“Joshua and Isadora: A True Tale of Loss and Love in the Holocaust”, by Michael Benanav, is a book that is a well-written personal, family history. It is also a beautiful and loving tribute to his grandparents.

One of the things that impressed me was Benanav’s ability to try to separate fact from “remembered” moments and events that occurred decades ago, and remembered by his grandparents, in the telling of their stories to him. At times, he inputs his own thoughts as to whether the event is remembered correctly, or whether it has been incorporated into the memories of his grandparents over time.

Was it fate, chance, or otherwise? We become the choices we make along life’s road. On December 3, 1944, On December 3, 1944, the Toros debarked from the Romanian port of Constanta bound for Istanbul. Benanav’s ancestors chose to board that refugee ship, headed for Palestine. They met, and were maried shortly after that on a refugee train. Their native tongues were different, but they overcame the language barriers presented to them.

Benanav made a choice also. He chose to journey to the land of his ancestors, to try to learn a little more about where they lived and breathed. He felt a desire to know more about his great-grandparents and grandparents and their life during World War II, and beforehand. He had been told of their strong Zionist activities, their narrow escape from the gas chambers, and had been told of family members who died during the Holocaust.

Benanav has researched his facts well, on Romania, the city of Balt, and other towns, cities and villages that his ancestors lived. When he actually journeyed to these sites, he wasn’t certain how he would feel, but his cognizance of times past, and words echoed by his grandparents, were on the forefront of his mind. His passion for truth is apparent in “Joshua and Isadora“, as he blends their lives, rotating them within chapters, and inputting his own journey within their accounting.

In doing so, he honors all those who suffered and died during the Holocaust. He also honors all of those who helped the Jews, The Righteous individuals who risked their own lives in order to fulfill acts of kindness, and who often go unsung.  He pays tribute to his great-grandparents and grandparents, at the end of the book, in a unique manner, and it is both fitting and poignant.

“The throng of thousands was herded from the center of Balti to the city limits and beyond. Some carried suitcases, others hefted bundles tied with string on their backs. Head-scarved women cradled infants or held the hands of their children. The long beards of men were tossed over their shoulders by the wind. A warm drizzle fell from an ominous sky, causing eyes to squint against the splatter and clothing to darken, drop by drop. Snaking in long lines along the country roads, between vast fields of sunflowers and corn, past empty plots of tilled earth the color of coffee, the sad parade was struck dumb, gagged by the heavy hand of the unknown. The only sounds were those of fabric rustling against fabric, footsteps slapping puddles, and caustic commands from the soldiers ordering their human herd to keep moving or be shot. Even the babies knew to be silent.”

Benanav’s prose is almost poetic throughout the book. His word-imagery is strong, outstanding, and the images totally fill our senses. It is not a family history, a family accounting, that is similar to others, as he infuses so much historical data into the book, data filled with such intrigue and suspense, that it almost reads like a spy story. Benanav is thoughtful throughout the pages, and articulates with eloquence.

“Joshua and Isadora” is an historical accounting of not only the Holocaust, the Zionist movement, but also an accounting of love, loss and survival, within extremely horrific and adverse circumstances. It is a book that belongs on every book shelf, whether in schools, universities, or your own personal book shelf. Once you begin reading, it is difficult to put it down until you have finished.

I personally own and have read this book.

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Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
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