One and a half million Jewish children were murdered in the Holocaust. The Nazis' goal to eradicate the entire Jewish population in Europe included children-from infants to teenagers-who were targeted as part of the coordinated genocide that led to the murder of six million Jews. Those children who survived were often hidden: in convents, orphanages, haylofts, forests-even sewers.
Hidden Lives is a collection of true stories written by the youngest survivors of the Holocaust. Desperation compelled parents to make the agonizing decision to leave their children with strangers or to let them fend on their own. Many were too young to understand why they were being left behind, often under assumed identities. While the vast majority of these children were orphaned by the end of the war, some were reunited with family who, in many cases, now seemed like strangers. Their accounts are marked with fear, confusion, and abandonment, as well as a loss of their Jewish identity. These true stories are profiles of bravery: of the children who survived in often terrible circumstances, of the parents and families who were forced to leave them behind, and of the many people-including Christian families, many times complete strangers-who risked their lives to save them.
A collection of true stories from Jewish children who were hidden during the Second World War and survived the Holocaust.
A story of survival was often a story of hiding.
"This is a book of alchemy, a set of stories of young people who turned fear into faith. This is, nevertheless, a hard book to read cover to cover. It is a book to read selectively, finding a memory here and there, gaining hope for difficult times. Memoirs of the youngest Holocaust survivors, recorded as lessons of hope and faith."
★"The book's literary quality is brilliant through authentic, genuine accounts that combine history with deep personal memories, inviting readers into these young survivors' worlds....The design is thoughtfully arranged, balancing text with visuals and helpful extras like timelines and glossaries that deepen understanding. This work serves as an essential educational tool and a profoundly moving tribute. It addresses crucial themes of loss, courage, and hope, providing insight into a vital chapter of history through the eyes of its youngest witnesses. VERDICT This book offers meaningful value to educators, students, and anyone seeking personal perspectives on the Holocaust."
Key Selling Points:
• Hidden Lives is a comprehensive, moving collection of first person stories from the last remaining survivors of the Holocaust. All the essays are from child survivors of the Holocaust.
• Editor Rachelle Goldstein, herself a hidden child survivor of the Holocaust, explains in her preface the necessity of continuing to share these stories due to the misinformation and lack of education about the Holocaust, the current rise of antisemitism, and the intensifying parallels to the autocratic Nazi era now being seen across the globe.
• The Hidden Children Foundation, since its inception in 1991 after the First International Gathering of Children Hidden During World War II, has been committed to adding the accounts of Child Survivors to the record and encouraging education about the Holocaust through school visits, their annual bulletins, and monthly articles titled "My Story".
• Includes: a preface from editor Rachelle Goldstein, co-director of the Hidden Child Foundation, a foreword from Abraham Foxman, an introduction from Dr. Robert Krell, and incredible, hard-hitting stories from many contributors, including Dr. Mordecai Paldiel, the director of Yad Vashem's Department of the Righteous from 1984 until 2007.
• Features over 100 photographs interspersed throughout the essays, including many pictures of the contributors as young children before World War II.
• The stories are written by Hidden Children, those who were given away by
