Figure 1.--
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Figure 1.-- |
Another book, written for the younger reader, is Howard Greenfeld's After the Holocaust which relates the experiences of eight child Holocaust survivors. The book is designed for readers about 13 and older to appreciate. The word, Holocaust, means destruction by fire, as Greenfeld notes in the introduction of his work, "After the Holocaust". Lives, property, and culture were destroyed by that cataclysm. The eight survivors of the Holocaust who share their experiences with the reader, however, also their youth. The five women and three men who recount their ordeals during and after the Holocaust were born between 1925 and 1934; five are originally from Poland, one from Hungary, one from Romania, and one from Latvia. Their stories are diverse. One survivor and her family lived in the loft of a barn, concealed from the NAZIs for more than a year; others were sent from urban ghettoes to death camps, such as Auschwitz, with their families. Mr. Greenfeld writes that some Jewish
children were given new identities and lived in the relative security of convents or orphanages. Some brave families, knowing the risks, took in children and claimed they were family members.
Another book, written for the younger reader, is Howard Greenfeld's After the Holocaust which relates the experiences of eight child Holocaust survivors. The book is designed for readers about 13 and older to appreciate.
The word, Holocaust, means destruction by fire, as Greenfeld notes in the introduction of his work, "After the Holocaust". Lives, property, and culture were destroyed by that cataclysm. The eight survivors of the Holocaust who share their experiences with the reader, however, also their youth. The five women and three men who recount their ordeals during and after the Holocaust were born between 1925 and 1934; five are originally from Poland, one from Hungary, one from Romania, and one from Latvia. Their stories are diverse.
The end of the war freed these children from their struggle to survive life in a death camp with its attendant horrors or life as a fugitive from injustice. Of course, they couldn't resume their old
lives; their families, friends, and homes were no more. They were among millions of displaced persons (DPs), survivors in a land shattered physically and spiritually. When they returned to what was left of their homes, some Holocaust survivors were blamed for
the war and attacked by the local people. Many survivors wanted to leave Europe for good to begin new lives in Palestine or the United States.
The Holcaust, the German slave labor program, and the widespread destruction meant that ther were millions of displaced persons (DPs) scattered all over Europe, but many were in Germany. The DPs found temporary shelter in displaced persons camps. Their needs had been anticipated by the United States, which established in 1943 the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) to provide services for the postwar refugees and to help repatriate them to their own countries. UNRRA was in place when Germany surrendered in May 1945, and organized the homeward journey of most of the refugees.
The eight children whose stories are told in this book spent varying amounts in the DPs camps. Overall, their experiences were positive. Several of remarked that they learned new occupational skills, found good friends, and recovered physically and emotionally during their stay. Several emigrated to Israel, but they found the political and cultural climate too restrictive for their tastes. Eventually, all would emigrate to the US.
Greenfeld, Howard. After the Holocaust.
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