When The World Was Ours

Leo and his mama get a letter from Papa, dated a year ago. Despite the date, they are relieved and elated to hear from him at all. The letter states that Papa is still in the camp but is happy and well-treated. He lies to Leo, telling him that Max asked after him and hopes that he is well. Leo and his mother are filled with a renewed sense of hope, and Leo finds that he can enjoy his day. He thinks about writing to Max again and hopes that Max will get to meet his new friends one day. Leo goes to play a game of soldiers with his friends, in which they pretend to be fighting in the war. Leo considers it to be just a game, and he doesn’t mind pretending to be a Nazi for the sake of fun.

The Jewish people who live in the tenement together are occasionally visited by a member of the Judenrat, the Jewish Council that has been appointed to send messages between the Nazi regime and the Jewish community. Just as Greta and Elsa are playing and laughing together, a man arrives to tell everyone living in the apartment (four families in one unit) that they are being moved somewhere else. He claims that it will be safe and that they will be allowed to stay together, but he doesn’t have any more information. Greta’s face sinks as she returns to her parents, and Elsa reflects that she only has a few belongings left to pack.

Max plays a game called Nazis versus Jews with his friends and thinks about his eagerness to finally become an official Hitler Youth and serve the leader. Every time he plays soldiers, he considers it an opportunity to train. He doesn’t have any best friends among his group, so that common goal is what keeps him going. Max insists on playing the Nazi in the game and berates, insults, and commands his friend who pretends to be “a dirty Jew” (206). By the time the game is over, Max’s friend looks deflated. Max believes that he is becoming a great soldier. He vows to never be on the other side in this particular game.

The next morning, Elsa, her family, and everyone else living in the area are forced out of their homes and marched down the streets to the train station. Along the way, people bump into one another, and anyone who tries to ask for water or a break is taken away and beaten. Otto struggles with his limp, and Elsa manages to catch up with Greta, which brings her mild comfort. Soldiers walk alongside the group of about 1,000 people, and the trek seems to take hours. When they reach the train station, everyone is made to empty their suitcases and surrender their valuables. One man who tries to hide something is taken away, but Elsa dares to fold up her photograph and slips it inside her sweater. Her mother is forced to give up her wedding ring, and Elsa’s father promises to get her a new one someday. Everyone is crammed into train carriages and packed together so tightly that they can barely move. Elsa wonders if they will have enough oxygen to last the journey, and as people cry out for their families in the dark, Elsa compares them all to “animals in the wild, bleating and crying” (215). Elsa does not know what lies ahead, but one man dares to ask where they are going. A soldier answers that they are headed to Theresienstadt (a concentration camp). He assures them that they will be happy and kept away from the war, and Elsa starts to hope once again that her life may actually improve.

It is Max’s 14th birthday and a party is planned for him in celebration of the fact that he is now old enough to officially join the Hitler Youth and learn to be a soldier. Max looks forward to learning how to dig trenches, throw grenades, and use guns. A few of his friends are invited over and they all look the same, each with oiled, parted hair and in uniform. Max’s father cracks a joke with him, making Max feel that he is finally being treated like a man. Everything about the day is wonderful. It is so wonderful, in fact, that Max is reminded of Leo’s ninth birthday, when they all rode the Ferris wheel. On that day, Max felt a different sort of joy that was more carefree. Now, he tries to stop himself from remembering, but that night, he goes into his room and pulls out the photograph of that day. Max feels like he is transported back to that moment, and he suddenly feels that his current life is fraudulent and meaningless in comparison to the friendships he used to have. Suddenly, Max’s father appears, and Max lies to him about the photograph, saying that he was intending to burn it. Max’s father thinks for a moment before leaving and returning with a bundle of letters, all addressed to Max from Leo. He orders Max to burn both the letters and the photograph, and although Max feels like crying, he pushes his emotions down and does as he is told. In doing so, Max shuts the door on his old life, and his father calls him a man.

In geography class, each student has an opportunity to pick a country on the map and talk about it. Leo bravely decides to point to Austria, telling the class that he was born there. That life seems like a distant memory or a dream to Leo now, but telling the world that this life once existed helps to revive its memory. The teacher is surprised to hear that Leo isn’t from England, as his accent is now nonexistent. Afterward, Leo expects to be teased, but nothing happens, and he starts to realize that he finally fits in.

The school regularly holds air raid drills, in which they have to quickly and calmly escape to a bunker. During one such drill, Daniel invites Leo to see Bambi on the weekend, and Leo agrees. During the movie on Saturday, Leo manages to make friends with a girl named Annie, who has a crush on him. One day, Leo helps his mother put up wallpaper in their new apartment. They recently moved out of the Stewarts’ place, deciding that it was time to be more independent. While setting up their new home, Leo and his mother cannot help but think of Papa, who is not with them. Leo’s mama cries, and Leo comforts her. He wants to cry too but tries to be strong since his father is not there. He assures her that Papa will join them one day and that they must never stop hoping. Leo’s mama calls him a “good man” (238) and they hug.

Elsa dreams that she is on the Ferris wheel with Max and Leo. It is crowded like the train carriages on the way to the concentration camp, but with a much warmer and happier atmosphere. Elsa awakens to the sound of her mother urging her to attend roll call; she is worried that Elsa will be tagged for transport to an unknown place if she is late. Elsa no longer remembers her life before the camp, except when she dreams. She does not remember what it is like to have clean clothes, a proper bed, or a decent meal. She is now with her mother and Greta, but Otto and her father are in the men’s camp and aren’t allowed to interact with them. A letter from Elsa’s Vati passes through various hands and makes its way to them. The letter reassures Elsa and her mother that her father and Otto are fine. Elsa throws the note away immediately, not wanting to be caught with it.

During roll call, two men who attempted to write letters to their wives are taken out and whipped in front of the group. Everyone is forced to watch; if they refuse, they will suffer the same consequences. To avoid becoming sick, Elsa thinks about good things, like her mother, Greta, and the potato that her mother was able to sneak from the kitchen a few days ago. Elsa is also glad that she destroyed her own letter. She and Greta don’t play anymore, but they talk and comfort one another, and they also take care of a cat that has made its home at the camp. During mealtime, Elsa watches as many of the women scrape the pots and tables for any extra morsels of food. To restore their dignity, Elsa’s mother tells her not to watch, which makes Elsa think about how the world has turned its back on them. The guards lie and hide the abuses, but nobody makes much effort to investigate abuses anyway.