A Response To Monika Shafi

I was really impressed by the amount of information imparted to us and the passion displayed by Monika Shafi.Her portrayal of a hidden Jewess demonstrated how, in spite of the worst humanitarian conditions,Gertrude Kolmar was able to cultivate an amazing inner Jewish spirit.Her literary work remains a living testimony that a Jewish women/poet can indeed have an impact on the course of history.
One incident though, I find confusing in Kolmar's life is the fact she had an abortion at the age of 24.We were told Kolmar had a romantic affair with a man,became pregnant and was most likely forced by her mother to abort the fetus.At the same time,Shafi made it a point to convey to us how much Kolmar understood herself as being different;whether because she was Jewish,a woman or a poet,her feelings of being different were a constant motif in her work.Yet Kolmar always seemed to circumvent these "obstacles".She produced an array of literary work when the odds were against her.So what was it about being a single mom that she could not overcome?Shafi proposed, at the time,it would have destroyed her father's lucrative,lawyer image.To me,this does not seem in line with the fortitude Kolmar displayed as an artist.Exactly the opposite!Kolmar did not value money or modernity or middle class propriety.Why then, did she succumb to the base level of the Nazis by murdering an unborn child?Shafi mentioned countless poems revealing Kolmar's sorrow and pain associated with this event.It seems she was weakened by the traumatic experience and the repercussions were far reaching.