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Hitler's attempt to murder all of Europe's Jews almost succeeded.
One reason it fell short of its nefarious goal was the work of
brave non-Jews who sheltered their fellow citizens. In most
countries under German control, those who rescued Jews risked
imprisonment and death. In Poland, home to more Jews than any other
country at the start of World War II and location of six
German-built death camps, the punishment was immediate execution.
This book tells the stories of Polish Holocaust survivors and their
rescuers. The authors traveled extensively in the United States and
Poland to interview some of the few remaining participants before
their generation is gone. Tammeus and Cukierkorn unfold many
stories that have never before been made public: gripping
narratives of Jews who survived against all odds and courageous
non-Jews who risked their own lives to provide shelter. These are
harrowing accounts of survival and bravery. Maria Devinki lived for
more than two years under the floors of barns. Felix Zandman sought
refuge from Anna Puchalska for a night, but she pledged to hide him
for the whole war if necessary--and eventually hid several Jews for
seventeen months in a pit dug beneath her house. And when teenage
brothers Zygie and Sol Allweiss hid behind hay bales in the Dudzik
family's barn one day when the Germans came, they were alarmed to
learn the soldiers weren't there searching for Jews, but to seize
hay. But Zofia Dudzik successfully distracted them, and she and her
husband insisted the boys stay despite the danger to their own
family. Through some twenty stories like these, Tammeus and
Cukierkorn show that even in an atmosphere of unimaginable
malevolence, individuals can decide to act in civilized ways. Some
rescuers had antisemitic feelings but acted because they knew and
liked individual Jews. In many cases, the rescuers were simply
helping friends or business associates. The accounts include the
perspectives of men and women, city and rural residents, clergy and
laypersons--even children who witnessed their parents' efforts.
These stories show that assistance from non-Jews was crucial, but
also that Jews needed ingenuity, sometimes money, and most often
what some survivors called simple good luck. Sixty years later,
they invite each of us to ask what we might do today if we were at
risk--or were asked to risk our lives to save others.
Hitler's attempt to murder all of Europe's Jews almost succeeded.
One reason it fell short of its nefarious goal was the work of
brave non-Jews who sheltered their fellow citizens. In most
countries under German control, those who rescued Jews risked
imprisonment and death. In Poland, home to more Jews than any other
country at the start of World War II and location of six
German-built death camps, the punishment was immediate execution.
This book tells the stories of Polish Holocaust survivors and their
rescuers. The authors traveled extensively in the United States and
Poland to interview some of the few remaining participants before
their generation is gone. Tammeus and Cukierkorn unfold many
stories that have never before been made public: gripping
narratives of Jews who survived against all odds and courageous
non-Jews who risked their own lives to provide shelter. These are
harrowing accounts of survival and bravery. Maria Devinki lived for
more than two years under the floors of barns. Felix Zandman sought
refuge from Anna Puchalska for a night, but she pledged to hide him
for the whole war if necessary--and eventually hid several Jews for
seventeen months in a pit dug beneath her house. And when teenage
brothers Zygie and Sol Allweiss hid behind hay bales in the Dudzik
family's barn one day when the Germans came, they were alarmed to
learn the soldiers weren't there searching for Jews, but to seize
hay. But Zofia Dudzik successfully distracted them, and she and her
husband insisted the boys stay despite the danger to their own
family. Through some twenty stories like these, Tammeus and
Cukierkorn show that even in an atmosphere of unimaginable
malevolence, individuals can decide to act in civilized ways. Some
rescuers had antisemitic feelings but acted because they knew and
liked individual Jews. In many cases, the rescuers were simply
helping friends or business associates. The accounts include the
perspectives of men and women, city and rural residents, clergy and
laypersons--even children who witnessed their parents' efforts.
These stories show that assistance from non-Jews was crucial, but
also that Jews needed ingenuity, sometimes money, and most often
what some survivors called simple good luck. Sixty years later,
they invite each of us to ask what we might do today if we were at
risk--or were asked to risk our lives to save others.
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