7
A Friend Outside the Fence
Jill and Benjamin met in 1929 in 1st grade in Germany. Both were good, smart students that kept to themselves. A major difficulty in their friendship was that Benjamin was Jewish. Jill was a devout christian who respected Ben's beliefs, although she disagreed with them. She was constantly in a battle with herself about having a Jewish friend. The two became very close friends throughout elementary school, and graduated as straight A students. They were excited to find out that they would be going to the same middle school, so they would be able to stay in contact.
Jill and Benjamin kept in touch for a couple years. In 1933, Adolf Hitler rose to power, declaring that he was in search of the "master race." Jews were frowned upon, and the Nazi education plan set into place. In 1938, Jews were banned from schools. Jill remained in school, but Ben was not allowed to go to school anymore. This shocking news reached Jill, and she became worried for the safety for her friend. They decided to contact each other by mail. For a while, life seemed almost back to normal. Then, the Nazis also started to filter mail and read messages. The Nazis cracked down on every contact with Jews. Benjamin was also moved to a ghetto, a place where Jews were forced to live. One day, Jill's message was returned to her with a note saying that she wasn't allowed to be in contact with Jews. Jill was heartbroken. Life went on as normal for Jill, but she always had a bad feeling for Ben in the back of her head.
In 1939, news reached Jill that Benjamin was stationed at a concentration camp in Oranienburg, about 15 minutes from where she lived. This was another blow to her. She didn't know what to do. Jill wanted to help, but she didn't know how to get around the strict rules and Nazi patrols. As Jill was struggling about what to do, Ben was trying to stay alive. He had been separated from his familytripped of all clothes, and sent