3 comments about Echoes from the Holocaust: A Memoir.

1. Mira lived to tell the tale of the holocaust. She's carried the message of strength and forgiveness, of working through the horrors she's lived by bringing the message to all who will listen. This is a strange and different book: on the one hand, so repulsive, so unbelievable, yet, on the other hand, compelling. Several questions ran through my mind: how does a person continue to live with any humanity at all after such an experience; why does one person live, while all the rest die; what kind of magnetism did Mira have that encouraged people to help her?
   I've met Mira; she lives here in my home town of Oak Ridge. She will speak before my class. Perhaps my questons will be answered, and I will know who Mira is after all.



2. Echoes from the Holocaust by Mira Ryczke Kimmelman is a riveting memoir that recounts her life as a child in Danzig to her life in the United States after World War II. Mira describes how the innocence, effulgence, and peace of her youth are shattered once the Nazi troops force her family to leave their home in Poland in October 1939. Embracing her Jewish heritage, Mira tells of how she strives to preserve her identity and pride as a Jew alive by receiving secret Hebrew lessons, attending prohibited Jewish gatherings, and becoming a member of the Zionist movement. Kimmelman refuses to let herself become discouraged when she learns that more than twenty of her family members and friends are killed by the SS officers.
   
   Infused with aspirations, Mira does whatever she can to cope with the persecution she and others receive at the ghettos and concentration camps. After suffering from typhoid, physical torture, starvation, horrendous living conditions, and simple dehumanization, Mira continues to be a burning flame among all the melted candles. All her struggles and lucky moments become learning experiences.
   
   Mira is able to move on with her life, after the end of the war in 1945. She marries Max Kimmelman, another Holocaust survivor, and has several children and grandchildren after. She gives them the names of her relatives and close companions so that her memories of them will live on. Although life in the United States becomes a bit of a struggle, Mira manages to carve out a content life with her husband and family. She continues to encompass her traditions and tell her story of survival.
   
   The memoir is written simplistically, but with very powerful imagery and episodes, that capture Mira's moments effectively. Metaphors, similes, or hyperboles are not necessary to make this memoir memorable. The book is divided into several short chapters that make it an easy read. With cliffhangers at the end of every chapter, this book becomes a real page-turner. An atmosphere of hope surrounds the events Kimmelman depicts and reiterates the idea that Mira has survived for a purpose. No history book can tell a story such as this one. To capture the meaning and depth of the Holocaust, one must go out and read Mira Kimmelman's account.



3. From a priveleged upbringing in pre-war Gdansk, the author and her family are deported first to Warsaw then to other ghettos and camps. The book is written in a frank, no-nonsense fashion and she really states the facts about what happened to her and her family. An amazing book and one that everyone should read.

5 comments about From A Name to A Number: A Holocaust Survivor's Autobiography.

1. This autobiography will make you think critically about human nature and how strength and love can help you overcome the worst possible death you can face, which is HATE. Mr. Al Wiener has not only lived through a horrible ordeal, but his willingness to share his personal story never cease to amaze me. He's not only a holocaust survivor but he's a living educator that represents history alive. You must get this book if you really want to understand the atrocities and lessons learned that comes from the eye witness and victimization of Mr. Wiener. What stands out about his story above all autobiographies is his ability to choose hope in the midst of pain, sorrow and death instead of hate against the world who refused to acknowledge or help the Jews. Instead he uses his life as a means to influence others to love, respect and accept what is unfamiliar or different.



2. "From a Name to a Number" is a powerful and inspiring book highlighting the life of a courageous man who struggled through horrors that no one should endure. Wiener's story is a remarkable account of how a person can maintain hope, resiliency, and a passion for life after having experienced the worst of conditions and atrocities. Yet through all of his struggles, he has experienced the positive side of human nature in the love and compassion bestowed upon him during and after the war. His story is heart wrenching and captivating. His message that the human spirit can find strength in the worst of conditions serves to inspire anyone who faces adversity.
   
   Wiener often presents his personal story of the Holocaust to audiences, including: school children, prisoners, and cable television. In the back of his book he presents responses to audience questions that have been asked over the years with genuineness and candor. I was disturbed to see questions that clearly demonstrate ignorance or disbelief that the Holocaust ever happened. Having personally seen Wiener present to students, I was surprised and dismayed that there are many children who are not familiar with the Holocaust. This story and that of the few remaining survivors of the Holocaust need to be heard! This book does a great job in leading the readers through the tragedy and positive message of Mr. Wiener's story.



3. Alter says that he does not have command of the English language, yet this book is beautifully and eloquently crafted. He shares his personal experience of the inhumane conditions and treatment in the camps, as do many other books on the Holocaust. But he also shares his life before the horrors began, describing his loving family of which he is the only survivor. He shares letters from those whose lives have been changed after hearing him speak. And what stands out in this book is his heartbreaking and very lonely search for a new life after liberation. As he says in his book, the survivors who were liberated from camps by the British and the U.S. were given help in finding their way back to a new life. The Russians simply said, "You're on your own." Alter was 19. His family was gone. He was starving, stunned and full of questions and few would give him food, comfort or answers.
   If you meet Alter today, he is a man full of love, compassion and gratitude. He carries scars and continues to suffer nightmares of his experience. And yet, his message is incredibly positive and it is delivered with a twinkle in his eye. He has shared his story with thousands and his message is one of hope. In his book and his talks he inspires others to erase prejudice, embrace education, express gratitude for what they have and to never forget. Alter has inspired thousands and honored millions.



4. From A Name to A Number: A Holocaust Survivor's Autobiography
   
   This is a remarkable book; a first-hand account from a survivor who endured a living hell for many years. The writing is beautiful: down to earth and very genuine. The lessons are inspiring: don't punish people today for what their relatives did years ago; be mindful that some people are good and some are evil and that one cannot generalize based on race or other categories; appreciate each day of life.
   
   This author has spoken to hundreds of groups, prinarily students. He has changed life after life and has inspired many people to appreciate what they have instead of feeling sorry for themselves.
   
   An excellent book, beautifully written. A major contribution to Holocaust literature.



5. As a history teacher and ardent student of all things historical, I have had the honor of having Mr Wiener speak to my high school students on two memorable occasions, in 2004 and again this year. Both times, faculty and students packed themselves in as close as space permitted, to see and hear this frail, 86 year old Holocaust survivor recount in a quiet, emotional tone the horrors he experienced as a young man yet to make his way in the world.
   In his self-written accounting of the horrible atrocities he witnessed and endured during the Holocaust - aptly titled "From A Name To A Number" - Al has compiled a shocking, personal and pervasive record of this horrific time in European history before and during the second world war. From witnessing his father's execution and humiliating burial, to his "realization" years later that he had survived what 80% of Europe's Jews had not, Al takes the reader on a journey literally through hell and back. His language conveys an emotional sadness which grips the reader and draws them in to his environment. His accurate recounting of executions, living conditions and SS Nazi atrocities envelopes the reader and permits them to experience these events in ways few authors have accomplished.
   My students are convicted juveniles whose educational choices did not permit them opportunities to learn about this period in history. Since Al's visit and the subsequent reading of his book by my students, many, many students have began to examine not only this era of history, but other areas as well. They are looking at trends, causes and affects and are even applying these lessons to their own lives in seeking understanding and prevention. All of them are so very thankful for Al's visit and have developed a healthy respect for his first hand accounting in "From A Name To A Number". It opened my eyes to aspects I did not know about as well and my lessons now reflect a more in-depth insight when teaching this subject.
   My father passed away before he could see me attain my education and teaching position. I often wonder if he would be proud of the man I have become. In reading Al's book, I am positive beyond a shadow of a doubt that his father is very proud for the work he has accomplished in informing others about this tragic event in human history. I urge anyone to read this book and be thankful men like Al Wiener do all they can to help us remember! You will come away with a healthy respect for their heartfelt reminder... "Never Again"!

5 comments about The Inextinguishable Symphony: A True Story of Music and Love in Nazi Germany.

1. My bookclub is entering into its Holocaust Month. Someone recommended this book to me last year and I thought, it sounded interesting enough to read. Interesting just barely describes this book. Haunting is more the word that I think of when I finished this book. Incredibly lucky are two more words.
   
   There are so many books out there about the Holocaust that it can be confusing sometimes to read what. This book definitely should be read simply because it's beautifully moving, tragically sad and not only that, it provides a different viewpoint of what happened during the early years of Nazihood in Germany and before the "Final Solution" was proposed to exterminate the Jews. This happened and I don't recall hearing much about any of this till I read this book. Before Hitler and Goring proposed the death camps and just while trying to get rid of Germany of the non-Aryan blood, they came up with a solution that provides entertainment and music/art/theater productions just for the Jews. This is a place for the Jews to retreat to. They were only allowed to play Jewish pieces written by Jewish artists/musicans. And they were left alone in the 30s and early 40s. Well, not quite completely left alone as they still had to follow the Nazi rules. But it was a place of refuge for the Jews, especially in Berlin.
   
   This book, while devoting a huge portion to the Kulturbund and its orgins, the author writes of his personal family history. His mother and father were musicans in the Kulturbund. And they suffered horrible tragedies as the war progressed over the years. However, they were young, in love and naive like a lot of people were. They did manage to escape Germany but they also managed to leave behind family members which have haunted them and their children even to this day. It is very intense reading at times and with hindsight on the reader's part, it is very hard to fathom their optimism that things will work out ok in the end. Not only that, this book brings up the question of whether or not the Kulturbund was good for the Jews or kept them compliant enough to keep them in Germany instead of escaping to other countries, so the Nazis could gas them too. This book is haunting and disturbing. The questions that the author may have unknowingly stirred are now raised in my mind ... and the answers are not easy to figure out.
   
   This is not your typical Holocaust book nor is it like the other books about the camps ~~ this book simply tells a tale of two musicans who were unfortunate to be caught up in the times that stirred Germany (and the world) ~~ but yet, their love of music has sustained them through the years before they left Germany. Are they heros? Not in the sense that we associate it with. They are more like survivors and like all survivors, they carry a burden of guilt that resounded through the years. But it is a book that honors the memory of those who were left behind in a time of turmoil that even today, still vibrates through the years.
   
   9-28-07



2. MG's story of his family during the early Nazi era is an unusual glimpse into the lives of German Jews during the period from 1933-1941. He writes about the Kulturbund, an organization created by the Nazis to (1) rid Germany of Jewish influence in the arts and (2) provide propaganda coverage of the maltreatment of Jews by the Third Reich.
   
   In my opinion the book is generally well written and seems to be the result of careful research. My one complaint is that MG frequently quotes conversations which I doubt have been recorded in any way. I don't like that in historical writing, but in this case I was willing to overlook it, because of my interest in the story.



3. What do we really know about our parents' life before we were born? That depends largely, I guess, on how much of an interest we show - and on how much they are willing to reveal. Because in the life of every person there are instances and times they rather wish to forget, and not revive time and again by discussion, even if only among their nearest and dearest.
   
   Such, in the lives of author Martin Goldsmith's parents, were the years from 1933 through 1941; so much so, in fact, that Goldsmith likens that time to the massive ash tree in the house of Germanic warlord Hunding, the setting of the first scene of Richard Wagner's opera "Die Walkuere:" Something looming large, yet never openly acknowledged. Because before George Gunther Goldsmith, furniture and home decorating salesman of Cleveland, Ohio, and his wife Rosemary, a violinist with the St. Louis Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra, became American citizens in 1947, they had lived a whole other life - the hunted life of Jews in Adolf Hitler's Germany. And only years after his mother's death, on a trip to his father's home town of Oldenburg, did Goldsmith catch the first glimpses of what was hidden behind that massive ash tree, and George Goldsmith began to talk about the events which his, the Goldschmidt family had witnessed there; as well as the early life of Rosemarie nee Gumpert in Duesseldorf, the couple's first meeting in Frankfurt, and their later life in Berlin until their lucky escape to the United States. Beginning with this visit, Martin Goldsmith retraced his family's path to the early years of the 20th century, when his paternal grandfather Alex Goldschmidt took residence in Oldenburg, and his maternal grandfather Julian Gumpert settled in Duesseldorf.
   
   How intensely personal this voyage into the past must have been becomes clear in the account of Goldsmith's visit to Oldenburg prison, as a participant in a march retracing the path taken by the Jews - among them the author's grandfather - driven through the streets of Oldenburg in 1938 by Nazi thugs, to later be shipped off (at least temporarily) to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. But although he writes about his very own family, and now in full knowledge of their fate, Goldsmith's narrative is in no way sentimental. With a journalist's detachment he talks about Guenther and Rosemarie, Alex, Julian and their wives and other children; turning a nonfiction account whose outcome is clear from the very start into a heartstopping tale few would be able to believe if presented with it under colors other than that of the plain historic truth.
   
   Prominently featured in Goldsmith's account is the Jewish Culture Association, or Juedischer Kulturbund; as of 1933 the German Jews' only permitted artistic organization, in whose orchestra Guenther and Rosemarie had met and which had formed the center of their life until they finally left the country. One of the most controversial institutions of Nazi Germany, it reunited what was left of the country's Jewish musicians, artists, writers and composers - providing a modicum of shelter in an increasingly hostile environment, but also a convenient tool in the Nazi propaganda machine. Were the members of the Kulturbund instrumentalized to deceive public opinion, at home and abroad, about the true intentions of Hitler's government? By giving their Jewish audience a sense of comfort and "belonging," did they also prevent some of them from rescuing themselves when there still would have been time? The surviving members of the "Kubu" and their families, interviewed by Goldsmith, come down on both sides of the issue; and the fate of the survivors is probably as symptomatic as that of the many who ultimately did perish in Nazi concentration camps - chiefly among those the Kulturbund's charismatic founder Dr. Singer, who not only let himself deceive into returning to Germany after already having reached the safe shores of the U.S. but saw a mark of distinction even in his deportation to the "model" concentration camp of Theresienstadt.
   
   Yet, for Guenther and Rosemarie the years with the Kulturbund were dominated, above all, by the musical companionship they experienced. What does seem to have haunted them most for the rest of their lives, however, was their very escape to America, while their remaining family members were stuck in Europe and, one way or another, died in Hitler's concentration camps - and the feeling that with a little effort they just *might* have saved at least some of them. The letters of Alex Goldschmidt and his younger son Helmut, written to Guenther from captivity in France after their own unsuccessful attempt to flee to Cuba, are among the most chilling testimonials contained in this book; and the decision to translate and include them conceivably cannot have been an easy one for Goldsmith. Indeed, it apparently was the knowledge of his family's fate that, all talent and love of music aside, eventually compelled George Goldsmith to forever retire the flute which, in his life as Guenther Goldschmidt, had been the only item of true importance besides his beloved wife Rosemarie; thus punishing himself in a way no outsider could have done. Yet, the couple's gift for music lives on in their son, who in his own way has brought many hours of joy to radio listeners all over the U.S.
   
   Martin Goldsmith's "Inextinguishable Symphony" - named for Danish composer Carl Nielsen's Fourth Symphony, which sets music, as a parable for life itself, against war, terror and destruction - is as much a personal journey of discovery as a journalist's account of historic facts; seeking to understand rather than to judge. It deals with a time in which morality was thoroughly upset by a profoundly immoral regime, which cannot possibly have remained without effect on anybody who witnessed those events. In applying our own values to those facts, I think we would all do well in being careful to, likewise, make a thorough effort to understand before we judge. Goldsmith's insightful account is a great place to begin such a process.
   
   Also recommended:
   The Jewish Response to German Culture: From the Enlightenment to the Second World War (Tauber Institute)
   The Pianist
   WITNESS: Voices from the Holocaust
   Hitler
   Holocaust
   Conspiracy
   The NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Music
   The Beatles Come to America (Turning Points in History)



4. This story was impossible to put down and when you finish, it stays with you for a very long time. Its hard to believe that Gunther and Rosemary didn't make every effort to help their parents emigrate to U. S. What really bothers me most is, not being Jewish, what would I have done in Germany in the late thirties and early forties when I saw these atrocities happening?



5. I listened to Martin Goldsmith on "Performance Today" (and still listen to his successor, Fred Child) for many years. This man who for years described classical music on the radio -- composers and their life story, pieces and their histories, in accessible, engaging, and lightly humorous ways, and even sometimes tied it in to his love of baseball -- he also has an extraordinary family story. It's moving and well-written, and makes me think about the extraordinary stories that must dwell in the depths of my own geneological past.

5 comments about I Will Plant You a Lilac Tree: A Memoir of a Schindler's List Survivor.

1. The book I will Plant You A Lilac Tree by Laura Hillman is an excellent book. I would most likely recommend it to girls though. I would recommend it to girls because the book talks about Hannelore getting sexually assaulted and other things like her falling in love with Bernard (Dick) Hillman. I would also recommend this book because it talks about true fact that happened during the Holocaust. This book has been the best book I've ever read. One reason it is would be because she expresses her feelings about the people she loved and lost, but also how she hated what was happening to the Jewish religion. All in all if you're looking for a good read I think you should read the book I will Plant You A Lilac Tree.



2. This is one of the best books I've ever read on any subject. It was compelling reading--I, too, couldn't put it down.
   I love its honesty. Nothing was left out of this book. And yet it is not sensational or graphic. It's an honest, humane, and brave book about a terrifying time.
   I'm so grateful to the author for writing it.



3. This is the first-person account of Hannelore Wolff, a survivor of Nazi death camps and a Jew on Schindler's List. The story chronicles Hannelore's time when she leaves safety to accompany her mother and brothers to first a Jewish ghetto and then to a concentration camp in an effort to keep the family together. Hannelore then spends the next three years living day to day as she survives the disease, death, and horrors of the Holocaust. Her story is by turns one of luck, faith, and perseverance as she ultimately finds herself on Oskar Schindler's famous list and thus brought to the relative safety of his factory. Along the way Hannelore meets and falls in love with her future husband, Dick. Mrs. Hillman gives us a chilling account of a desperate time and helps us all to remember those who should not be forgotten. A tremendous story that will touch you deeply. Highly recommended.



4. This book is great! I have always been interested in this subject and i don't normaly read books! I'm a junior in high school and i enjoyed this book ALOT!!! Great character plot and great ending!! I don't want to return it to the library!! Also i share the same last name!



5. One day I had nothing to read and I decided to get this book because I heard was great. It kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole book! I finished in less than two days and have read it five more times since.

5 comments about Crucible of Terror: A Story of Survival Through the Nazi Storm.

1. This is a touching story of endurance and faith. It is written with much dignity and can only be called an excellent example for all. It would encourage and strengthen any who read it.



2. One of the better books I have read on the subject. Clear and concise. That it was written from a Jewish perspective -- somebody who could not leave any concentration camp -- made it even more insightful. We should all be aware of the history that Jehovah's Witnesses were quite successful in peacefully standing against Hitler and his regime.



3. Once I started reading, I just couldn't put this book down. An incredible account of one man's struggle for survival during the Nazi regime. This is one story that no one else has ever written or heard of before. He is one-a-kind.



4. This account is powerful, inspiring and deeply disturbing all at the same time. It's positive proof that no amount of oppression can destroy a person's firm desire to remain true to his convictions and faith.



5. While this gentleman's stand is certainly commendable and his story moving, there IS one aspect of the whole "Jehovah's Witnesses" in the concentration camps issue which is never touched upon by these books, but is very important.
   
   Those in the camps referred to as "Jehovah's Witnesses" were in fact Bible Students (Bibelforschers); many whom were NOT affiliated with the WT, then or after. They were all labeled with the same "purple" triangle and lumped together. These faithful Bible Students who suffered and died in these camps too, NEVER associated with the Watchtower organization and were NEVER "Jehovah's Witnesses", a name not yet adopted at the time in Germany. Out of respect for these individuals this distinction SHOULD be made.
   
   Sincerely,
   
   (Bible Student - NOT JW)

2 comments about Surprised by God: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Religion.

1. Danya Ruttenberg's latest book is a very moving memoir of a young woman's spiritual development. This is more than a biography, it's a guide to developing one's own spiritual path. Rabbi Ruttenberg brings stories and sources from various faith traditions which add to her gripping narrative. I truly couldn't put this book down. I highly recommend it.



2. As a fan from her Yentl's Revenge, I found Surprised by God to be the fulfillment of the promise Ruttenberg showed in that book. This book showcases the writer's ability to blend the personal and political and to make it all so compulsively readable that you just can't put it down.

5 comments about Blood Brothers.

1. I highly recommend this book for the information and the point of view which I think most Americans have never heard. Most Americans are not even aware that Palestinians include Christians as well as Muslims and we have grown up hearing how wonderful it was that Israel was "set aside" or "given" to the Jews as a homeland after the horrors of the Holocaust. It isn't that simple. It never was. This very personal story of Elias Chacour is told in a way most people can understand and empathize with and, hopefully, will add strength to the movement toward peace in that region.



2. Blood Brothers is a poignant biography of the experiences of Elias Chacour, a Palestinian Christian who lived through the violent and traumatic events surrounding the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 and the ensuing political conflict that plagues the region still today.
   
   I found myself teary-eyed at several points throughout this book. The most powerful parts were the detailed descriptions of how Chacour, his family, and his village of Biram, were led out of their homes by Israeli soldiers with promises that Biram would be defended against ravaging militants. When Chacour and his village returned they discovered that they had been deceived, and eventually, the village was bulldozed. Chacour tells the story of his own village, but notes that the same story unfolded in other Palestinian villages.
   
   Chacour tells of how Palestinians and Jews lived in peace with one another for centuries before the early 20th century. With the success of the Zionist movement and the horrible atrocities of WW2 and the holocaust, European Jews began emigrating en masse to Palestine. Ironically, while Western nations strongly supported Jewish immigration into Palestinian on the basis that they needed a homeland (Chacour fully accepts that they needed a place to live in peace and security as they were clearly unwelcome in Europe), Western states refused Jews entry into their own nations.
   
   Chacour emphasizes that between WW1 and WW2, the peaceful and violent tactics of Palestinians fail to gain them any sympathy in the international arena, whose leaders ignored Palestinian diplomacy while continually urging Palestinians to accept their Jewish brethren while European states had persecuted them and refused to make amends by opening Jewish immigration quotas.
   
   Utterly mind-boggling is the fact that he has been called an anti-semite by some reviews on Amazon. Anyone who reads this book will see that he exhibits a deep love and admiration for Jews, and expresses heartfelt sympathy for the persecution of Jews throughout European history and culminating in the holocaust. Chacour points out that these sad facts only make the Palestinian plight more ironic.
   
   At times, I felt Chacour depends too much on the kindness and good nature of human beings, and that this made his political opinions somewhat naive. By the end of the book, however, I concluded that this was not a fair conclusion. He understands very well that Palestinians were persecuted and that Israel has a right to exist, but he doesn't believe violence ever leads to peace. Whether this opinion is very naive or very wise is up to the reader to decide.
   
   Lastly, one should always be skeptical when reading personal accounts of political conflicts. One man can only see so much, and if one wants to really discover the facts of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, one has to read several books. This is not a book of facts, but it is not intended to be. Thousands of books on the history of this conflict have been written, and any earnest and disinterested endeavor to learn about what actually happened will not result in much confusion as to what occurred (is occurring). Note that there is no devoid of personal stories and ethnographies either, although I would very people have ever read these, even though they would do everyone some good. But this is a rich addition to the literature, in that it successfully de-dehumanizes the Palestinian people and avoids anything but the most basic historical political facts.



3. This book as assigned to my son for reading for an online class. I picked it up and starting reading it to help him and got glued to its pages. Easy and quick reading.



4. This is an incredible, heart-touching book that helps one understand the Israeli and Palestinian conflict much better than just what you see on the news. Incredible morals are woven through the book too.



5. Blood Brothers is the story of a very brave family during an incredibly controversial time. This conflict between Israel and Palestine is an ongoing struggle and causes a large amount of change and strife on both sides of the issue. As native Palestinians this family, the Chacour's, are part of this difficult journey with their village. This struggle beginning with them being tricked out of their house to losing some village members and the heartbreak of knowing life could never go back to "normal."
   
   This book revolves around a young boy who we see grow up throughout the book named, Elias Chacour. He is a Palestinian Christian, who lived in a small town Biram for most of his young life. This boy is full of life and a spirit that grows throughout the entire story.
   
   His father, a peaceful man with incredible amounts of wisdom, plays a large role in this Elias's life as well as rest of his family and the village. At one point Elias's father and two brothers were torn from their family and taken away by Israeli soldiers. After finding their way back this is all he did, "turning those sad eyes upon us, `if someone hurts you, you can curse him. But this would be useless. Instead, you have to ask the Lord to bless the man who makes himself your enemy. And do you know what will happen? The Lord will bless you with inner peace-and perhaps your enemy will turn from his wickedness. If not, the Lord will deal with him.'"
   
   The strength Elias's finds within himself and family to deal with these real issues that surround him is inspiring. This is a characteristic that we should all strive to have.

5 comments about A Bag of Marbles.

1. A bag of marbles was pretty good. If you are looking for an educational book about wwII and want to escape the gore, this is the book for you. It gets a little slow, but you really do find yourself caring for theses two boys. Plus, it is non-fiction.



2. The story is about two young boys : Joe and Maurice, they are French and Jews, it's in Paris during world War 2. So they must avoid. they went to the south, near the Italian border.
   The story is touching and well writing, but sometimes it's very boring, because there isn't a lot of action.



3. Kudos to the translator for keeping the author's words & spirit in tact in this heroic and moving testimonial about what it took to survive the Holocaust & what we all must do to keep other holocausts from happening again. In his own words, "be brave, know how to take care of yourself, don't rely on others, don't let your emotions get the better of you, take responsibility." Clearly, this title is a story that will encourage & remind young readers to always remember and to take responsibility.



4. This is a beautiful book that tells the true story of two young Jewish boys on the run from the Gestapo in war-torn France. The author, Joseph Joffo is never nostalgic about the ordeal he and his brother went through in their bid to escape the Death Camps of Nazi Germany. He writes from the heart but he writes with purpose. His story is a warning to future generations never to take their lives for granted. A Bag of Marbles is a fantastic book that should be on the shelves of every school in the world, just to remind future generations that life is not always a bed of roses...



5. this book made me want to read more. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. You are really rooting for the boys to come out of this entire oredeal alright.+

5 comments about Every Day Lasts A Year: A Jewish Family's Correspondence from Poland.

1. Growing up, I often read fiction about the Holocaust and wondered, "What if I was alive then? What if I was in Poland or Russia or Germany? What would I do? How would I react? Would I be a survivor or a victim?"
   
   The books I read were all fiction. Or, they were accounts after the fact with the exception of "The Diary of Anne Frank". They weren't primary historical sources such as the letters in Richard Hollander's book.
   
   Hollander's book answered my questions in many ways. His relatives who wrote the letters that make up his book all just lived their everyday lives as I live mine. You adapt to whatever surrounds you and most people are not prescient enough and willing enough to embrace change to ultimately survive unless they are incredibly lucky. To be a survivor means one has to be the recipient of a lot of luck in your favor.
   
   Unfortunately, Hollander's relatives didn't survive. Neither did the rest of the approximately 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust. For their sakes, we must all remain vigiliant against evil, Facism, totalitarianism and cults of personality.



2. The correspondence from Polish Jews living during the early phases of the German occupation of Poland has been well covered by other reviewers, and, instead of repeating them, I focus on the commentaries.
   
   Christopher Browning gives the reader a good overview of the early years of the Krakow (Cracow) Ghetto. Nechama Tec does also, while also reaching back to prewar Poland and to the Germans' extermination of the Jews in later years. However, her analysis has a number of omissions and biases. To begin with, Tec mentions the prewar Przytyk pogrom (p. 63, 74) in a rather superficial manner. For a full description of this event, see the detailed English-language Peczkis review of Pogrom? Zajscia polsko-zydowskie w Przytyku 9 marca 1936 r. : Mity, Fakty, Dokumenty.
   
   Tec repeats the familiar one-sided portrayal of pre-WWII Polish Jews and discrimination. Let's instead provide the context and perspective. Poles from peasant backgrounds were at a decisive disadvantage when competing with Jews for entry into universities, establishing of small businesses, etc. Jews, in contrast, had been well established in these endeavors for many generations. Using modern parlance, the formal and informal discriminatory practices enacted by Poles against Jews were forms of affirmative action designed to level the playing field. With these in action, the average Jew still remained wealthier than the average Pole. The Jewish share of university student populations, starting at 21.5% and eventually bottoming out at 8.2% (p. 64), was even then only slightly less than the Jewish share of Poland's population (10%).
   
   According to Tec, Jewish investigator Szymon Datner estimated that about 100,000 Jews fled the ghettos to try to live among the Poles during the Holocaust, and, of these, 80,000 survived the war. (p. 76). Another cited Jewish author, Weinryb, suggested a figure of 40,000--60,000 Jewish survivors. Unfortunately, the significance of these figures is not explained. Many Holocaust materials cite a figure of 5% overall survival rate of Polish Jews, and claim this as proof of Polish indifference or hostility to the survival of Jews. The 5% figure is correct, but is used disingenuously. The 100,000 Jews were the only ones in a position to receive substantial Polish help, and they sharply contrast with the remaining 3,300,000 Polish Jews who stayed in the ghettos and perished almost to a person at the hands of the Germans and their Ukrainian and Baltic collaborators.
   
   The 40%--80% survival rate of the 100,000 Jewish fugitives compares well with the Jewish survival rates in western European countries, where there were no ghettos, where the Jews were assimilated and relatively easy to disguise or hide, and where the German occupation was much milder. It also follows that Polish benefactors of Jews had to be relatively common and Polish denouncers or killers of Jews very rare--bearing in mind that the average fugitive Jew had to "run the gauntlet" of many Poles that he/she encountered, the fact that any eventual Jewish survivor benefited from a succession of Poles, and a single Polish denouncer or killer of Jews could eliminate many potential survivors.
   
   Were benefactors rare and denouncers common, the 100,000 figure would've translated to a near-0% survival rate, not 40-80%. Finally, an unknown fraction of the 20%-60% of fugitive Jews who perished did so from Poles who were simply afraid of the draconian German reprisals, and from non-Polish causes entirely (suicide, wartime misadventures, belatedly caught directly by Germans, denounced by Polish-speaking German (Volksdeutsche), Ukrainian, or Jewish informers, etc.).



3. Richard S. Hollander was cleaning his parents attic after their sudden tragic deaths in 1986 - what he found was life changing as he came across letters from a family he never knew he had, written over forty years earlier. "Every Day Lasts a Year: A Jewish Family's Correspondence from Poland" shares with the world Hollander's depressing discoveries, of his family trapped in Cracow, Poland, from November 1939 to December 1941. Each day was under the most extraordinary pain and stress, as Hollander's father fought hard to try to save his family stateside. Edited by a team of Richard S. Hollander (President of Milbrook Communications in Baltimore), Christopher R. Browning (Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), and Nechama Tec (Professor Emerita of Sociology at the University of Connecticut at Stamford), "Every Day Lasts a Year: A Jewish Family's Correspondence from Poland" will prove to be a vital pick for many Holocaust Studies libraries and for anyone who wants a great set of primary sources for the atrocity.



4. "Every Day Lasts a Year" is an interesting look at the correspondence of the Hollander family from Poland during the Holocaust. It's a valuable resource because there isn't very much correspondence remaining from typical Jews from WW II. Most of their letters simply did not survive, just as they themselves probably did not survive the Nazi onslaught against the Jews.
   
   The letters are put in context by three valuable essays. One, written by a relative of Joseph Hollander, isn't very well written but does provide some context to what Hollander tried to do to get himself and his family into the United States and what he tried to do to find them when he returned to Europe with the U.S. Army. The essay by historian Christopher Browning is particularly valuable because it details the conditions Jews lived under in the Jewish ghetto of Cracow, Poland where Hollander's family resided. The essay paints a picture of strict Nazi oversight of the Jews, which accounts for why many of the letters do not detail much detail concerning deportations and other horrible things the Nazis were doing in the Jewish ghetto.
   
   The letters themselves are fairly unremarkable, but that's also what makes them special. They show what a normal Jewish family was concerned with during such trying times and how hard they tried to get out of their circumstances, even pushing Joseph Hollander for Nicaraguan citizenship long past the time when it would have done any good.



5. For all that we may learn about the holocaust, it is quite rare that we get to hear the actual voices of those who lived under its spectre in a personal tone. What we have here is a unique, nearly complete set of correspondence from a man's family, who remained in Poland after he moved to the U.S.
   
   The letters in themselves portray some sense of everyday life at the time, while the carefully unobtrusive contextualization from the editors provide good insight and context.
   
   It's touching and informative and an interestingly touching book for it gives a sense of what life was like for Jews living at that time and in that place, something which may be all but unimaginable for us.

3 comments about Spiritual Radical: Abraham Joshua Heschel in America, 1940-1972.

1. After completing "Spiritual Radical," I sat on my parent's couch in their NYC apartment, emotionally, if not physically, trembling. A myriad of thoughts and feelings streamed through me as if I were a video that one watches on the internet. On the ride back home to Brooklyn, I composed--in my mind--what easily could become a 20+ page essay, "Was Abraham Joshua Heschel A Prophet?" That's how moving and evocative I found Professor Kaplan's biography to be.
   
   Besides giving me so, so much insight about Heschel, the man, I learned much about Heschel the theologist/philosopher, the historical period in which his work took place, the points of view of the various segments of both Judaism and Christianity--individual, organizational, and theological--and so much more it would take several pages to list them all.
   
   Indeed, words like brilliant, superb, and/or profound to describe the quality of the Kaplan's writing would be understatements! If I may borrow a phrase from the title--even if English language purists would shake their heads--his work evoked in me "radical amazement." For sure, of all the biographies I have read over the years, his is the BEST I have ever come across--surpassing McCollough's "John Adams," and Cook's biography of Elanor Roosevelt, to name two that I esteem. Besides the clarity of the writing, what particularly impresses is how fair he was, given the necessity as a biographer of being truthful to his task, even if that required being critical--at times--of someone he obviously loved.
   
   Finally, I can only imagine the profound and time-consuming labor he must have gone through to determine not only what to put on paper, but what to leave out! I believe his judgment concerning the latter places him, as much or more than anything else, in the top echelon of the vocation of biographers!
   
   Abraham Joshua Heschel -- Spiritual Radical -- is a masterpiece!
   
   Steve Rosner
   Brooklyn, NY



2. I can personally attest to the point Kaplan makes in this splendid book that Rabbi Heschel touched many lives beyond the Jewish community.
   
   In my recently published autobiographical novel LAST RITES about a young man who follows his grandfathers and father into the ministry only to find out he made a big mistake, I write about Heschel's effect on the main character Tom Reed. At this point in the novel he has left his parish in rural Connecticut and is on a "study sabbatical" in New York where he wants to find a secular job so he doesn't have to return to his bishop for reassignment.
   
   " The next day I took the bus up to Union Seminary where I registered for my independent study program for the second semester. I went to the opening day of a few of the classes, mostly to get the reading lists. Father Panovsky's course on Russian Orthodoxy looked interesting, but the course that I found most intriguing was Rabbi Abraham Heschel's seminar on the prophets, given across the street at the Jewish Theological Seminary.
   
   "At Rabbi Heschel's first seminar he had us go around the table and introduce ourselves. He looked surprised when I identified myself as an Episcopalian clergyman on sabbatical, and he was even more surprised when he learned how much Hebrew and Aramaic I knew. The Heschel seminar was the only course I stayed with, and I even had a couple of conversations with the great man in his office. We talked about the "anti-religion" theme that runs through the prophets and also the history of Christian anti-Semitism--what Jules Isaacs called the church's "teaching of contempt." I read several of the books he recommended and felt more in tune with his thinking than I ever did with any of my seminary professors."
   
   I can only wonder what the great man would have made of my book ETERNAL TREBLINKA.
   
   --Submitted by Charles Patterson, author of "Last Rites," "Anti-Semitism" and "Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust"



3. The second volume is even better than the first...Kaplan does not idolize Heschel; he shares the frustrations and shortcomings, but also the richness of his writing, his work and his soul.