#gad beck

“Do You Remember, When?
Dear, kind Gad, I owe you a present, no, I want to give you one, not just so that you get something from me that you can glance through and then lay aside forever, but something that will make you happy whenever you pick it up… Night exists for more than sleep which is why, my love, we stayed awake so often… 
[In Hebrew:] Shavu‘ot
May 21, 1942
Forever my best wishes are with you.
[In Hebrew:] Be strong and courageous. Your Meir.”

In 1942, Meir (Manfred) Lewin wrote and illustrated this booklet of poetry for his boyfriend Gad, before being deported to Auschwitz, where he and his family was murdered. Gad fought in the underground resistance and survived the war, and published his memoirs, An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin, in 1995 (in German — in English translation, 2000). Seeing those words on the page — “be strong and courageous” — always stirs up strong emotions for me… Honoured to be bringing these stories of courage, of resistance, and of love, back into the world with A Rainbow Thread. May they continue to inspire us to find courage today.

Read the original booklet here.