Just a little old lady

One of the beauties of living in SF as opposed to a town with agoraphobia in Iowa is the ability to see people that you've never heard of tell stories that you've never heard.

Last week My daughter and I went to see an little old lady of 96 tell us of her experiences in the war. (By little old lady I mean close to 4 foot 2 and by War I mean WW2.)

And it was fascinating. She was Jewish and lived through the war relatively unscathed ( minus a lost fiancé) until French liberation. When liberated she felt the need to do something and became a spy reporting on German positions from behind enemy lines, due to her 1. Being female and 2. Speaking perfect German.

She kept it pretty hidden until the 90's when she eventually decided to tell her story. And now she tours the world telling it. And, boy, is she sharper than a box of Wilde witticisms.

One of the more interesting side bits was the presentation of a proclamation by a Jewish US soldier who was one of the first to publish photos from inside the concentration camps.

Naturally because this was America there's a book to sell and we bought it.

This was at a theatre in Livermore, an area better known for its wines

 ( Wente, Concannon) than its culture. And it was sold out.