As a young girl hoping to become a concert pianist in occupied Paris during WWII, Maiti Girtanner defied the deadly evil of the Nazis to pass messages to the Resistance. But she paid dearly for her rebellion. One day in the autumn of 1943,
the Gestapo arrested Maiti as she was returning home. … After interrogation, Maiti and four others were sent to a house …. For four months she suffered systematic torture.
There were more than twenty imprisoned there. Speaking to one another was forbidden. Between periods of cross questioning there were torture sessions meant for punishment.
Supervised by young “Dr. Leo,” the physical torture consisted of methodical blows to the base of the spinal column. As the months dragged by, Maiti watched her fellow prisoners die, one even by suicide.
…Maiti defied the guards by speaking to her companions. She encouraged them to speak to her too. Maintaining communication upheld their humanity. …
In February of 1944, Maiti lost the ability to stand. Death loomed near but a rescue mission working under the Swiss Red Cross saved her.
Despite hospitalization and treatment, the harm was permanent. Maiti suffered chronic pain the rest of her life.
…Due to nerve damage affecting her fingers, Maiti never could return to the piano. Knowing she lacked the strength to start a family, she never married.
Think of Maiti the next time you’re tempted to don a mask or obey COVIDiocy’s other nonsense because compliance is easier than enduring a few hostile stares.
9:45 pm on April 7, 2021
