Gerard Friedenfeld, (center), with Henrietta and Rudolph Friedenfeld (parents) My husband’s father, Gerard Friedenfeld, was just 14 years old on April 12, 1939 when the Nazis invaded the refugee camp in Czechoslovakia where he, his family and 600 other Jews moved after being ordered from their homes in Lundenburg. During the occupation, Gerard, along with many other young men at the camp, were singled out by the soldiers. Gerard sustained a broken leg and ended up in the camp infirmary, which ultimately saved his life. While Gerard was still in the infirmary, two Earthly Angels arrived. Lola Hahn-Warburg and Nicholas Winton paid for Gerard's release. Soon thereafter he was loaded onto a train called, Kindertransport, meaning children’s transport, an organization founded in London in 1938. Kindertransport and its founder, Lola Hahn-Warburg, were responsible for saving 10,000 Jewish children from the Nazis and transporting them out of Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. Gerard was on the last Kindertransport train out of Czechoslovakia before the border was closed.
Gerard never saw his parents again. He believes they were sent to Poland and most likely died during the artillery bombardment of the Warsaw Ghetto in April 1943. For 76 years my father-in-law held the painful memories of those years close to his heart. Over the years he spoke to organizations and schools about his experience in World War II but he never felt a release from the pain. The memories of that painful time in his life played over and over in his mind, trapping him in the prison camp of the past. Gerard Friedenfeld transitioned to the light at 90 years old in 2015. Two weeks before his transition my husband Peter, myself, and our children went to Wisconsin to be with Gerard in hospice. While we were there something truly incredible happened. On one particular day, we had been visiting in his room for an hour or so, and then suddenly it was as if God asked everyone to kindly leave the room as there was some work to be completed before Gerard crossed over. Without a word being said, one-by-one each person silently got up and left the room leaving myself and Gerard alone in the stillness. I had learned about the Ho'oponopono Prayer of forgiveness a few years prior. The prayer is simple utilizing four power phrases that encapsulate responsibility, forgiveness, love, and gratitude. This powerful prayer allows us to hand over all the painful memories to the divine for transmutation. We just hand everything over so we can be free. As I sat by his bed, the thought of the Ho'oponopono Prayer flowed into my mind. I held his hands and looked into his eyes. I then asked softly and gently. "Would you allow me to apologize on behalf of the Nazi soldiers, everyone who looked the other way, the people that were responsible for ending your parents lives, and anyone else who is connected to the pain you have held in your heart so that you can leave this world with a free heart?" With tears in his eyes, he looked into my eyes and nodded. With a whisper he said, "Yes." As we held hands and looked into each others eyes I stated the Ho'oponopono Prayer. I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. I said the prayer once more because it felt right to do so. Now we were both crying because we could feel the power of the release wash over both of us. By saying the prayer I was taking responsibility for being a part of the collective consciousness known as humanity - the human/ego part of the human being - that chooses fear, war, separation, and pain instead of creating with the being that is the Christ in us. I was offering forgiveness for everyone (including all the soldiers and Adolf Hitler as well), no one is left out of forgiveness, its all or nothing. When one comes to the realization that we are all One. What follows thereafter is the realization that we are all of the same mind. There is no separation. That's the big illusion. So I said the prayer for everything that happened at the camp and all the years following. In stating the prayer I forgave myself first, and then I shared the power of forgiveness with Gerard so that he could let go and heal his heart. As I finished after the second round of the prayer silence and stillness filled the room. After a minute or so Gerard looked right through me to the light in me. He said, "My God Molly, is that all there is to it? In that holy instant, 76 years of pain was washed away through the simple act of forgiveness. Forgiveness allowed Love to be realized for both of us in that sacred moment. As I stated earlier, when we choose to forgive the world. Its all or nothing. We forgive ourselves. We forgive everyone. All the past painful memories are handed over to the divine to be transmuted to love. Many times as I do this I imagine all the rubbish I have been holding onto gets placed in the back of the heavenly garbage truck. I imagine Jesus behind the wheel, and once all the rubbish is placed in the back of the truck I state, "Jesus, take it away!" True forgiveness allows us to experience true freedom. To learn more about the Ho'oponopono Prayer go to www.zero-wise.com. Peace and Love, Molly Friedenfeld
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