Constantine's Sword

James Carroll learned the meaning of suffering at an early age. At the age of two, his brother who was only four contracted Polio. He would look at his brother and notice the bandages on his legs. When he would sleep, he would dream that they were his legs under the bandages and when he would wake up he would think he was the one who couldn't walk. He learned early, what suffering was. Later on in life he would be reminded of his brother's legs. The crucifixes all had his brother's legs and the nails were Jesus' polio. He was again reminded of his brother's legs the first time he saw pictures of the inmates of the concentration camps. That was also the first time he became aware of the slang term "Jew." He remembered hearing the term from his best friend Peter's parents. James and Peter were neighbors. The two boys were together all the time. Their parents though, never went beyond friendly neighbors. One day James was over at Peter's house and he was talking about how his father had joined the Belle Haven Country Club. He explained the fantastic swimming pool and invited all of Peter's family to come swimming and also told them they should join. Peter's parents responded with a simple "we don't go there." James was confused by their response and asked "why?" Their answer was "because it's a club and we're Jews." This was the first time James had heard the term Jew. He learned that Jewish was a synonym for unwelcome. He also learned that because of this difference Peter and himself were on the opposite side of the color line from each other. James' mom told James to live and let live. She agreed with James that the Seligmans were good people. James later on understood the quote as his mother's private rejection of the reigning Ca...

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...uldn't have lost loved ones, and their family heirlooms wouldn't be spread all throughout houses of other people. Most importantly, they might have never learned how closely they are related to Catholics. Catholics may have never changed from a religion that was complacent and just keeps quiet.

James Carroll taught me that Catholic and Jews are really not that far separated. They each had a hand in molding each others religious futures. He also taught me that the events of 1933 and 1945 are the necessary background for understanding why the Christian church needed to change, and why it did. My eyes have been opened to a whole new perspective on the Holocaust. This book, almost being a textbook read, allowed me to get information about the Holocaust n a way that wasn't an emotional response exclusively. It was a great mix of personal story and actual history.