From this week's "True News" newsletter:
THIS WEEK'S HONORARY UNSUBSCRIBE goes to Kurt
Klein. A German Jew, Klein
grew up while his native country was growing
increasingly intolerant of
Jews. He had taught himself English by reading
about America, and when
he was 16 his parents sent him there. During
World War II, he joined
the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer to
help the fight against his
former homeland. In 1945, he helped liberate a
group of slave laborers
in Czechoslovakia. One, Gerda, who weighed just
68 pounds, later became
his wife. He also helped a group of escaped
male German prisoners to
safety; one of them was Oskar Schindler. After
retiring from the
printing industry, Klein and Gerda toured the
world to spread a message
of tolerance -- "how you can turn any horrible
degree of evil into
good," a friend said. Klein collapsed in
Guatemala during a lecture
tour, and died April 19 at age 81.
There's a chronology of his life here, on this PBS pageT, which reads a bit like Kavalier's bio from Kavalier & Klay.
The Gerda and Kurt Klein Foundation is still going strong, dedicated to ending racial intolerance and hunger through education.
"Our dream is to create the opportunity for young people to understand injustice in the world, and translate that understanding into positive action. The Gerda and Kurt Klein Foundation, which became operational in Spring 1998, promotes tolerance for differences, respect for others and the empowerment of students through education and community service."
Apparently, here's a guy who transduced - turned a world of shit into a big can of shinola. |
