Life has a way of sending us unseen messages, pointing us in directions we never imagined and just plain delighting us with random surprises. Just ask Marty Brounstein, a California-based management consultant, teacher and author, who found a powerful new direction for his life after taking a six-week pleasure trip to the Netherlands with his wife, Leah.
While traversing the country in 2009, their visit turned into a circuitous adventure in serendipity that the two never saw coming. The couple envisioned a leisurely vacation — just the two of them and the open road. Leah, who was born in Holland, and hadn’t been back for 25 years, had a sliver of desire to visit the home she grew up in, but that thought was on the back burner.
Through a quirky twist of fate, the two found themselves immersed in a dramatic story of the Holocaust, replete with tension, danger and heroic daring. Their adventures led them not only to a small town in Holland but also to the iconic Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. The experiences resonated with Brounstein on a deep and personal level. So much so that he decided to write a book: “Two Among the Righteous Few: A Story of Courage in the Holocaust.”
The book has since taken off, and the couple have scheduled more than 40 engaging storytelling events across the county. “I was a former history teacher, so in a way I’ve returned to my roots through this book, which I stumbled onto by accident,” Brounstein says.
What captivates his audiences time and time again is this immortal theme: ordinary people who rise above their circumstances to accomplish extraordinary achievements. The well-researched book explores the lives of Frans and Mien Wijnakker, a Catholic couple living in Dieden, a small village in southern Holland during World War II. The courageous couple decided they could not stand by idly on the sidelines and watch Jews be massacred. Instead, they saved more than two dozen Jews by taking them into their large home.
The twist to the story, which Brounstein always saves for the end of his talks, is that if the Wijnakkers had not saved one baby in particular, there would have been no book for the author to write … because he would never have married Leah. His wife was one of the saved children, known as “Baby Ineke” to her Dutch acquaintances. “This is where audiences get silent and there is this ‘whoa’ factor,” Brounstein says.
Brounstein knew about Leah’s beginning, and how she lived in hiding the first year of her life, but neither of them knew the depth of the story. “Leah had only a vague notion of the others that were in hiding,” he explains. “About halfway through the trip, she started to wonder if we could find her old home. She has a curiosity about the place I’m only half comprehending, at this point.”
Fate decided to make a surprise appearance and the couple made a stunning discovery that became the catalyst for the unfolding story of the Wijnakker family. A spontaneous visit to a tourist information center in Ravenstein led them to the old home. “Frans and Mien had since died, but one of the sons still lived there,” Brounstein explains. “He was so excited, he immediately called his five siblings, who soon came rushing over. They were overjoyed to see the long lost ‘Ineke.’”
During the lively and emotional reunion with the sons, daughters and spouses, the Brounsteins were presented with a self-published Dutch book Frans Wijnakker wrote about his experiences. “It wasn’t well organized,” Brounstein says. “But I got the gist of the story, and I knew it was important and moving. The book was like a jigsaw puzzle with some of the pieces missing. It sparked a strong curiosity in me, and this was the beginning of my awakening.”
At one point, Frans Jr. showed them the spot the hiding place was located. “Suddenly,” says Brounstein, “things started to really click, and my wife and I started to put the missing pieces together. We conducted in-depth interviews with the siblings, steeped ourselves in extensive research, and also visited the iconic Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Israel, after discovering the Wijanakkers were honored for official recognition of their heroic work.”
The recognition allowed the Wijnakkers to be counted among “The Righteous Among the Nations,” a section of Yad Vashem that recognizes non-Jews who carried out acts of courage to save Jews during the Holocaust. On the grounds are plaques and trees planted for these distinguished people, who currently number more than 24,000. The Wijnakker children were extremely proud of their parents’ achievements, and four out of five have since visited Yad Vashem. They treasure the plaque presented to them in their parents’ honor, which they happily showed the Brounsteins.
“When we returned to the United States, Leah wrote out the translation of the book,” Brounstein says. “And within a year and a half it came to fruition. She strongly supported me writing the book. To make it happen, though, we had to have a long-distance call with oldest daughter, Nelly. My last question to her was, ‘If we wanted to take this story and make a book, would you support that?’ She said, ‘I would be honored.’ That was my green light.”
Brounstein is in the second year of his journey to share this special story, having conducted 80 events with audiences since the book was published in 2011. The engagements have been in churches, synagogues, community centers, homes, Rotary Clubs, bookstores, schools, libraries, books clubs and workplaces.
Marty Brounstein will speak in Phoenix on the following dates:
Jan. 30, 2013
Temple Chai at 7 p.m. | 4645 E. Marilyn Road, Phoenix
Feb. 10, 2013
Mesa Interfaith Community Church at 12:30 p.m. | SW Herb Shop, 148 N. Center St., Mesa
Scottsdale Civic Center Library at 6:30 p.m. | 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale
