Restitution (43 page)

⁶
“Unconditional surrender,”
Toronto Daily Star
, May 7, 1945. Available via the Toronto Star archives at
www.pagesofthepast.ca
.

⁷
Klement Gottwald, speech, Prague, April 1945. In Bradley F. Abrams,
The Struggle for the Soul of the Nation: Czech Culture and the Rise of Communism
, Lanham (MD): Rowman & Littlefield, 2005.

⁸
“We and They,”
Toronto Star,
September 27, 1947. Available via the Toronto Star Archives at
www.pagesofthepast.ca
.

⁹
“Lesson for appeasers seen as Bolshevists grab Czechoslovakia,”
Toronto Star
, February 26, 1948. Available via the Toronto Star Archives at
www.pagesofthepast.ca
.

¹⁰
In Ken Lawrence,
John Lennon in His Own Words
, Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2005.

¹¹
Václav Havel, “The Declaration of the Civic Forum by Representative Václav Havel on Wenceslas Square,”
Making the History of 1989
, Item #509. Excerpt available at
http://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/items/show/509
.

¹²
Peter Cipkowski,
Revolution in Eastern Europe
, New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1991.

¹³
“Czechoslovaks Celebrate Ouster of Communists,”
Toronto Star
, December 11, 1989. Available via the Toronto Star archives at
www.pagesofthepast.ca
.

¹⁴
“Admirers aplenty for city of romance,”
Sunday Star-Times
, May 31, 1998. Accessed through HighBeam Research at
www.highbeam.com
, July 13, 2009.

¹⁵
“Prague still hasn't gotten the message,”
Washington Post
, November 14, 1989. Accessed through HighBeam Research at
www.highbeam.com
, July 8, 2009.

Acknowledgments

Stories come to writers in wonderful and unexpected ways. This one was no exception. I met Karl Reeser through his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Forster, who happens to be a law partner of my husband. Elizabeth had given her father-in-law a copy of my book for young readers,
The Secret of Gabi's Dresser
. Karl contacted me to say that he had been touched by my family story that was set in the country of his birth, and that he had a story of his own. I was similarly enthralled with his family saga of four paintings. I knew I had to write this book.

It has been a joyful experience working with Karl on its development, and I can't begin to express the admiration that I have for him. He is passionate, distinguished, articulate, and congenial. His wife, Phyllis, is equally gracious and obliging. They opened their home to me – with a cup of tea and cookies always at hand – endured my thousands of questions, and patiently steered me through the many details of this story. Both Karl and Phyllis embrace life enthusiastically, and retain a great sense of humor and keen interest in world events. My gratitude and affection go out to them. I'd also like to acknowledge Hana and Paul Traub for taking the time to meet and talk with me. You both have my respect and thanks.

With Karl's blessing, I began to track down the whereabouts of Richard VandenBosch, and was lucky to locate him living and working in New York City. Richard and his wife, Teresa, welcomed me into their home, and helped fill in many of the missing pieces of this story. Richard is a delight – warm, enthusiastic, charming – all of the qualities which I hope I captured in this book. He is also the hero of this story as far as I am concerned, and Karl and others would certainly agree.

It was a wonderful experience to talk with “Theofil Král” and to learn of his unconventional and fascinating life. He was extremely forthcoming about his role in Karl's story. He is also one of the heroes, and I am grateful for his candor and his insights.

I could not have finished this book without the help of Joseph Cach who was particularly open about his own life experiences in the former Czechoslovakia. Joseph is a gifted artist and art restorer who taught me much about the art world here and in Europe.

As always, I am indebted to Margie Wolfe and the fabulous people of Second Story Press – Emma Rodgers, Melissa Kaita, Carolina Smart, and Phuong Truong. Margie's commitment to Holocaust literature is inspiring. Thank you for continuing to support my writing, and for your ongoing mentorship and friendship. Thank you for always pushing me to be a better writer, and for urging me to expand my writing repertoire. And thank you for enduring my anxiety over the many necessary cuts to the manuscript. My esteem for you grows and grows. Special thanks to Carolyn Jackson at SSP for taking me through the final sculpting of the story. Thanks also to Colin Thomas whose encouraging and insightful editing comments were of tremendous help, and to Alison Kooistra for her keen attention to details in the final copyedit.

There are few opportunities to publicly thank ones friends and family members, and many have cheered me on in the writing of this, my first adult book. To Aura and Manny Kagan, Viv and Raefie Epstein, Sandy and Allan Dennill, and all of their wonderful offspring, Lynda Adler, my best buddy Rose Reisman and her husband Sam, my ladies – Sue Weinstein, Marilyn Wise, Shelley Cobrin, and Enid Weiner, Sharna Cohen, Sheila Gordon, Sharon McKay, Loris Lesynski, Frieda Wishinsky, thanks for the faith, the words of encouragement, the laughs, and the love.

I delight in the changing relationship with my now-grown children, Gabi Epstein and Jake Epstein. Their feedback on my writing is shrewd and insightful, and our conversations have evolved into spirited debates on plot, character, and literary style. I love it! And I love them with all my heart. I've always said that my writing is first and foremost for them – to pass the history on. I know that they take this legacy seriously.

And to my husband, Ian Epstein, my friend and love, it's a joy to share the journey.

photo by Negin Sairah

KATHY KACER is well known as a children's author. She has won multiple awards for her children's books, several of them in the Holocaust Remembrance Series for Young Readers. In 2009 her children's novel
Hiding Edith
won the prestigious Yad Vashem Prize for Children's Holocaust Literature and
The Diary of Laura's Twin
won both the Canadian and American Jewish Book Awards. Her first book was
The Secret of Gabi's Dresser
, which she adapted into a play. Herself a child of Holocaust survivors, Kathy travels around the world speaking to young people about the importance of understanding the Holocaust. A former psychologist, Kathy lives in Toronto with her family.

Le lavabo à l'école maternelle
by Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy (top)
Forest Fire
by Rudolf Swoboda (bottom)

Ready for the Ball
by Antonio
Ermolao Paoletti

Die Hausfrau
by Hugo Vogel

Joseph Cach working on the restoration of the paintings

Richard VandenBosch and Karl Reeser, reunited in Toronto, August 2009