Author Mattie Kahn’s relative is believed to be the first Jewish person killed by the Nazis. She’s known the story of his death for as long as she can remember, but she wanted to learn the story of his life, so she went looking for it:
A slogan can’t bring about redemption. In searching for Arthur’s life amid the wreckage of his death, “Never forget” started to feel inadequate. The work of historical excavation is not just to remember what happened. It’s to sit with the gaps that no amount of research or reading can ever fill in. There are questions I will never answer about Arthur. There are millions of Arthurs.
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