An excellent in depth look at another side of the persecution of Jews during WWII.
340914
Excellent read. It is hard to believe what this women went through to protect a little boy. Gertruda was a very special women.
3327588
This biographical story of a Jewish child's struggle to survive the horrors of the holocaust offers the reader yet one more informative piece that fits into the whole of World History. Such accounts must never be forgotten.
1561867
This extremely well researched account of the depths plumbed by anti semitic Poles angered me more than most of the nazi anti semitism accounts I have read over several decades. I could only stomach a few pages of FEAR at a time but I could not stop. Some of these unpunished crimes by "neighbours" happened years after Hitler was dead, to shoah survivors who had sadly ventured back to their Polish homeland to reclaim their property and their lives. A lower level of neighbourly hate is impossible for me personally to imagine.
3805278
I found this book very valuable for presenting aspects of the II World War which are only dimly known or appreciated, especially the assistance and help given to the Jewish community by Catholic religious leaders during the Holocaust.  Combines real history and personal tragedy and growth in a very positive and thought provoking manner.
3230701
This book is very important so that all can learn how it was for a German Jewish person during World War Two. I  feel that it was a tough time for Jewish people  because many German people were terribly intolerant towards people that opposed what the Nazis brainwashed citizens of Germany into thinking.
2744586
Typically, we hear from the perspective of the Jewish people and hear the horrible torture they suffered at the hands of the Nazi's. This is not one of those books. Dorothea Wollin was born in Stettin, Germany, in December 1936. We read about her life as a young German girl whose life is upended by war. She is forced to leave her home and travel long distances to try and find a safe place. This is a story we hardly ever hear. The other side of the coin. While it's a conflicting feeling to feel bad for this little girl remember that she has no clue what was happening around her. She was a different kind of victim of the war. We learn about her life of struggle as she grows from a little girl to a teenager. Throughout all of this she comes out with a faith that is strong and unwavering. That is a testament to her strength. Excellent Memoir.
4486210
This is a real insight into the atrocities forced on the jews during the holocaust. This is also an almost hopeless love story who survive but lost their families. It was an eye opener to the realization of what went on even though we thought we knew. It is written as fiction but there is much truth to this extremely sad tale of barbaric treatment against human beings. It is a must read.
2911948
There are many books written about the Holocaust, but this one is unique in that it details the role the Church played in Nazi Germany. I was taken aback learning how the Church was so easily deceived and suppressed by the Nazi regime. There were only a few who resisted and stood up to Hitler. Dr. Lutzer makes a correlation between the social and spiritual condition of the Church in Germany in the Nazi era to the condition of the Church in America today.
4294085
During World War II one of the least likely countries to provide a sanctuary for Jews fleeing persecution would have seemed to be Spain. The Spanish Inquisition drove out the Jewish population 500 years earlier. Spain's current ruler, Francisco Franco, was a fascist dictator and political ally of Germany. Yet Spain proved to be a lifeline for thousands of Jews when Franco permitted an open border with France, whose Vichy policies approached the cruelty of the Germans. Even the "neutral" Swiss turned refugees back to the Germans. The International Red Cross did nothing to save Jews at this time and admitted as much during a later investigation.

Many Spaniards are descended from Jewish families who were persecuted by the Catholic church; other descendants are now living in the American Southwest and in Mexico. (Mexico City had 15 synagogues by the mid 1600s.) The oral histories collected by Trudi Alexy in this book provide unique perspectives, though her own memoir that begins the book could have used an editor's touch. "The Mezuzah in the Madonna's Foot" is both interesting and meaningful -- highly recommended.
3154710
beautifully compiled and another important aspect of the 2nd world war and how the Jews were racing to get out of what became Nazi Germany. My sisters father in law has his story in this book and I see him as a gift to our family. My nephews adore their grandpa Gary and thanks to China at that time gave us a grandfather that most likely would of been lost to the Holocaust-related history. I sent another copy to our mother as this war affected her in ways I have yet to measure or fully comprehend. I did not know for example that many of the wealthy Jewish community did not take heed to the Hitler purge as they trusted somehow their place in German society while the more humble economically Jewish folks had their ear to the ground and raced with all their efforts to flee the Nazi regime. Interesting to learn looking back at time.
4387516
-Very absorbing book of a group of Jews who were hidden away within Berlin during the time of the Holocaust. The author does a tremendous job in keeping the stories of these survivors, who were just a few of many thousands, very clear and she was able to convey the fear, the hunger as well as those isolated happier times that these survivors experienced.
-Where there are many stories of Jews who survived the concentration camps, there were also many who hid under the noses of SS within Germany itself. The courage of the German citizens, and the self sacrifice they exhibited in the face of Nazi threats against anyone found harboring Jews, is nothing short of heroic.
-The author follows the family of Dr. Arthur Arndt, a well liked family doctor who treated both Jew and Gentile alike. Because of his giving nature, his patients were appalled from what he was going to have to endure when Jews were being sent to the camps. He faked his death and went into hiding along with his wife, Lina, and two grown children, Erich and Ruth. Eric's girlfriend, Ellen Lewinsky and her mother Charlotte, along with Eric's friend Bruno, made up what ended out to be 7 in the group. Besides being looked after with the help of over 100 kind people, they also did what they could to help each other.
-The resilience of this group, and also so many others that survived under these conditions is something that must be marveled at. In addition, the number of people who both actively helped at the risk of their lives, and those that helped in other ways, by leaving extra food for the group, shows that German citizenry did act against the Nazis, and that those that joined the Nazis in their oppressive acts, had no excuse.
-The fact that all of the seven not only survived, but were able to have families and stayed close to one another, was a feel good ending.
2867909
"Political Anti-Semitism in England, 1919-1939" is another Jewish volume that reveals the real reason that Jews provoked anti-Semitism - their deep involvment in revolutionary Marxism. Gisela Ledbelter also reveals the real reason that the truth did not make more of an impact - immense Jewish commercial power and the willingness to blacklist and economically crush any who spoke out against them. As she candidly admits, the anti-Semitic fear of publicly opposing Jews was well-founded or, as she puts it, "prudent". She writes it with a measure of self-satisfaction that the attentive reader will note.

All in all, it is a good read - from the other side.
1007081
A very good, thought-provoking story of WWII Jewish refugees, what happened to them, how they were received in England and how England coped with the bombing, war restrictions and deprivations, and trying to provide safety for all the children.
4313141
This book has taught me about another aspect of Nazi regime where homosexual Jews were the worst victims. Yet, it's hard to believe their rights were denied until recent, about 10 years ago.  It was difficult for me to read survivors' stories as there aren't many survivors to share.  I'm delighted to know they were honored 'n recognized. Easy to read and if ya enjoy reading different aspects, this is the one I recommend.
2477691
This is an outstanding presentation of the historical case of anti-Semitism and the murder of Leo Frank. Leo Frank was the manager of a company and was falsely accused of the murder of a teenage girl.
He is trial was a travesty and he was sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted. A mob took him from jail, lynched him, and castrated him. There were even postcards made of the murder.

Most history books present the facts with the writers point of view. David Mamet presents,,the story from the point of view of Frank's  thoughts. This well written book causes one to think beyond the obvious horrors of the situation but the spiritual conflict within a man who is facing an unfair death,  but maintains his faith in God.
This is the kind of book that will leave your mind swirling with thoughts of morality, faith, and the frenzy of men in groups.
2194228
The book chronicles the history of Jews in Germany, Poland and Europe. The author then relates his personal experiences with his family trying to avoid being captured by the Nazis and surviving with the help of non jewish friends who were willing to help. It is evident that the author spent many years of reaserch and has an excellent memory as he expresses all of his tragic experiences during world war two in Poland and Russia as he barly managed to survive unlike most others.
The author makes a point of how few soldiers and manpower was used to annihilate most of the jews in Poland and throughout Europe in the death camps of Poland and Germany. I found the book to be very interesting, enlighlighening and very disturbing. I highly recommend it!
One can't imagine how difficult it must have been living in Europe as a Jew during the war. This book makes it clear. It's hard to believe how Poland was once the heart of thriving jewish living and today they are all gone!
4855348
This is a well written first hand account of the Holocaust. It is written from a different viewpoint. That being one of a non Jewish Russian. I found it to be very interesting. The book covers a several year span. It begins before the War began and ended after the death of the author. The format of this book is in the form of a diary, which the author kept throughout her internment in several different camps and in the hospital when she was liberated. There is much more to say about this book that I don't want to relate here, so as not to spoil it. The family of the author published this book after the death of the author because she kept her diary & other papers hidden from everyone. A very good read.