In essence, the most important word one will ever understand is truth

but within those five letters is a timeless mystery that has confounded philosophers, theologians, and sages throughout the centuries. What is truth? Who defines it? Who protects it? What the Nazis did to in the last century cannot be changed, and day by day, new information challenges the world's definition of truth in times of war.

In 1943, when the Nazis came to take the Jews to camps during the siege of Slovakia, a man by the name of Joseph Frier arranged to have his four sons taken to a place of safety. There, the boys hid in fear for their very lives and were forced to make impossible decisions just to survive. Martin, the author's husband, was one of those boys.

Against the overwhelming scale of human cruelty of those days, it is important to remember and celebrate smaller human stories of kindness, courage, and integrity. During the Nazi occupation of Europe, fearful and weak men and women traded their souls to the devil. In this pitch-black part of world history, there were men and women who became champions of the truth and became heroes in the eyes of G-d forever.

In remembering those who perished during this war, we pray for their souls as we remember our forefathers, Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, and our women patriarchs Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah.

Throughout human history, countless faceless champions emerged when needed. Sadly, for every hero, there were also those who succumbed to their baser, more cowardly impulses of self-preservation at any cost. Echoes Resounding from the Past celebrates the truth of what it means to be a hero.