Rosemarie Rose came to live with Edith and Paul Geheeb-Cassirer in Pont-Céard near Versoix at the age of 15 because, in 1936, she was suddenly no longer allowed to attend high school in Germany due to her Jewish background – and because her mother foresaw the danger of the Nazi regime.
At the school, she first found a paradise-like environment where she enjoyed the wide range of courses, and above all, the joy of making music. From Christmas 1938 onwards, however, she was no longer able to return to Germany, and she would never see her family again. In her memoirs, Rosmarie vividly describes how, as a young woman, she very soon began to play a courageous role in helping the school through the war years.
It was only after the war that she learned what had happened to her mother and siblings, who had all fallen victim to the Shoah. In the wake of this loss, she could no longer play her beloved violin, and she never danced again. She spent several years in Palestine and Israel and later made a painful attempt to rebuild her life in Germany. Eventually, Rosemarie came to Goldern with her husband, Niklaus (Miklos) Varga. The couple decided to stay here, and their daughter Nurit, who had been born during their time in Israel, grew up here. Thanks to Niklaus Varga as managing director, the Ecole was put on a solid financial basis. At the end of the 1960s, three new houses, the Max Cassirer, Ost- and West House, were completed. And it was Rosemarie who organized the first alumni reunion in 1980!
What a life she lived. In the midst of loss, displacement, and moral catastrophe, the Ecole community became for Rosemarie not simply a school but a refuge. She spoke movingly of how that sense of security sustained her during the Second World War:
"We knew what was happening beyond the borders, and of course we were worrying. But the community supported us; we felt safe there. We didn't talk about our personal lives, our fears and worries – you just didn't do that back then – but we had things to do; we were together; we read and discussed a lot and hoped for the victory of the Allies, for peace..."
Looking at our present days, we see a world in turmoil, once again. We are called upon to act with similar courage and to offer help, just like Rosemarie and her comrades did back then. Each of us, true to who we are in our own time and place, can act with the kind of deep compassion and love that connects us as human beings across all times, places, and cultures.
May the Ecole d'Humanité offer a safe haven in peaceful times and in turbulent times – now and forever.
We wish you a grateful second week of Advent!
A loving person with an immensely big heart.