92 Herschel
Herschel was a 17-year old Jewish youth who lived in a small village on the outskirts of Germany in the early 1930s. He had come to believe in Jesus Christ as his Savior from listening to the preaching of a missionary from England. However, he was immediately disowned by his family for his newfound beliefs and received death threats from the other villagers.
Herschel fled for his life and hopped aboard a freight train bound for who knows where. He didn’t know where to go, but he knew he could not return home. Herschel wandered around and lived the life of a hobo, struggling to survive.
Eventually, Herschel chanced upon a group of traveling gypsy performers who would set up tents for circus acts and other curious shows just outside of small towns. Herschel found himself in unusual company. There was a bearded lady, a chicken geek, an elderly magician, twin jugglers, a trapeze artist, but the most unusual individual to Herschel was an albino girl name Anya. She was a pretty little girl with platinum white hair, red eyes, and pale skin. She wore a white robe to accentuate her features.
The gypsies offered Herschel a job, which Herschel gladly accepted. He had no other prospects and jumped at the opportunity for steady work and three square meals, unusual company notwithstanding. Herschel’s duties included helping set up the tents, feeding the horses, chopping firewood, and promoting the gypsy circus to curious onlookers.
Every evening Herschel would tell the gypsies stories over the campfire as they ate dinner together. Though he admittedly did not know much, he would share his faith in Jesus and recite the few stories from the Gospel he learned from the English missionary. Herschel would also share stories about his family and life in his village.
The most attentive listener to Herschel’s stories was Anya. Being an orphan, she loved to hear Herschel’s stories about his family and about Jesus. In fact, she would always ask Herschel to recite John 14:1-3 to her nightly, the only Bible verses he memorized.
Herschel had only planned to stay with the gypsies for a few months and earn enough money to move on. Herschel was very homesick and wanted to return home to his village and his family. There were times he felt so alone at night. However, he did come to enjoy the gypsies’ company and the months turned to years.
In the late 1930s, the Nazi movement in Germany came into power and the Nazis began persecuting anyone who did not fit their ideal image of the “pure Aryan race.” One day, while Herschel was chopping wood on a hill near the gypsy camp, he saw drunken hooligans wander into camp. His face grew pale as he saw the Nazi swastika armbands on them. The hooligans started causing trouble and tearing up the camp. They were yelling curses and slurs at the gypsies and roughing up everyone in sight.
Herschel’s first instinct was to run. He knew the peaceful gypsies stood no chance against these hooligans. However, Herschel couldn’t bring himself to leave the gypsies in this situation. Herschel picked up a log and came running and hollering into camp. He knocked down a couple of the hooligans and drove them away.
Like most bullies, the hooligans turned cowardly when they saw determined resistance against them. They ran out the camp. However, one hooligan, angry at his fun being spoiled, took out a handgun as he was running away and aimed it squarely at Anya’s head. Anya was frozen with fear when she saw the gun.
Herschel saw what was about to happen, ran as hard as he could and knocked Anya to the side as the gun was fired. Herschel took the bullet right in the chest and fell on the ground.
Anya slowly got up and saw Herschel lying on the ground in a pool of blood. She cried out at the sight and rushed over to Herschel’s side. She tried to put her little hands over the wound in Herschel’s chest, but she could not stop the bleeding. She tried using her robe to stop the bleeding, but to no avail, as her robe became stained crimson with blood.
Anya cried bitterly over Herschel as the gypsies somberly gathered around them. Anya cried out, “Oh Herschel, oh Herschel! I am so sorry! This is all my fault! Now you are never going to see your family because of me!”
As Anya’s tears gently fell on Herschel, he slowly reached out with his hand and lovingly clasped Anya’s blood-stained hand.
“Dearest Anya,” Herschel whispered tenderly, “I’m sorry, but you are wrong. My family was here the entire time. All of you are family, especially you, Anya.”
Herschel then let go of Anya and died with a gentle smile. Anya and the gypsies never forgot Herschel and his sacrifice. Anya kept Herschel’s stories alive in her heart and continued reciting them to the gypsies every night. As she grew older, she decided to search out this Jesus Herschel kept talking about, for whom Herschel gave up everything to believe in.
Anya eventually found some Christians at a town and asked them to teach her about Jesus. She soon accepted Christ into her life and became baptized. She shared her faith with the other gypsies and in time they became baptized.
Anya eventually found the village Herschel talked so much about. She came to Herschel’s family and told them of Herschel’s great sacrifice for her and her brethren gypsies. She shared with them the love of Jesus that inspired him, which in turned inspired her to find them. Herschel’s family was so moved by Anya’s testimonial that they wanted to learn more. A few months later, Herschel’s family was baptized into the family of Jesus. Anya praised God and looked forward to the day when there will be a big happy family reunion in heaven.
- Recommended reading: John 14:1-3
