A standout wartime memoir, and the inspiration of the Golden Globe
- winning film of the same title. Perel, now an Israeli
businessman, survived the Holocaust in a most improbable way.
Facility with German and Russian allowed the teenage Solly,
separated from his family, to be given shelter first at a Soviet
orphanage and later, incredibly, in Germany's premier Hitler Youth
institution. On the perilous way from one ideological extreme to
another, Perel was rounded up by attacking Wehrmacht troops, passed
himself off as an ethnic German, and was adopted as the mascot of a
mechanized unit. The exquisite psychological drama of being a Jew
in Nazi clothing intensifies when he is shipped back to Germany.
The lonely boy, who took the name Jupp, found himself bonding with
Nazi friends and learning - even teaching - loathsome Nazi
propaganda about Jews. He was shaken from any confidence in his
lucky angel whenever his circumcision or absent birth records came
to the fore. But he risked all to visit the Lodz ghetto to search
for his parents during his Christmas vacation. In a suicidal break
from his usual self-control, he unburdened himself of his terrible
secret to a couple of Germans. His parents died in a concentration
camp, but with the help of two surviving brothers, Perel finally
got to establish his true identity in the newborn state of Israel.
As narrator, Perel constantly points out poignant ironies and
flashes forward to postwar visits with the principal characters. We
get to see many Nazis and Jews react after the war with disbelief
when they discover that Solly/Jupp was, indeed, Jewish. An epilogue
touches on Perel's cathartic, present-day encounters with Jews and
Nazis (he now lectures about fascism), but the weight of this
memorable psychological thriller lies in the interior drama.
(Kirkus Reviews)
"You must stay alive!"
With his mother's parting words ringing in his ears, fourteen-year-old Solomon Perel set out from Nazi-occupied Poland hoping to find safety across the new Soviet frontier. Like large numbers of other Jews fleeing the Germans, Perel faced staggering odds against his survival. What actually transpired was far different from what anyone could have imagined. By a startling twist of fate, the young Jew found unexpected refuge . . . as a student in an elite Hitler Youth school. Now this extraordinary and true story appears in English translation for the first time. With searing power and passion, Europa, Europa recounts Solomon Perel's harrowing struggle living a nightmare from which there seemed no escape.
By the time Solly, as he was called by his family, left Poland that night in 1939, he was already an experienced refugee. Sensing the oncoming Nazi terror, his family had fled Germany several years before. This time, however, the family could not stay together and the youngster would soon be on his own.
Reaching the Soviet shore after a dramatic river crossing, Perel was placed in a Russian orphanage, where he was accepted into the Komsomol, the Communist organization for young people. Then came June 22, 1941. When Hitler invaded the Soviet Union Perel was ordered, along with the other Jewish children, to flee into the interior. He fell into the hands of the German forces. Paralyzed by fear, and with a courage born of despair, Perel told his captors that he was, in reality, an ethnic German. To his astonishment, he was believed, and from that point on, his survival centered on his ability to conceal his true identity.
Taken under the wing of the Wehr-macht unit, Perel experienced combat, and was lauded as a model of German youth contributing at the front. Then, in an extraordinary turn of events, Perel was transferred back to Germany, and awarded a coveted spot in an exclusive boarding school training Hitler Youth to face the challenges of the Fúhrer's vision of postwar Europe. Tormented by the ethical struggle of his position—in effect, joining the ranks of those attempting to exterminate his people—at the same time Perel lived in terror of what seemed the inevitable discovery of his real identity.
Europa, Europa is a profound, unflinching, and unforgettable account of a young boy's perilous journey toward manhood, trapped in a world gone mad, and tortured by the role he played. Solomon Perel's inner turmoil, remarkable courage and resourcefulness, and above all, his fierce determination to survive come across with searing force. This deeply moving memoir is an important and controversial contribution to our understanding of the complexity of life under the Third Reich.
"The kernel virtue of this book is its honesty and scrupulous self-examination of one who survived through a deception. Remarkable and memorable." — Rheinische Post
"This book will move human hearts." —Berliner Morgenpost
"The book gets under one's skin. It is a . . . book that penetrates into the essence of humanity." —Peiner Allegemeine Zeitung
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