I Believe in the Sun, historical research

[sonia]

julian posted about singing "I Believe in the Sun," and linked to Everett Howe's four-part series researching the history behind the poem. The series starts with I Believe in the Sun, Part I: Look Away.

One version of the poem and story is:

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining;
I believe in love even when feeling it not;
I believe in God even when he is silent.

— An inscription on the wall of a cellar in Cologne where a number of Jews hid themselves for the entire duration of the war.

The historical research is interesting for what it says about the frailty of human memory, especially when it intersects with what people want to believe. He also notes how a minority (Jewish) story changes when infused with the assumptions of a majority (Christian) culture.