The storyline for my composition “Bella” is quite interesting, and actually began in September, 1939 in Radom, Poland. This was when the Nazi’s invaded Poland. “We Were The Lucky Ones” is a book written by Georgia Hunter, and tells the story of a family’s World War II experiences trying to survive in Nazi Germany. I read this book a couple of years ago, and was mesmerized by the stories being told. Actually, I was struck by the similarities of these stories to those I heard from my own family when I was a child, having been born a few years after the end of the War.

The story features the “Kurk” family from Radom, Poland. One of the sons was Jakob Kurk, and he was married to a woman named “Bella”. They both are significant characters in the book. Bella’s experiences during the war are described along with those of the Kurk family, some of them quite disturbing. Of particular interest to me was a chapter describing Bella’s journey from Radom to Lvov, where Jakob had gone to fight with the Polish infantry. She travelled by horse- drawn wagon under cover of darkness, and ultimately on her hands and knees across meadows to avoid detection by the Nazi’s and to reach Lvov, where she hoped to reunite with Jakob.

As I was reading the book, it became apparent that there were references pointing directly to my own family, specifically to my grandfather, Fred Tatar. Upon further investigation, I discovered that “Bella” was actually my cousin. Her father, Henry Tatar, was my grandfather’s brother. My grandfather, Fred, was already living in the States at the time, but Henry was not so fortunate, and he was murdered in a concentration camp. After the war, my grandfather provided sponsorship to Bella and her family so they could relocate to the US. I was emotionally moved when I discovered this direct family connection, and I proceeded to create a guitar piece, aptly named “Bella”. I now understand why some of the stories mentioned in this book reminded me of those told when I was a young boy – because they were the same stories.

Note: By the end of the Holocaust, 90 percent of Poland’s three million Jews were annihilated; of the more than thirty thousand Jews who lived in Radom, fewer than three hundred survived.

We can never take our freedom for granted.

Neil Tatar – guitar
Premik Russell Tubbs – soprano sax
Tom Eaton – bass
Jeff Haynes – percussion

Produced by Will Ackerman, Tom Eaton, & Neil Tatar
Recorded at Imaginary Road Studios
Mixed and Mastered by Tom Eaton
Composed by Neil Tatar