Betty Schimmel Forum

Betty Schimmel

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I'm a 28 year old women from Belgium. I just finished "To See You Again" by Betty Schimmel.
I was very touched by the lifestory of this woman. I will never forget this book. I was deeply touched.

I wish Betty Schimmel all the best in the future. And I hope that the bad dreams will dissapear some day.
I hope that the hurt of the lost love is tolerable, also for "Richie".

With great respect,
Frederikke

>>By frederikke (Saturday, 25 Jan 2003 12:57)

I read this book because I was taking care of a patient who asked me to read it. This book changed my life and opened my heart and eyes to a world of surival and love. I pray for Betty Schimmel and her family. I feel as though they are my family. I give this book as gifts to friends who have had personal struggles and it has helped them all to overcome these circumstances. Betty Schimmel and her family are miracles.

>>By Jodi Scranton (Saturday, 25 Jan 2003 12:57)

I had to read this book twice because I was so deeply touched by it. My grandmother greatly suffered during the 2nd World War but never speaks about it. I think that now I understand her better. Reading a story like this is so much more helpful to understand than learning from history books and have teachers tell you about good and evil.

I greatly admire Ethel Markowitz. She is the bravest and strongest woman I've ever heard of. And isn't it amazing that Betty and Otto managed to make it up to each other? Betty decided to stay with her family instead of going away with Richie, the love and dream of her life. So maybe the warmth a family gives you might compensate for romance, at least after such a long time.

I really wish that Betty and Otto enjoy the rest of their lives and now finally manage to live as carefree as the peole of my generation have always done without being aware of. When I now worry about which dress to buy or which body lotion to chose, I try to remember Betty and bear in mind that I should not take myself and my daily worries too seriously. There are more important things in the world and more serious problems to worry about.

There's so much more to say about this book that I'll better leave it here. Thank you, Betty, for sharing your life with us. It's a most valuable gift for us!

>>By Simone, 24, Germany (Saturday, 25 Jan 2003 12:57)

I simpely loved this book.

>>By Christina (Tuesday, 25 Mar 2003 18:19)

Dear Betty,

Without me realising, my tears dropped as I was reading the part where you met Richie after a long separation. I was in the train and could not hold back the tears even while walking out of the station. Today, I completed reading the book for the second time and, again, I shed tears.

Thank you, Betty, for sharing us your experience - happiness, sadness, pain and all. You and the characters in your book have taught me a lot. Compare to the pain that you went through (not forgetting Otto, your mum, Richie, Rose and many others), the bad moments I had were minute.

I know I will read the book for the third time and so on. Best wishes to you and your loved ones.

Regards,
Dahlia Ismail (Singapore), 37
Datin_Dahlia@hotmail.com

>>By Dahlia Ismail (Thursday, 27 Mar 2003 02:27)

Dear Betty,
I was really touched by your story, and I cried many tears while reading it.
I felt that I really had to see this place you described in your book, so I went to Budapest, all because of your book. I thought about you all the time, and it was difficult to understand that in this beautiful city, something so awful had been taking place.
I will definitely recommend this book to everyone I know. I told a few people I met in Budapest, the real reason I was there, and that they should read your book to see another side of the city.
Betty, I hope the rest of your life will be wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. /Anna

>>By Anna, Sweden (Tuesday, 22 Apr 2003 23:00)

Dear Otto and Betty:
My Mother found your book at a farmers market here in Chambersburg, pennsylvania. She read it and told me about it. i don't get the opportunity to read many books just because of time. I am a pastor and also involved in humanitarian help in Romania and make my living in the farm equipment business. As i read your book i tried to live in it. I have been in Budapest many times flying in and out of there on the way to Romania. i have walked the hill many times to get my head together as to how this so lovely of a place, could have been fifty plus years ago. You have made so many things come so alive it will never be the same. I have often wished the walls could talk while I have been there and now they have. i used your book at the church just this past "youth night" to tell the youth of the values in it. I could say so much more but it still would not all be said, so i guess I should stop. I am 54 years of age and I should like to ask you both just this.Could your spouses not be there friends also? Could this not ease the pain for him as well? Life is so short and some things cannot be changed but friendship seems to me to be one thing that could be worth having. Women have the special way to put things behind and out of main stream life but men do not. It is worth thinking about. i should like to be able to tell my ypith that even in all of this you can do what is right without punishing ones self and others. Thanks for your shairing of your life in such an exposed way. I shall never be the same. i hope I can find the HART ON THE STONE in June when I am there. May God bless you richly. I hope you two couples can walk Budapest together some day.

Holtry2MBK@aol.com

>>By William David Holtry (Saturday, 10 May 2003 17:32)

Dear Betty,
there are so many things I would like to tell you and unfortunately I think you will never read my words. First of all, I really want to thank you for telling your story, I think it's the one of the most beautiful books I've ever read (if "book" can be considered the right definition), but I also found myself wishing I had never read it, because it touched my so deeply that I can't avoid thinking about it and crying. Now I feel a little bit better, but the first days after reading it it was terrible. I always had your face and Richie's in my mind. I had never believed there could be such a big, deep and everlasting love as yours, so I couldn't accept how things went, although it is stupid, as you could do it. And it was also terrible to see how cruel men can be to other men. Oh, I'm sorry, I'm so confused, and I don't know how to express what I feel inside.
So simply thank you, and I wish you a happy future with your family, and I wish Richie too could accept your decision and go on living, without looking too much at the past, beeing happy.
Thanks again,
Martina

>>By Martina (Monday, 8 Sep 2003 15:08)

I wanted to let all of you know that my mother, Betty Schimmel, has logged on to this website and has read all of your very kind comments. She is very happy to know that you enjoyed her book and that you were able to take so much from the experience of reading it. It's important that more recent generations understand the past, not just from a perspective of the war and Holocaust, but in terms of the toll these events took on individual human beings. It's a miracle my Mom and Dad survived at all, let alone met, courted, married and fell in love...not necessarily in that order. Please continue to recommend my mother's book to your friends and families. Perhaps my Mom will decide to write another book?

>>By Jeff Schimmel (Wednesday, 8 Oct 2003 03:17)

Dear Betty,
I have to say thank you so much for sharing your story with the world. I just finised your book, and I was soo moved by it. I have told everyone I know about it and that they should read it. I am a Christian and to hear about how your Mother was so strong into her faith, and how positive she stayed through all that hell just moved to tears. She made me examine my own walk with God. Then your story of love and loss with Richie and everything that happened was incredible. I have so much respect for you. The way you handled everything was with so much dignity. There are not even words to tell you the emotion that generates from this book. You have so much strengh. God will truely bless you for making a sacrifice for the love of your family. I believe God restored your relationship with Otto because you were faithful. You are a beautiful woman inward and outward. You have a beautiful family also. I would love for you to write me back. God Bless you and your family and Thank you again for sharing your heart and history. I am big fan of history and making sure people don't forget the past. Please write another book you are so talented in that area. I honestly could not put this book down. God Bless!

>>By Michelle Brall
mbrall37@hotmail.com

>>By shell (Wednesday, 17 Dec 2003 20:40)

As I finished the book this evening, I am reminded of how God can turn all manner of evil around for his good. I was trying to fathom and digest the horror of the holocaust (and looking upon my healthy, spoiled rotten children and husband with a grateful heart) when I was riveted by the reunion with "Richie". My heart is broken and overjoyed at the same time. I fought the urge to read the back of the book all the way through - desperately needing to know how it turned out. What a brave woman to endure what she did and then bare her soul. My heart hurts for Betty, Otto, "Richie" and his wife. I will share this story with my children so they can but have a glimpse of how cruel and wonderful is this world.
God Bless you all!

April

>>By apwitten (Tuesday, 6 Jan 2004 05:10)

Dear Betty,

I was so inspired by your book, I am 40 years old but still not old enough to know all about the war. My Grandmother and my mother went through the war in germany. My mother also a child then. I have heard many stories from my late grandmother about how bad the war was also that my Grand father hid ,housed and helped many jews during the war. He was a german that despised Hitler and had a wonderful heart. A few years ago I encountered a bad situation with a client of mine,( I too was a travel agent) he was a jewish man, about my age maby a few years older. My boss came in and advised me that the jewish man (I wont say his name for his privacy) would be coming in soon and that to be sure never to tell him I was german ,She said that he hated germans and would never do business with us again if he knew. I felt really bad and thought, Why? I was not part of the war I had no control over what happened and My heart went out to those who suffered the war. I just feel bad now when i come across a jewish person, not knowing if its ok to say that my family is from germany. I also wanted to say that your book reminded me so much of my first love. We were also seperated (not by war but the military, we both had fathers in the army and he had to move away) I had swore to every one I knew that if I ever saw him again I would leave who ever I was with to be with him. and I searched for 20 yrs. I finaly found him a few years back, I still have not seen him but we have talked .I too have a family now but I still think of going to be with him I do not know if this is a bad thing or a good thing but I know your pain when it comes to love. Betty you are a strong and wonderfull person I hope that God continues to bless you and keep you and your family.My prayers are with you always and I will never forget your your heart touching book.
Thanks,
Jackie, Texas
Jacqui813@aol.com

>>By jacqui (Saturday, 21 Feb 2004 09:17)

Dear Betty,
I've just finished reading your remarkable book "To see you again". I'm really touched by this wonderful story about your life. I can't stop thinking about your mother Ethel. She most have been such a strong woman, leading her young children through the entire horrible war. But she's not the only strong person in this story. I'm pretty sure you, your sister and brother never would have survived without your own inner strength.
Maybe it's because I'm too young to fully understand the real meaning of life but a big part of me hoped that you'd met "Richie" as planned instead of going back to Otto...But then again I'm very young and I don't have a husband or children so I'm probably not the right person to think anything in that question. I'm sure you did the right thing, the best thing for everyone involved and I admire your great curage and strenght!
I wish you, Otto and all the kids (who are now much older then me but anyway) all the best and I hope "Richie" wherever he is, has read your wonderful book, I'm pretty sure he has!
Thank you so much for sharing your story! My next project is going to be trying to persuade my boyfriend travelling to Budapest with me. May God continue to bless you and your family.
Jenny, Sweden

>>By Kinan (Friday, 16 Jul 2004 12:41)

- Betty,

Oh my. I've just finished your book today, in my history class actually. How ironic is that? I just wanted to tell you that I was very overwhelmed with such emotions for your life and everything you've been forced into going through. I must admit this, but I cried like a baby before going to bed last night I felt so sad. You wrote this book so beautifully, it's amazing! I just wanted you to know that, I had to fight back tears in class today I as finished. That's what great books do, you can actually feel what you read. I live in America, my mother and father lived in Wiesbaden, Germany for 2 or 4 years. I wished I had been born there. I hope one day to live in Holland or Germany. It's funny, no one, not even my parents seem to understand my passion for wanting to live there. It's just so beautiful. I have a friend, Rogier, living in Holland. I love him beyond words can say. I wish only the best of wishes for you and and your entire family. You are, truly, a blessed person, I thank you for sharing such a heartbreaking, yet living changing story. I can only imagine how hard it was for you to write it. Maybe we can talk again? o^ ^o

P.S.

I've looked everywhere for an address. I wanted to write you a letter. I like doing that more, computer is fine though.

my_lost_lullaby@hotmail.com (Sarah Elizabeth)

>>By ·_·; Sarah Elizabeth (Friday, 8 Oct 2004 00:16)

I kept thinking "what a great book to make a movie out of" while listening to your great book. I had tears in my eyes many times while driving.
I hope to see the book adapted into a movie. If done correctly by a good director(Steven Speilberg?) it is a sure hit!
Just think of how many millions of people could then be inspired by this wonderful story!
Colonel Rex
Rochester,Minnesota

>>By Colonel Rex (Saturday, 30 Oct 2004 02:53)

The discussion board is currently closed.