She even had me sleep in her own bed while she slept on a short couch. She would have none of my protests and insisted I have her room to myself. I slept unbelievably good in her old bed next to a huge window, with the mattress lowering in the middle section. Mornings and evenings I would look out the window into G-d’s blue sky and meet Him there in prayer and thanksgiving, reminiscing or just delighting myself in Him.

I waited for the copies from the dossier. Meanwhile I called the Archive¹⁰ of the place mentioned in the dossier where my grandfather had been arrested¹¹. The supervisor informed me that it was not customary to give out any information, and that in order for her to look for a file in my grandfather’s name I would need to send her first copies of all the papers in my possession that proved my relationship to my grandfather and where he had been arrested and interned and by whom.

She continued to advise me that even though my family record would be found the Archive would under no circumstances hand it out to me. All files in the Archive are the property of France, according to French law. I argued that this book is property of our family, in extension even of the people of Israel, and the Archive had no right to keep it from us. She declared that the handing out of the book was absolutely out of the question. I would be allowed to make copies and have them notarized, but I could not get the book.

I got rather upset at that when the Lord brought to remembrance Chuck Flynn’s prophecy in February 1982, of “legal victories… legal victories!” Suddenly this prophetic utterance seemed to come into focus. No matter what this supervisor said, I would prove victorious!

Then Stéphane told me of a case where a French Archive had refused to hand out the property of a family. The first lawyer did not succeed in claiming the property, but the second one built the case upon the law of the “spoil of war,” in which case France was required to return the disputed property to the owners.

Hence, whatever the Archives may claim in refusing to hand out the book when and where it will be found, our Heavenly Father declared it already 20 years ago that I would win that dispute in court, apparently in two goings, as Chuck Flynn proclaimed the legal victory twice. The prior court case will serve well as reference and pattern how to go about making the legal claim.

Then I fully realized the major importance of G-d having first closed the gap between my grandfather and me: I needed to have my lawful rights properly established through the papers proving that I am the only living grandchild and heir of my maternal grandfather. Twice the dossier names his “confession” as being “Israelite” (the French version of “Jewish,” just as the German version was “Mosaisch”[Mosaic] such as was written in my mother’s original birth certificate of 1918), and the reason for his arrest being a German “foreign” Jew.

Not even the Chief Rabbinate in Israel can refuse me my rights clearly laid down in Torah.^UPDATE

I was extremely upset, since now I would not be able to go personally to that Archive should the book be located there. Stéphane and I had already looked up train rides and fares in preparation for an immediate departure. Because of the “legal twist” I felt that may be it was indeed that Archive where the book would be found. Stéphane would have to go in my stead.

I had prayed the Father most urgently to get my date of departure changed, but nothing happened. Knowing from the many years of walking with Him that the reason for my request not getting answered can be that granting it would be the wrong thing, resulting in greater troubles, I began to suspect that there was a more urgent need for me to return home on September 10th than for me to stay on in France.

King Hezekiah’s plea to have his life extended is certainly such an example. For had he died at the time appointed by the Lord the king of Babylon would not have lusted after the treasures of Judah, which Hezekiah had shown so pridefully to Nebuchadnezzar’s servants.

I had barely arrived Wednesday night the 11th, when I received a phone call mid-morning of that same day from an attorney’s office: Ami, our youngest, had not made his last two payments to pay off his debt of 20,000 shekels, and I had signed as guarantor for him to help him out¹². The lawyer wanted to have an answer by Thursday, the 12th, when these payments would be made. I called up Ami and learned from Yizrael that Ami had gotten fired from his job because he did not get up in time once too often¹³. And his employer had not as yet paid him, but promised to do so on the 13th. 

I called the lawyer the next day to tell him the situation, but he was just on the phone --- with Ami! 

Our son needed me more urgent back home than I was needed to make copies of the book when found, since Stéphane could do that just as well and better, because she knows the procedures required to obtain certified copies from French Archives. Had I not returned on the 10th, arriving on the 11th in time to intercede for Ami, he would have gotten into serious troubles. Our Heavenly Father wanted to prevent that.