2 comments about The Dawn of Hope : A Memoir of Ravensbruck.

1. This thin little book contains some of the memories of Genevieve de Gaulle Anthonioz (niece of Charles de Gaulle), from the time she was imprisoned in Fresnes Prisons during World War II. A young Catholic, she was jailed because of her efforts as a resistance worker.

   She watches a co-worker being beaten to death for trying to wash out her underwear. One of her jobs is to sort through huge piles of dirty, bloody prison uniforms from those who are murdered, to find scraps and buttons that can be reused. Her single cell is flooded with smoke from the ovens. She spends much time in solitude, reflecting on how she will handle her own early death which she is sure is imminent.

   She is never marked for extinction, and so has a slightly different view of life in the camps than the tellers of most books I've read. Life in one of the worst prisons in France during WWII is not pleasant, although through she can receive mail, smuggled in Christmas presents, and medical care when sick.

   In her isolation, she survives by befriending the cockroaches in her cell. She secretly makes a Christmas handkerchief for the Jehovah's Witness who brings meals around. She observes the lives of those destined to die, and is deeply moved.

   Realizing that the only way to bear witness is to survive, she does. It took 55 years for her to be able to write her story - she spent those years raising her children and working to improve the lives of the homeless.

   Translated from the original French, the tenses used are a little unsettling, without any obvious reason. The text switches from past to present sometimes within the same paragraph. It could have used more editing after the translation.

   However, for those interested in the Holocaust, this is a very quick read, and offers a look from the eyes of a young non-Jewish girl. A worthwhile read.




2. A most moving book. You learn of the terrible sufferings experienced in a concentration camp, and the later fruits they would bear.

5 comments about On Burning Ground: A Son's Memoir.

1. This was a nice story, but it was clouded by some very philosphical rantings by the son both early in the book and at the end. Also troubling was the son's writing of his father's story. He talkes about his father, then his grandfather and grandmother, and it is difficult to follow, especially early in the story. I wish he would have written it as his father's narrative as told to him.
   
   This is a very harrowing account on how one person survived the Holocaust. Skakun was blessed with blue eyes and blond hair, and it was fairly easy to pass himself off as an Aryan, with the exception of his circumcision. Both passing into Germany and his physical for the Waffen SS necesitated him taking a physical in the nude. I think his heightened awareness of how vulnerable he was resulted in a certain nervousness, which could have resulted in his uncovered secret identity.
   
   This is a nice easy read about a very lucky Polish Jew. His unconventional route and his luck led to him surviving the war. Skakun credits the good deeds of his mother in his survival of the war.



2. No one can doubt how much Michael Skakun loves his father and how proud he is of his fathers amazing story of survival. However. I would have toned down the flowery writing, after all, in a biography there really no way of knowing all the expressions of the faces in the room, the smells, the sounds, etc. I also would have included a postscript on whether the subject of the book is still alive, where he lives, or where he spent his last days. Too many loose ends for me, but a book that is very good and worth reading.



3. I have always had a deep interest in the Holocaust, I think it is because of the fact that it occured so recent in our history, it is so incredible that in our modern society, a country such as Germany was so willing to carry out such a morbid and shockingly sinister plan of brutality and murder. That ordinary citizens could be so callous and treacherous,...I am amazed!

   Joseph Skakun, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, takes us on a journey into his mind numbing past. Divine intervention, solid logic and humblness, play a major role in his reason for survival.

   Personally I think this story is very unique and wouldn't be surprised to see it become a movie.




4. Skakun's experiences are comparable to those of Yehuda Nir in "The Lost Childhood" and Moshe Perlman in "Europa, Europa". The crowning irony is Skakun's (almost) joining the Waffen SS in order to hide his Jewish identity, and to survive. However, there are just a few errors of background historical fact which mar "On Burning Ground". E.g., on page 203 Julius Streicher is named as the founder of the Nazi paper "Volkische Beobachter". This is wrong. Streicher founded "Der Sturmer". Volkische Beobachter was an outgrowth of "Munchener Beobachter", a paper purchased and re-founded by Dietrich Eckart. This is the sort of mistake that better editing might have caught. But "On Burning Ground" still stands as a riveting account of survival through quick thinking and a lot of luck.



5. What can I add to the above? Not much. I rarely read Holocaust memoirs, but this one was amazing. Michael's father, Joseph, a Talmudic scholar with blue eyes and blond hair, who tried to save his mother in Navaredok/Novogrudek Poland, failed, and fled to the forests and to Vilna. As a circumcised male in Vilna, Joseph took on the identity of a Muslim Tatar, studied Islam, and became a foreign laborer in Berlin. A hidden Jew pretending to be a Muslim living in the Nazi capital during the War. And then he enlisted in the SS!

5 comments about In My Father's House: The Years Before "the Hiding Place" (Corrie Ten Boom Library).

1. This quite-amazing book chronicles the half century of Corrie ten Boom's life before being imprisoned for helping to save Jewish people in Holland during World War II. I can't express just how profoundly this book enlightened me to the Christian way people could actually live. I haven't been around many outstanding Christians and the ten Boom family was definitely a Christian family. How blessed I am to know about them!



2. IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE makes an excellent companion to THE HIDING PLACE and TRAMP FOR THE LORD. After discovering all the stories of Corrie ten Boom from the time she went into a German concentration camp during World War II until her death, her early years had always remained a mystery. And now, IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE tells exactly what happened to Corrie during her first 50 years of life.
   
   Starting out with Corrie's great-grandfather, the book tells the story of how the early events in Corrie's life shaped her and prepared her for prison. Some of these stories will make you smile (Corrie was apparently a little rascal at times), and some will make you want to cry. Corrie's life was an amazing tapestry of love for people and her Savior. From Corrie ten Boom's girl clubs to the great halls of St. Bavo's Cathedral, you'll fall in love with Corrie ten Boom all over again with IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE.
   
   The end of the book brings everything full circle up to the point of THE HIDING PLACE, and then is followed by the Golden Tea Party (you'll have to read to find out about that!). All in all, IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE is another great read from the life of Corrie, but I do recommend reading THE HIDING PLACE first. That book makes this one a little easier to understand.
   
   Check it out!



3. She writes with the love and forgiveness that became her trademark after suffering terrible things at the hands of the Nazi's during WWII. I never cease to be encouraged, uplifted, and inspired when reading anything that she writes-this book included. Very few could have forgiven their tormentors the way that Tante Corrie did. She did it by the grace of God and her life was all the better for it.



4. As someone who voraciously gobbles up the writings of Corrie ten Boom, I have to say that _In My Father's House_ is my favorite. Anyone who has read _The Hiding Place_ , _Tramp for the Lord_, _A Prison and Yet_, or other books relating to Corrie's Nazi concentration camp imprisonment and her resulting ministry should do themselves a favor and savor _In My Father's House_. I am so glad this book is back in print and can now reach a new audience. Corrie discusses how the twists and turns of her childhood, teen years, and pre-imprisonment adulthood all came together to prepare her for her WWII and postwar ministry. She shows the evidence of God moving in her life to prepare her for her upcoming adventures. If you don't think so already, _In My Father's House_ may be what convinces you that there's no such thing as coincidence. The simply written, very basic family story of this book holds some deep implications. It may startle you in a pleasant way.

   I particularly recommend this book to parents, especially parents of young children. This book will show how God uses you to raise your child to fulfill God's purpose for his/her life. Corrie writes in a very touching way of how her parents, siblings, and extended family were so responsible for the extraordinary woman she became. This book is a beautiful testimony of how God uses families. It will inspire you to go pick up and cuddle your child while praying fervently. It will also remind you of your need to lean on God and rely on his guidance for this your most important job. _In My Father's House_ is a very powerful book.

   I recommend that you buy a copy of this book rather than borrowing it or checking it out from the library. As your glance flits across your bookshelves, perhaps a slight smile will come to your face as you notice the familiar spine peeking out at you. I return to my copy frequently and have repeatedly drawn from it for Sunday School lessons and devotional topics. _In My Father's House_ would be a valuable addition to your book collection.




5. This book is simple and to the point and beautifully written. It gives the reader the insight of how human Corrie Ten Boom was and yet how much she relied on God for her direction. It is filled with humor and innocence as Corrie recounts her childhood memories, but always making it a point to let the reader know that the main focus is God. The delightful stories will stick in your memory bank. It was a very delightful book which I shall cherish and re-read in years to come.

No comments about Safe Passage.

2 comments about Paper Gauze Ballerina: Memoir of a Holocaust Survivor.

1. This thin book written by a Holocaust surviver lacks substance and interest. Of the 90 some pages only 30 were devoted to the author's childhood, ghetto experience and concentration time. The rest of the book describes her emotions and that is basically it, her emotions at starting a new life in this country. She tends to repeat herself through the book and it lacks continunity. I am sure she and her husband are very wonderful people but her book is lacking and was disappointing and would have been fine as a memoir for her family and close friends. The print is poor and the photographs as a result are not clearly visible-blurry.



2. Sophie Miklos was a guest speaker at my middle school many years ago. I have finally gotten around to reading her memoir. She and Andy, her husband, are both such great people and you can truly understand how she became and remained that caring person. Sophie continues to speak to middle school and high school classes addressing her and Andy's experiences during the Holocaust. If you've ever wondered how victims of the Holocaust survived and continued to live their lives, read Paper Gauze Ballerina. Sophie's experience will make you experience many emotions from happiness to despair to relief and truly appreciating the life you've been given. Sophie is one of my heroes.

2 comments about Anne Frank: REFLECTIONS ON HER LIFE AND LEGACY.

1. In this book the editors have selected thirty-one excerpts from various writings about Anne Frank and collected them together under four basic ideas: Anne's life, Anne as a writer, Anne on stage & screen and Anne in relationship to the Holocaust. Overall the selection of the writings is very good. They are of high quality and of varying points of view, particularly with reference to the last three sections of the book.
   
   For example, there is considerable difference of opinion to Anne's ability as a writer, some find her skills exceptional while others think her ability overrated despite her impact. Better known are the arguments over whether the play and movie produced from Anne's diary truly reflected the "real" Anne. Then there are the arguments, growing in recent years, as to whether Anne's diary is an "accurate" or "important" portrayal of the Jewish experience during the Holocaust. I may not agree with Lawrence L. Langer's assessment that the diary is not a "vital text" of the Holocaust but seeing his point of view allows me to think a little deeper about my own position. And therein lies the book's real strength.
   
   Ultimately, though the excerpts are brief and it's easy to plow through them rather quickly, this book can open one's eyes. Some of the material I had read before in other places but I was very glad to encounter the wide points of view that the editors were able to gather. The fact that Anne's single work still has the power to generate such scholarship 60 years later seems to point out its continuing importance in our experience.



2. As part of my effort to learn my role as the dentist in the 1955 version of the play at the local junior college, I read some 14 or 15 books by and about Anne Frank and this one capped my study quite nicely. I recommend it as the one to read after "The Definitive Edition" (or the fascinating "Critical Edition", if you're up to that), Willy Lindwer's "The Last Seven Months", Melissa Muller's "Anne Frank: The Biography", Miep Gies' "Anne Frank Remembered", and Eva Schloss' "Eva's Story". It's scholarly, well edited and footnoted, and has a fine bibliography.

5 comments about Passport to Life: Autobiographical Reflections on the Holocaust.

1. Passport to Life is a must read. It is clearly written and engaging. Dr. Tanay's story of survival is moving and reminds us all of how the genocide of the Nazi's must never be forgotten. Like the story of Passover, it must be retold over and over to remind new generations of the risk. This is especially true post 9-11. His last few chapters begin to look at the modern problem of Islamic fundamentalists and hopefully foreshadow another great book.



2. When you pick up this book you will not be able to put it down. The "story" is a moment-to-moment recounting of daily survival. The situations that this young boy finds himself in are beyond the imagination of most people who have grown up in a country like America. The resourcefulness and intelligence necessary for a young teenager to survive each day, not knowing what will become of him the next, are not only an amazing and fascinating story, but a LIFE of a child. Not only did Dr. Tanay survive, he also saved his mother, sister and close childhood friend. His father suffered at the hands of Amos Goeth, infamously renowned for his role in the Plascow camp depicted in Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List". Dr. Tanay's insight into his own plight, the plight of European Jewry as well as the psyche of hatred in religion and ideological movements is intelligent, moving and educational. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the human spirit and the analysis of societal and religious movements that can lead to assertions, beliefs and actions that are generated by arrogance of opinion.



3. Bring your thinking cap and your Kleenex box as this autobiographic analysis of the Holocaust years will grab both your intellect and your emotional senses. The writing style generates empathy and is sophisticated, yet easy reading. Amazing is Dr. Tanay's ability to add palatible, forensic psychological analysis to the terrifying events of his youth. His emphasis on thoroughness and accuracy is startling. His accomplishments as an adult, he recognizes, are dwarfed by his accomplishments in just four years during his teens. This very detailed and personal story of luck, skill, ingenuity, deception, devotion and love makes unique and fascinating reading. This should make a great film- I hope Spielberg is reading. This is a required read for Holocaust scholars and a desired read for those who "enjoy" a story of a boy's ability and will to be a survivor.



4. "PASSPORT to LIFE' by Dr. Emanuel Tanay brilliantly describes the heroic survival of an adolescent to save himself, his younger sister and his mother, through unbelievable circumstances, during the German occupation of Poland and Hungary in WWII.
   This autobiographical story describes a different type of holocaust survival, than those in the Nazi concentration camps.
   Mark Fintel (A holocaust survivor)



5. Passport To Life: Autobiographical Reflections on the Holocaust is the firsthand story of Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a successful forensic psychiatrist and a Jew who survived the depredations of Nazi genocide during World War II, when he was only a child. After the war, his experienced hatred and the threat of murder in his native Poland, but relative peace and asylum in Germany, and later moved to America. Sixty years later, his testimony is not only a narration of and reflection upon the genocidal atrocities he personally witnessed and experienced. It reveals the struggles of survivors to cling to life to be heroic and resourceful, in a situation where lack of power and arms among Jews in general meant that direct resistance against the Nazis would only guarantee personal extermination. Passport To Life is also an erudite and scholarly treatise on the nature of hatred, and the core human impulses that are all too easily channeled into sadistic and masochistic fervor ("you have to be carefully taught not to hate", the author warns), whether by organized religion, ideology, totalitarian government, or other sources. Passport To Life is particularly vital in that it deconstructs mythologies that have arisen about the Holocaust. For example, the author was personally present in Warsaw at the time the Uprising began, and warns against characterizing it as a true rebellion, since it claimed the lives of very few German soldiers and had zero military impact upon the course of the war. Rather, he characterizes it as a mass suicide of Jews who preferred to die from German guns rather than be sent to Treblinka. Since World War II there has been a tendency to overdramatize or exaggerate Christian rescues of Jewish people; Tanay respects the nobility of those who did so but also carefully delineates examples in which the truth is lost to the need to mythologize history and a few make good men into saints rather than confront the overall horror of what really happened. Tanay further dissects with clinical expertise the nature of hared itself, demonstrating that the most virulent hatreds are perpetrated against individuals or groups the hater knows nothing about, or believes fantasies about; hatred is not borne of logic or reason, and therefore rationality is no defense against it. Emphasizing the critical importance of broadcasting a counter-message to the many widespread propaganda of hate today, including but not limited to hatred against unbelievers spread within specific Islamic states, Passport To Life offers the key to understanding and hopefully preventing worse geneocidal deprevations in the future. Though it deals with complex psychological issues, Passport To Life is written in plain terms that invite no confusion regardless of the readers' level of familiarity with history or psychology. Passport To Life is far, far more than an autobiographical memoir. It is more than a record of Holocaust atrocities. It is quite literally the embodiment of its title, an indispensible contribution to Holocaust literature shelves and psychology shelves, and bears the absolute highest recommendation to school libraries, public libraries, Holocaust literature collections, scholars and lay readers alike. Do not pass up this book.

5 comments about The Oasis: A Memoir of Love and Survival in a Concentration Camp.

1. This is a very powerful book which I think everyone should read. I could not put this book down. Usually I do not feel strong enough about books to write a review, but this book is different. Since this is a true story, the readers can really see what life was like for the main characters. This is the most amazing love story ever!!!



2. Not only is this a compelling novel made even more amazing by the fact that it is a true story, but the writing and the way the author captured the story - and his characters - leaves me in awe. The author did a wonderful job of portraying a camp from the inside and included enough historical facts to educate his readers, yet not weigh it down (which would be incredibly easy and sometimes happens in novels of this genre). I've read many books about this time in history - from historical documents to autobiographies and this one is among the best in its blend of fact and "personal story". You never for a second aren't aware that these people are real and lived through this amazing challenge. It will touch you forever and you will think about this amazing couple and incredible love story for a long time to come.



3. Blanka meets Mirek in Dachau after managing to survive Auscwitz. When she arrives in Dachau, she is only thinking about surviving the present and doesn't feel much of anything. Mirek befriends her and she begins to feel again-- love, hate, fear, everything.

   This story of courtship that began during a time in a concentration camp is compelling and strange. This is more than just a WWII concentration camp story; it is timeless because it shows how hope might be killed due to human depravity and despair, but it can also be restored through love, family, and feelings. There is so much more I could say about this book that just can't be expressed in a review-- so I'll just say READ IT!




4. This book is wonderful. It is so honest in such a dishonest time of history. You find yourself rooting for the main characters with all of your passion. You get to feel like you know Mirek (Karel) and Blanka like they were family. This book is such a pleasure. I will read it again and again until my copy if so worn, that I will have to buy it again.



5. My mother, a Holocaust survivor, never talked to me about her experiences in a Nazi concentration camp. This novel gave me a vivid picture of what it was like to survive such an ordeal and the deep scars that such an event can imprint on peoples lives. I am grateful to Blanka and Mirek Friedman for making public such a personal account of their love story and more importantly to Petru Popescu for using his obvious literary talent to bring such a story to life. The novel evokes life in a concentration camp with such force that by the end of the novel I got the feeling that I have experienced life in camp Muldorf.
   Many years ago I read some of Petru Popescu's Romanian novels. His English writing is as powerful as it was in Romanian. Great book, I strongly recommend it.

5 comments about Julius Streicher: Nazi Editor of the Notorious Anti-Semitic Newspaper Der Sturmer.

1. This book proves what is perhaps the only important thing about Julius Streicher - his unimportance. Yes, he wrote anti-Semitic polemics and yes, some people did read them but the simple fact is that Dr. Streicher had absolutely no influence on Hitler nor the policies of the National Socialist government. In fact, he was such an irritant, that Hitler himself had him kicked out of office as Nuremberg Gauleiter in 1940. Aside from continuing to publish Der Sturmer, Dr. Streicher remained in relative obscurity and retirement until arrested by the allies in 1945.
   
   After Germany's defeat, Streicher was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity yet the prosecution at Nuremberg did not produce one witness to attest that official policy regarding the Jews could be traced back to either Der Sturmer or anything else Dr. Streicher wrote or advocated. Streicher had no position in the German government either before or during the war nor was he ever consulted nor were his views ever solicited whenever Hitler formulated policies.
   
   European political thought was rife with anti-Semitism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and Dr. Streicher's writings were certainly no different than many other writers and agitators of the time. Why was Streicher singled out for trial and execution? No one knows. The legal basis for his conviction and execution does not exist under any rule of law and can only be traced back to a desire for simple vengence against a man only the Allies took seriously.



2. About the only biography of Julius Streicher, the man who was hanged for exercising his freedom of speech - this was his only crime, whether you share his point of view or hate it and the man himself.



3. Originally founded in May 1925 as a platform to attack STREICHER's inner party rivals, the infamous weekly DER STÜRMER quickly became notorious. During the remaining years of the Weimar republic and throughout the twelve years of National Socialist rule (the last issue appeared in February 1945) DER STÜRMER was Germany's leading and most low-brow anti-Semitic newspaper. At the beginning, it was a local paper, but it quickly turned out to be successful nationwide. 25000 copies were sold at the time when HITLER came to power in 1933, but publication quickly rose and peaked at around 700000 in the late 1930ies. (During the war circulation figures went down dramatically due to paper shortages.) There were also thousands of elaborate display cases throughout Germany, each displaying the current issue.
   Nine special editions (about topics like Jewish sex crimes, Jewish conspiracy, ritual murder, Jews in Czechoslowakia and Austria, and ritual murder) were published, with up to 2 million issues printed of each. The newspaper's appeal was also not limited to Germany:
   "New outrages from the Stuermer were regularly denounced by the world press. But there were many who looked on Streicher's work more sympathetically. A single issue in 1935 contained replies to readers in Greece, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, England, Australia, and the United States. Photographs of foreign readers were printed regularly. In the United States, Nazi organisations mailed copies to those interested. Even those unable to read German could absorb much of Streicher's message by looking at the cartoons and photographs. Branch offices of the Stuermer were opened in Vienna, Prague, and Strasbourg once Nazi armies had marched in, and a Danish edition was attempted in 1941." (p. 172)
   In addition to his editorship and his duties as Gauleiter of Franconia STREICHER also published illustrated anti-Semitic children books, a short lived anti-Semitic medical journal and even academic books.
   
   The focus of the book under review is an analysis of the publication history and the content of the weekly, and not so much a biography of STREICHER, who by all accounts was a rather unpleasant man. Born on 12 February 1885 in a small village near Augsburg in Bavaria, Julius STREICHER was a school teacher by trade and a highly decorated veteran of world war 1. While he was politically active before the war in mainstream avenues, he embraced anti-Semitism by 1919. According to BYTWERK (p. 8) it is not exactly known why. (I wonder whether the numerous communist uprisings (Berlin, Munich, Hungary, among others) usually lead by Jews, would have had anything to do with it?)
   Anyway, thus began his infamous political career, which led him to be editor of his newspaper and Gauleiter (local nazi party leader) of Franconia. He beat up political opponents with a whip, was sexually insatiable and embezzled funds that should have gone to Reich accounts.
   Being an early party member, already involved in the 1923 Munich beer hall coup, and because of his loyalty and propagandistic efforts, HITLER long protected him, but could not help him in the long run.
   The account of the intrigues that led to STREICHER's downfall as Gauleiter of Franconia following a party trial in February 1940 (he remained editior of his weekly) makes particular interesting reading. (STREICHER even ordered one of his accomplices to commit suicide! The man complied.)
   BYTWERK has obviously put much effort in his book, analysing every aspect of the Stuermer newspaper, from the crude caricatures by cartoonist "Fips" (Philippe RUPPRECHT, who ironically originally worked for a Social Democrat newspaper) to various changes in the focus of reporting reflecting political changes and the infamous pillory column, introduced in 1933. Fanatical readers often sent in letters denouncing
   Germans who e.g. did their shopping in Jewish shops, dated Jews or made business deals with them, accompanyied with addresses and pictures. (Occassionally whole photo essays were provided).
   I have some issues with the book despite the interesting subject (there are very few books about STREICHER available). Firstly, there are some translation issues. For instance the names of two fringe groups STREICHER briefly belonged to following the ban of the Nazi party after the failed coup are not provided in English. (I am native speaker of German, but the book was written for an English speaking audience in the first place.) Secondly, there are some misleading explanations. Of the first radical party STREICHER joined, the German Socialist Party, author BYTWERK writes, "it was despite its name a right-wing group holding many of the traditional values that Streicher supported" (p. 9), while a more accurate description would be a folkish socialist political party. The American church that reprinted the ritual murder special edition in 1976 is indeed "an anti-Semitic organisation", but it is apparently also a Christian Identity group.
   Thirdly and more importantly the book tends very much toward political correctness and the usual German bashing, the afterword with author BYTWERK speaking out against GOLDHAGEN's view regarding German eliminatory anti-Semitism notwithstanding.
   Without wanting to play devil's advocate it is evident to me that author BYTWERK did not devote much space for arguments in STREICHER's favour at the Nurmberg military tribunal (e.g. that many of his anti-Jewish attacks in his newspaper were in response to foreign threats of annihilation of Germany etc.)
   The book is profusely illustrated and also has three sample Stuermer articles (one of them incomplete) and two tales from the children book THE POISONOUS MUSHROOM.
   Recommended for anyone interested in analysis of propaganda, but be aware of the shortcomings.



4. 
   
   I should start by saying the title of Randall Bytwerk's book, JULIUS STREICHER, is a bit misleading. STREICHER is not strictly speaking a biography; only about fifty of its 200 pages are devoted to the life of the man who from 1923 - 1945 was Hitler's chief anti-Semitic propagandist, agitator and "Jew-baiter." The rest of the work is essentially an examination of his newspaper, DER STUERMER, and the various methods it used to stir up anti-Jewish bias in Germany. One might call the book a study of how Streicher and the STUERMER (Stormer or Attacker) laid the emotional (if not the ideological) foundations for what happened to Europe's Jews during World War II.
   
   Streicher is more or less a forgotten figure now, but he played a fairly crucial role in the struggle of the Nazi Party to attain power in Germany, and long after he himself had fallen from the Party's graces, he continued to enjoy Hitler's personal protection. A coarse, depraved, bullying man with a hair-trigger temper and a pugnacious attitude, Striecher had precisely the sort of characteristics which would endear him to Hitler: he was of common birth, a Bavarian, had won the Iron Cross in WWI, and held militant socialist, nationalist and anti-Jewish opinions, which he was more than ready to defend with his fists. Hitler respected Streicher for his courage and energy, and frequently told his confidants that DER STUERMER was the only news publication in Germany he read from cover to cover. He was not alone. Simon Weisenthal contended: "The SS who murdered our families had DER STUERMER in their field packs." His execution at Nuremberg was largely due to this fact, and it remains a controversial act: was Streicher truly guilty of anything except big-mouthed bigotry, or was he murdered (as many contend Rosenberg was) simply for what he thought and wrote?
   
   A good way to address this question is by asking, What sort of paper was the STORMER? The most common description by Western historians is "a vile anti-Semitic rag", one which combined salacious gossip, detailed conspiracy theory, and quasi-pornography in an attempt to produce an emotional, rather than intellectual, reaction in the reader. If Alfred Rosenberg was the intellectual pillar of anti-Semitism in the Third Reich, Streicher was its vulgar streetcorner shill. THE STORMER is a nasty, villainous piece of work, and it is Bytwerk's thesis (just as it was the Allies contention at Nuremberg in 1946) that the STORMER was responsible for creating an atmosphere of hatred which made things like Krystalnacht and the Einsatzgruppen possible. Bytwerk uses many examples to show that while many Germans found the STORMER to be disgusting nonsense or at least in incredibly bad taste, its cumulative effect was to benumb the German populace to their fate. If it did not necessarily produce hatred, it certainly produced indifference ("Machts nicht," as the Germans say).
   
   As a book, STREICHER is a bit of a mixed bag. The biography of Streicher himself is entertaining but fairly superficial - it left me hungry for more. The examination of the STURMER's message and methodology is very interesting, and Bytwerk has some penetrating insights as to the nature of propaganda. The main flaw in the work is his examination of anti-Semitism - not because it is factually inaccurate but because it is too partisan. When tackling radical ideology, a historian has three courses open to him: sympathy, neutrality or antipathy. Sympathy is always to be avoided, but many historians seem to think that objectivity amounts to the same thing. Afraid of appearing pro-Nazi, they spend too much time attacking its ethos and not enough time trying to explain the more legitimate sources of its appeal. No less a man than George Orwell has said that in order to fight fascism, it is necessary to understand that it contains some good as well as much evil; and any honest study of German anti-Semitism must start by recognizing that (whatever its origin) German Jews did have a disproportionate representation in import-export business, the diamond trade, banking, the legal profession, the medical profession, publishing, music, entertainment, and teaching (particularly at the university level), among other vocations. This applies to involvement in communist politics as well. This was bound to cause resentment and breed conspiracy theories, and it would hardly be "anti-Semitic" to admit this before entertaining a discussion of why the STORMER found such fertile soil. But when Bytwerk mentions these sort of things, he usually is quoting them as statistics taken from the STORMER, which leaves the reader with the assumption that they must be false. He is willing to expose the innumerable instances where Streicher lied, exaggerated, took statements out of context, or used logical fallacies to support his arguments, but he seems unwilling to grant that the conditions which led to such a surplus of anti-Jewish feeling in Germany were sometimes rooted in everyday reality, and not merely a product of Streicher's strident and incessant Jew-baiting. Obviously, it's ticklish to discuss these things, lest the historian be accused of validating the Nazi ethos that "the Jew was our misfortune", but I think anyone intelligent enough to read a history book of this nature can tell the difference between an explanation of bigotry and an apologia for it.
   
   Having said that, I maintain that STREICHER is a solid and important work by a diligent historian who perhaps attempted a bit too much for just 200 pages (this could be two books; a bio on Streicher and an analysis of his paper) but does not come off any worse for the attempt. I would recommend it to any collection of history on the Third Reich.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



5. Many people are familiar with the fact that Julius Streicher was one of the Nazis executed as a result of the Nuremberg trials. Most aren't clear on what Streicher's crimes were, however. In this book Randall Bytwerk reveals what it was that Streicher did to deserve having his neck snapped like a twig on the gallows in 1946.

   Julius Streicher was one of Hitler's earliest comrades during the Nazi rise to power in the 1920's and 1930's. Streicher helped Hitler gain a foothold in Nuremberg, which helped the Nazi regime consolidate its hold on Germany. Streicher's main role, however, was as a sort of common man's Joseph Goebbels. Streicher was a teacher by trade, and a fairly effective one at that. He had the rare ability to motivate his students by instilling his enthusiasm for any subject into the minds of his pupils. Streicher used this ability later in his duties for the Nazi party. Streicher published the notorious anti-Jewish newspaper Der Sturmer, which pumped out the most strident and hateful propaganda on the "Jewish Problem" for over twenty years. Bytwerk examines how effective Der Sturmer was on the common German, and how the newspaper went about reducing Jews to the status of non-humans. When this status was reached, the result led to the concentration camps and mass murder.

   Included in the book are many reproductions from Der Sturmer, most of which are cartoons that present Jews as animals or as evil, deformed creatures bent on the destruction of Germany. Many cartoons attempt to show Jews as a threat to German women or girls, thereby appealing directly to German manhood and nobility. Bytwerk convincingly argues that these cartoons and articles were quite effective in conditioning the German people into a state in which they regarded the Jews as pure evil. As propaganda, Der Sturmer was a masterpiece. Bytwerk points out that while it convinced Germans that Jews were evil, its most important accomplishment was that it created an atmosphere of indifference. Most Germans didn't run out and attack Jews after reading this stuff. What they did do was not stand up when laws began to appear that stripped Jews of their rights. In other words, Der Sturmer convinced most Germans to do nothing to help Jews.

   One of the best parts of the book is when Bytwerk examines the history of German anti-Semitic thought. The Nazis were building their particular programs on a foundation that had been created by other authors in the past. This foundation allowed Streicher's propaganda to work much faster and accomplish more in a shorter time. The dislike and distrust were already in place. All Streicher did was to bring it up to date and articulate it in a way that was easy for the common German to understand. Since Der Sturmer was so effective, I disagree with Bytwerk when he states that Streicher was not a bright man. Streicher may have not been a brilliant party organizer, but he certainly accomplished what he set out to do. With all that Streicher got accomplished, and the way he did it, I'd say he was a genius at propaganda, and one who rivaled Joseph Goebbels, who Bytwerk seems to think was Streicher's intellectual "better".

   This book is a worthy read, although it is out of print and might be somewhat difficult to find on a local level. Try Amazon.com's search service. Wherever you look, try and pick up a copy. It will be well worth the time.

3 comments about One Woman Against the Reich.

1. This is a very inspirational book of faith in action. Maria the mother is so concerned for her 4 children and husband as WWII breaks out in Germany. The family are Christian and they are against the NAZI party views. They continue to resisit joining even though it would make like easier as in more food etc.
   
   This is a family who pray together each day and believe that God indeed hears and answers their prayers. Her worst fears start to come true as her husband is called to duty to serve the "Fatherland". With much prayer he is thankfully assigned to the Red Cross Hospital in their own town and he drives an ambulance. Much safer than a front line assignment.
   
   Their oldest son Reinhold is drafted at the age of 17 and sent to training. He is then immediately sent to the infantry. He had at times during his life adopted some NAZI views as he and his brother Kurt were required to attend Hitler Youth. Things change along the way which I will not tell you all the details.
   
   This family lives thru almost total destruction of the town. There are injuries along the way but God was faithful to protect them during the entire war.
   
   The story is told by Helmut the youngest boy. His sister Ruth brother Kurt helped fill in the places and events before his birth.
   
   I highly recommend this book. Although it takes place at one of the worst times in history it leaves you with a deeper faith and trust in God.



2. This is a timely book for today. Maria Ziefle was a strong Christian woman, and was very concerned about the Nazi influence on her family. As they dealt with the Hitler Youth, Nazi neighbors, the draft, horrors of war, pressures from "the Party", the heartache of seeing so much wickedness, and so much more, Maria prayed that their family would remain alive and faithful to God.
   
   Today in America we do not live with the horrors the Ziefle family faced. But as our culture becomes more Godless, our children can innocently be drawn into it, just as Kurt was attracted to the Hitler Youth. Parents must be vigilant in prayer and in teaching their children what is good and right and honoring to God. This woman's story will be an encouragement for many parents. Especially as the book was written by her son.
   
   Everything was not ideal in the Ziefle family. Georg was not the family's spiritual leader; his wife was. Everyone may not agree with certain stands they chose to make, but ideal families exist only in fiction, and to agree with everything in a book, we must write it ourselves.
   
   Many photographs are included throughout the book of the people and places described. The story unfolds in an easy way, although the events make for less than easy thoughts as we comfortably read about the Ziefle's struggles. The war is not the focus, but rather the experiences of a Christian German family who did not support the Nazis. Readers of all ages will enjoy this biography, but parents in particular will be blessed by the account of a woman who fought for her family.



3. This vivid story of life in Germany during the worst part of its history is told by one who lived through it. Memories of that awful period in human history are fading fast as those who experienced it are dying. This page in human history should not be forgotten. The book is especially timely in the light of the war in Iraq. This is not a story of battles but of the day-to-day life of a Christian family during the time when Hitler and his minions ruled Germany. The Ziefle family held fast to their Christian faith in the face of danger and ridicule. The book recounts their walk of faith day by day. They suffered both physically and emotionally, especially during the five years Reinhold, the eldest son, was a prisoner of war despised for being part of Hitler's army. It is a reminder of how to live one's faith in the midst of opposition and threats. Sharing this family's experience is helpful in thinking about what is going on and will go on in Iraq as the people there learn to live with the effects of war.
   Georg and Maria Ziefle had four children, Reinhold. Kurt, Ruth, and Helmut.
   Both Reinhold and Kurt served in the German army. Ruth under took many daring adventures to care for the family and its needs. Georg was not forced into the army because of his work for the Red Cross and the fact that he was disabled from World War I. Maria and she narrowly escaped being forced into service of the German war machine. Their faith was tested many times but they all survived the war and lived productive lives after the war. Helmut, who wrote the account from his memories and with the help of his siblings, spent many years as a professor at Wheaton College.