Bela's Story: A Brave Journey Through Unforgiving Times
Rita Schinnar and William A. Meis Jr., 2016
Fallen Bros Press
177 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780997672817
Summary
Born into a family of modest means in a small village in eastern Hungary, Adalbert Izsak—or Bela as everyone called him—might have expected to encounter some hurdles in life, but he hardly expected any great adventures.
As things turned out, the deck was stacked against him from the start and Bela’s life became a dramatic journey constantly endangered by forces beyond his control. The political struggles in Europe that brought on wars, persecution, perils, and dislocation affected Bela directly, and being Jewish created experiences that were doubly challenging.
There were occasions when Bela miraculously escaped certain death and other occasions when hopelessness caused him to lose faith in life and almost end it by his own doing. There was a desperate time following the loss of his beloved mother and his first wife, then a fortuitous time when Bela found a new love.
Each time when Bela’s dream to be in charge of his own life was realized, circumstances intervened to prevent this. Bela was forced into a cycle of building a new life and then having it taken away from him. He was forced to move to new places, from Europe to the Middle East to the US. He was forced to adjust to new cultures. He was forced to be resilient and brave, and accept with amusement, but never with complete resignation, that, “Man proposes and God disposes.”
Bela’s life took many wild turns, some comical and some sad. In the end, despite the challenges and hardships, despite the disappointments and heartaches, Bela overcame these with grit and the force of his personality. He lived to enjoy a comfortable and loving old age by retaining a joyful spirit that sought out and embraced new friendships.
Bela’s story is also a sad reflection on the senseless arbitrariness with which political regimes treat their populations and the capacity of humans to cause unbearable suffering. But ultimately, Bela’s story is a testament to the human spirit than can overcome adversity. (From the publisher.)