentration camps. Their deportation was revenge on the part of the Nazis for Dutch bishops' denunciation of the occupying forces' treatment of Jews. Some chapters were biographies of individuals, while others were devoted to entire families who were rounded up (the Löb family was especially moving--six brothers and sisters, five in the religious life, and none were to survive).
While the individually-focused chapters help the reader keep track of who is being discussed, it does become difficult to separate them after having read a few. I found I "digested" the stories best only one or two at a time. Even so, I'm so glad the stories of these martyrs have been told, and that I've had the opportunity to read them.
While the individually-focused chapters help the reader keep track of who is being discussed, it does become difficult to separate them after having read a few. I found I "digested" the stories best only one or two at a time. Even so, I'm so glad the stories of these martyrs have been told, and that I've had the opportunity to read them.
April 29, 2011
Each chapter was about a different woman (nun). So only one chapter was about Edith Stein (Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross). It was rather a dry read, but then, it was a history book.
March 11, 2016
This was an inspiring book about one of my favorite saints. One thing that stood out to me was the dedication to prayer St. Teresa and her companions had in the midst of suffering.
July 18, 2017
Harrowing read....
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews