On Feb. 22, 1943, three courageous young Germans were executed by the Nazis in Munich. The young people -- all in their 20s -- were Hans and Sophie Scholl, a brother and sister, and their friend Christoph Probst. Their crime? They, along with a tiny handful of others, produced and distributed a series of six anti-Hitler leaflets. Caught while scattering copies of their last leaflet, they were quickly tried, sentenced and guillotined (that was the standard German method of civilian execution). By all accounts, each of them died with great composure and dignity. By the end of the year, three of their associates -- Alexander Schmorell, Prof. Kurt Huber and Willi Graf -- were also apprehended and executed. On Jan. 29, 1945, a seventh member of their circle -- Hans Leipilt -- was executed.
These anti-Hitler young Germans called themselves "The White Rose." The origin of the name is shrouded in some mystery; but its connotations -- peace, purity and, possibly, secrecy -- seem plain enough. Hans, Sophie, Christoph and the others died for doing what I'm doing right now -- speaking one's mind. They did not kill anyone, not did they try to. They confronted the most ruthless, diabolical regime of the modern era with a mimeograph machine and raw courage. In so doing, they lost their lives, but redeemed a fragment of Germany's honor from Nazism.
These poor, murdered children, who risked everything with so little hope of success, were German patriots. But they were also world patriots. They died for the ideal of a common human bond that extends beyond nationalism. Their values -- truth, justice and decency -- are the foundation on which any world worth living in must rest.
May God be good to them.
To learn more about "The White Rose," click here.
