Preface to Near the Danube Bridge

Persecution for one’s religious beliefs permeates world history. Horrific accounts are written regarding the price people have paid for their freedoms, including accounts of torture, rape, genocide, massacres, and more. Their sacrifices have been costly and often fatal. People who think differently from their governments have suffered horrendous punishments at the hands of tyrannical regimes who exercise despotic control over their societies, using propaganda and fear to program the minds of all who dare display defiance or indifference. Freedom exists as a fragile and precious commodity to people who narrowly escape lives of oppression and torture.

Those of us who cannot help but be dumbfounded at the mere existence as well as persistence of human suffering at the hands of dictatorships should never take religious liberty and political freedom for granted. History continues to repeat itself. As this book is being written, people are enduring persecution once again for their religions, ethnicities, and/or political stands in China, Russia, Ukraine, Africa, and many locations in the Middle East.

I swore never to be silent whenever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Whenever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the center of the universe. (Elie Wiesel, Nobel Prize acceptance speech)

This is the story of two families whose lives intertwined during World War II in the Banat region of Serbia, formerly part of Yugoslavia. It relates their hardships and triumphs and places emphasis on the role their religious faith played in their lives. Their strict Christian beliefs compelled them to resist communist rules yet preserved them from what, under many circumstances, should have led to certain death. Their adherence to what they believed were God’s laws gave them strength, provided protection, and ensured their denouement in a country free from tyranny. Their sacrifices ultimately secured their freedom when they met with the opportunity and privilege to immigrate to the United States of America.

This book honors the memory of Kalman Hartig, one who confronted persecution with resoluteness, while steadfastly holding to his devout standards during his imprisonment for being a conscientious objector. It serves as a testament to the fortitude of human nature while retaining the will to survive. Stories abound of courage, forbearance, integrity, and unrelenting faith held while suffering extreme cruelty. Believers in God often receive worse treatment than murderers and other criminals. Considered as threats to their governments, adherents to religious principles experienced and continue to endure punishments to break their spirits as well as change and control their minds. If both body and mind are subjected to extreme agony, communist control may presumably be sustained; however, extreme measures often produce opposite effects. The will to live while one clings to faith begets profound conclusions. Testimonies of devout religionists echo throughout historically grim times. Hermetic strength of mind dominates bodily travail. Kalman Hartig, a violinist and Seventh-day Adventist, embodied bravery, religious dauntlessness, as well as musical ingenuity. His story reveals what faith adherence as well as what the power of music may accomplish when persecution delivers unmitigated torment. Kalman Hartig persisted through horrific and seemingly unendurable travail and lived to relate his story to all who would listen. This narrative offers encouragement to avoid complacency regarding our freedoms and invites tolerance of religious faiths as well as ethnic backgrounds.