Sal's Reflections

Repeatedly the phrase”‘change is difficult because it threatens a person’s
comfort zone” is found in every aspect of our lives. At first blush it makes sense
but on further scrutiny I am not sure it holds up,
My world originally encompassed a ten block area in the city but. as time went on the boundaries of mylife experience widened to an awareness of many places in and outside of America.New persons,occupations and a bevy of technological and societal changes were
helping to alter who I was becoming.The core was the same but all of those changes
continued and as time passed my comfort level adjusted. This reality is true of all human beings and we have the ability to change aspects of our lives that would bring new meaning and purpose.
I believe that life begins constantly at the end of our comfort zone.

I was having coffee this morning at my local bakery when an elderly woman noticed a copy of my book Hitler’s Priest” on the table. The title piqued her interest and she asked about the content, After a few minutes of conversation she rolled up her sleeve and showed me her tattoo.She had been as a child imprisoned at Theresenstadt with her Mother.She and her Mother through relatives in Chicago eventually made their way to America after liberation Her father and two brothers died in Auschwitz, as well as her grandparents, many cousins,aunts and uncles.The horror of that period never totally leaves her memory,but despite that pain she said”I have had a wonderful marriage and beautiful children and grandchildren”.She graciously thanked me for writing the book , and hoped that I would be showered with many blessings for keeping the memory of those that perished alive. To say that I was stunned by the incident would be the understatement of the century.

Underneath the facade of the fable that portrays New Yorkers as a group of marauding cretins lies the reality of caring. Every day in this city I see small acts of kindness.People stop strangers looking at a map asking if they need help.people on the subway often rise to give their seat to someone like me who has snow white hair other,play peek a boo with a small child in the grocery store.The stereotype of the hardened,pushy city warrior may be found if that’s the only model that exists in the media, but open your eyes and you wil lfind the best of the human spirit every day in this wonderful city.

As one moves through the cycles of life there is a tendency to collect a host of ideas that become the foundation for our daily behavior.Some of the ones of that are granite in my psyche are the following:
.

Happiness is found through relationships with others
.Kindness is never a sign of weakness
.The glass half full leads to filling the glass
.Less control of others brings freedom to all.
Giving always brings a harvest of gifts to the giver.
Self doubt gives way by taking risks.
Dreams often become reality when you will them.
Love is the ultimate force in the universe.
Forgiveness is the path to new growth.
Every person in my life matters.
Friendship is the backbone of a full life.
Legacy comes from caring about the entire community.
Smiling is good for face muscles and the soul.

Tonight I will be embraced by a wonderful group of  familyand friends who will honor the work of my current novel “Hitler’s Priest”.They have understood the passion that resides in my heart for my mentor Viktor Frankl, and all those that suffered in the Nazi era. This gathering is not really about me but rather about keeping the memory alive of those that suffered beyond imagination.This is not a quest for maudlin vengeance, but rather a reminder that if we cease to remember we not only fail to personalize the lives lost, but fail to prevent the results that racism continues to rain on society.Stereotypes and potential Holocausts have not evaporated in the world and those who seek to live in the light must continue to bring hope to those marginalized, by the bile of human prejudice.

I have been privileged to experience the love and devotion of many wonderful Fathers.
From my Dad I learned the joy of having fun, and seeing the glass as half full. He was
a dreamer that never surrendered the little boy within his spirit. From my father in law
I learned generosity of spirit and the quiet commitment to care for everyone that comes
into your life. He was truly a giant who provided whatever was needed. These two men
have passed their loving genes onto my son who everyday emulates the dedication they modeled.
Also my brothers Russ,Mark,Tom and Jay have also provided the world with wonderful caring
persons. To all of them I wish a Happy Fathers day.

Those who do not know the lessons of history or pay them no heed are destined to live them again. The history we are discussing is the history of Hitler’s Third Reich and the final Solution to exterminate all the Jews of Europe.

History tells the story very well and there are holocaust survivors still living and enough of us who still remember the liberation of the death camps. However, it takes the gif of art to put a human face on the inhumanity and horror of these events. Painting,sculpture, music, poetry, and fiction emphasize that the events of the Holocaust are not
just chapters in our history but events that resulted in the extermination of millions of Jews, intellectuals, clergy of every denomination, and all political dissidents throughout Europe. These are faces millions of people who were tortured and murdered.

Salvatore Tagliareni adds to that tradition of great art with his historical novel, Hitler’sPriest. The tale begins in northern Italy with brothers who experience a tragic hunting accident when the younger of the two loses his arm when his hunting rifle misfired. Thescene moves to Passau, Austria, where a brilliant young multilingual architect, Hans
Keller, comes under the influence of Josef Goebbels and the Minister of Propaganda and the power of Hitler’s vision for a renewed Germany. After confirming Keller’s allegiance to the mad vision of Hitler, Goebbels recruits him to accept ordination to the
Roman Catholic Priesthood in order to be Hitler’s mole inside the Vatican.

Italy was under the influence of Germany through an alliance with the Italian Fascist leader, Benito Mussolini. The Vatican had a concordat with Germany to try to protect the property of the Church. As the story evolves, the Vatican City State is caught between a rock and a hard place, the hatred of Nazism and the real threat to the people of the entire world. The Final Solution to exterminate Jews came to Italy late in the war and was stalled to some degree by stereotypical Italian intransigence that drove the Nazi’s crazy until they threatened to exterminate whole villages.

Tagliareni brilliantly interweaves the lives of his characters all of whom have a significant role in the story. The story details some of the atrocities of the Third Reich with such descriptive prose that I had to stop reading to wipe away tears. We must never let the world forget.

I have one disclaimer. Sal Tagliareni is my friend of more than forty years and we shared our student days and our association in Church ministry. He studied at Rome and enjoys the confidence and mentorship of the great psychotherapist, Victor Frankl, whose famous
work, Man’s Search for Meaning, grew from his own holocaust experience where he is the lone survivor from his entire family within the death camps. Sal’s story does honor to his mentor. This book is not only a “must read” but should be shelved in every household
so the story can be revisited, and passed on the children, grandchildren, and generations yet to come. We must never forget. Read this book. Your life will be enriched by it.

We on many occasions say under our breath or even out loud”I don’t have any other choice.” The matter may be trivial or one that bears significant consequence but the reality is that we always have a choice. No one has the luxury of having every aspect of life being simple and under control, but how we respond to any set of events or circumstances is always a choice. I have seen people handle the tiniest and the most consequential issues with the implementation of control, and they realized that there is always a choice.Today,tomorrow or somewhere down the road there may be bumps ..It is not pie in the sky to realize that no matter how tough the issue, you will always have a choice.

In the last few months I have had the intense experience of a cooperative venture. Writing a novel, it has been eye opening how many people have offered their services in order to finish the work on time.Friends have read it,others have offered plot lines and countless persons have provided positive reinforcment every step of the way. This has been complemented by the professionals who have treated the work with such devotion and respect. Last but not least are the authors who have assisted in the crafting of the final version.To all who have modeled such teamwork I say thank you..

There is a wonderful book written by Julia Cameron titled”The right to write”. Her main premise is that everyone should write at least three pages a day about any topic that interests them. Julia makes a strong case that time is not really an issue because even in the busiest of lives there is ample time to jot down one’s thoughts. She counsels that we not write with publication in mind, but rather to explore a host of ideas and thoughts that reside within us.Also she strongly urges that we not be prisoners to structure because the free flow of words will lead us somewhere. In the process we may find so many nuggets that will guide us to further opportunities.Let yourself go and don’t be afraid to put pen (or computer) to paper.