Hana's Suitcase

Upon her return to Prague, Fumiko heads straight to the Prague Jewish Museum, which is closing when she arrives. She convinces the guard to let her in to see Michaela Hajek, who helps her find Kurt Kotouc. After many phone calls, they get in touch with Kurt, who comes to see Fumiko before his own flight out of the country.

When he arrives, Kurt explains to Fumiko that he and George were bunkmates at Theresienstadt and were close friends. Kurt has George’s current address in Toronto, Canada, and passes it along to Fumiko. She is optimistic about the next steps and can’t wait to tell the children at the Tokyo museum.

Fumiko gets back to Tokyo excited to share all that she has learned. First, she tells the children the sad part: Hana had died at Auschwitz. Afterward, Fumiko explains that Hana had a brother who survived, and she is planning to write him a letter. The children ask to send something with it, and they create a card, which is pictured on Page 91.

Drafting the letter is hard work because Fumiko wants to be cautious about the content she includes, knowing that remembering what happened to him might be difficult for George.