Crossroads Friends

May 15

One hour with Kevin is never enough for me, and never has been.

With our common interests, sensibilities, beliefs, and challenges, it is no surprise that we have always been able to spend hours together and enjoy all of it, even if we are doing nothing at all. If you have friendships like that, you know what I mean, and you know why I value Kevin so much.

It is also not a surprise that we already know that he needs to come back on the show - there is more to cover! Look for that to happen down the line, but in the meantime, here are a couple of things that came up for me during and after our episode:

My favorite line of his from the show: “Well, every town has its jackasses, doesn’t it?” I nearly spat up my water laughing; I think I hid it well, though.
His vitriol about the state of Manchester United didn’t surprise me at all, but it was still fun to listen to and see on Zoom. Tweaking Man U fans is like doing the same to NY Yankees fans; because they are consistently so dominant, in those rare times where they aren’t, the Haters Gotta Hate and pile on. It comes with the territory of dominating your particular sport, and I know Kevin is willing to take the abuse because he can always point to the full trophy case for the final word.

We also didn’t have nearly enough time for Kevin to share some of the firsthand accounts of Holocaust survivors that he includes in his book, "Soccer Under the Swastika” (there are so many amazing accounts - you really should pick up a copy to read all of them). So here is an abbreviated one for you (the account itself is in boldface below), including Kevin’s analysis from p. 270 of the 2016 edition:

"Young Dutch Holocaust survivor Louis de Wijze was just the right age to avoid being killed outright for being a Jewish child and thus deemed unworthy of life as the future of the Jewish people. Louis de Wijze was also a soccer player who made his debut for a top division side in Holland as a 17 year-old but soon after the occupation was deported to Kamp Westerbork. He stayed in the transit center about 18 months, earning an assignment to a favored labor detail in the camp where he was fed well, working his way into excellent physical condition. This conditioning later allowed de Wijze to endure starvation rations and murderous labor at Auschwitz-Monowitz, his destination after Westerbork. De Wijze admits that this combination of blind luck, endurance, and his own resourcefulness led to his survival when everyone around him died. De Wijze outlasted the vast majority who entered the camps at Westerbork, Auschwitz, and finally, Buchenwald. But his own admission in the following passage is tempered by another revelation long after the war:

Everyone lives for himself. Our one and all-encompassing credo is: Survive! Between the outer limits of life and death, previous values and norms lose their meaning, and our spiritual baggage gradually erodes. The only norm that counts is “I.” All our senses, thoughts, and deeds are used only for our own benefit. A large part of our previous vocabulary had disappeared. New meanings are filling the empty spaces. Nobody ever again talks about “stealing.” The way we manage to obtain extra bread, feet covers, better wooden shoes, or objects to swap through all kinds of creative ways is now called “organizing,” irrespective of whether you can call it “legal.”

That is how we live from day to day, from one piece of bread to the next bit of soup. We don’t think any farther than tomorrow; yesterday is gone. And when Sunday comes and your unit, thank God, doesn’t have to work that day, the hours slip away like water in your hand. Those who still can, walk in small groups through the camp. One day without yelling kapos, beating guards. But for most people, a single day to regain one’s strength is insufficient. Sunday, for a lot of people, is just a day to start worrying about Monday. When I put on my squeaky clean, freshly ironed soccer attire and walk on the pitch with my teammates, I feel incredibly privileged compared with the masses. During that hour and half of sports competition, nothing matters but the leather ball and the goal, just like old times.

Just a few pages later in this same memoir we learn that Louis de Wijze had passed a deadly selection (his second) at Auschwitz-Monowitz, only to step back in line after handing off his bundle of clothing to an emaciated Czech prisoner named “Hugo,” and pushing the stunned man back into the ‘line of life.’ Certain death would have followed his deception had he been caught.”

Powerful stuff, indeed, and without Kevin finding and recording these stories, they might not have ever become part of the historical record. Great job, Kev.

If you want to read and hear more about Kevin’s work, check out this article and this interview with National Public Radio about soccer legend Matthias Sindelar (a player who ended up being mentioned in my novel because I was introduced to him in Kevin’s book).

If you’ve never read Kevin’s book recommendation, Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search For Meaning, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Kevin also sent me this quote from the book that I think is worth remembering in our best and worst of times:

“The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action. . . . Man can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom, of independence of mind, even in such terrible conditions of psychic and physical stress. . . . There were always choices to make. . . . Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him. He many retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp.”

I hope you enjoyed the episode, and I look forward to later conversations with Kevin on the show. And, if you must choose an EPL team to support, choose Tottenham over ManU - the NY Yankees of Football don’t need any more love than they already get. Sorry not sorry, Kevin….

Tune in this week (May 16) for what will be another fascinating conversation, this time with Maria Bartlow and her daughter, Monica Franks, who will discuss their efforts to help find a kidney donation for their son / brother, Odin Bartlow, and what it is like going through the parental aging process together. I know you will find a lot in there with which to connect, and you can also help get the word out about Odin and help save his life. More on that coming up on my social media feeds and on this blog.

Thanks, and until then….

Chins Up, Everyone.

JD Wyneken

Crossroads Friends

For the Love of Odin

“Attaboy, Girl”