Jenny Kalsner

Hidden from the Sun: Memoir of a Hidden Child Jenny Kalsner

Jenny is four yers old when Beligium is occupied by Germany. Before long many restrictions are imposed on the Jews of Antwerp and most of the men have been sent to a work camp. By October 1944 there is hardly a Jew to be seen on the street. The family knows they must go into hiding. A young couple from the underground enters their lives and with the help of a convent priest, a woman from the underground dispatched to their home to make arrangements. Their move takes place under the cover of darkness, and with much difficulty, to a house in the Village of Mortsel where they will live for the next two years with four other Jews, never once to go outside.

Her story is told in a child's voice and through adult reflection. The active and restless child is limited both physically and emotionally as she is compelled to adapt to an artificial and narrow world of isolation rather than experience the activity and discovery of the outside world so longed for by a child of her age. She hears the neighborhood children play outside the window, but knows she must exercise self-control and stay still as a mouse and hiddent from view. The adult Jenny, now a grandmother, reflects on her journey in this memoire and tries to understand how these experiences have modulated her outlook and understanding of life.