Unknown heroes

Though they remain unknown, their sacrifices will never fade, for they live on in the goodness we bring to the world each day.

Terry Swartzberg, at home in the kitchen. Prepping for his “Shak-Off” — March 8, 2025. Photo © Terry Swartzberg 2025.

Today’s post has a very special guest writer: Julia Mainka, an eighth-grader from Hersbruck, Bavaria, Germany.

Terry Swartzberg is a “nice Jewish boy” from Wisconsin, who’s lived and worked in Munich for decades. In addition to his marketing endeavors, he also promotes German-Jewish-Muslim understanding in Munich, Berlin, and across Germany. He works with Stolpersteine (stumbling stones), JEWS (Jews Engaged With Society), and middle school and high school students. All while wearing his ubiquitous kippot.

Julia is one of Terry’s students. She graciously granted me permission to publish her poem here. This is what it’s all about.

---

UNKNOWN HEROES

When we think of World War Two and its countless victims
We picture the Jews, their children and shattered families,
Lives torn apart by hatred and war,
And the terror of living in a place ruled by fear.
But what about those who dared to question?
Those who believed every life held value,
Who stood against the tide of cruelty,
Risking all to help, despite the cost?
Their stories often vanish into silence,
But we speak of them now,
So they won’t fade into oblivion,
To provide the recognition they never received.
It took unimaginable courage to defy their own kind,
To resist the rulers who poisoned their minds with lies
Who preached that compassion was a crime.
“Jews are bad” they were told
“Quit mourning their deaths”
Many believed the lies
But others chose a different path.
They risked their lives to help in secret,
Saving strangers they had never met,
With no thought of glory or reward.
Shouldn’t their stories be told?
Told of the faces they never saw,
The hands they never held,
The voices they never heard
Chosen over their own safety
Their own lives.
It was a battle between heart and head
To help and risk death,
Or to stand by, haunted by regret.
Some were caught, punished, and killed
For daring to do what was right
In a world that had forgotten kindness.
They helped those labeled as worthless,
Cast aside as thieves and burdens,
Choosing humanity over fear.
Their sacrifices, though unseen,
Were monumental acts of defiance
In a world drowning in despair.
But so many remain unknown,
Their names lost to history.
Yet their actions were anything but small.
They traded their lives for the chance
To make the world a little less cruel,
A little less broken
Let us remember them
Not for their names or faces,
But for the light they brought
To the darkest of times.
They remind us of what it means to be human
To choose kindness when hatred reigns
To help others, even at great cost.
Their courage whispers to us still
A quiet call to stand for what is right,
To carry their legacy forward.
Though they remain unknown,
Their sacrifices will never fade,
For they live on in the goodness
We bring to the world each day.

---

© 2025 Julia Mainka. Please contact us for permission to quote. We will forward your request to Julia and Terry.

Why This Matters is a reader-supported publication. To receive emails regarding new posts and to support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I also understand completely if you cannot afford one. more. Substack. subscription. Tips are welcome too.

Photo by Tsuyoshi Kozu on Unsplash