After an extensive three day search, the well-known Auschwitz sign “Arbeit Macht Frei” has been recovered by Polish police. The sign was stolen three days ago, and five individuals have been arrested.

The sign has been cut into three pieces according to the police.

You can read this news article for more information.

Update: According to this news article update, “it appeared to have been taken by common criminals seeking profit“.

If you are looking for a compelling novel, and one that will keep you emotionally involved from the first page to the last, then Rachel Sarai’s Vineyard, by Deborah Rey is a book you should read. Ms. Rey sent me a copy of her novel as a gift, to read (not necessarily review), so I could gain a better insight into the plight of abused and misused children during World War II (WWII).

What I have grasped from this compelling novel is difficult to articulate. I don’t want to write too much and give the majority of the story line away, and/or spoil it for others. Suffice it to say that child abuse is a prevalent theme within the novel, not only physical abuse, but emotional abuse also. Within the confines of the abusive situation that Rachel Sarai was forced into is the fact that she was used (after her father went into hiding), beginning at the age of five, as a messenger, guide, and smuggler during WWII for the Dutch Resistance. That she was given tasks to do that many adults would refuse enhances the fact that her childhood was lacking in the ethical and moral structure that every child deserves. She had no childhood, she was trained in thievery, lying/deceit, and smuggling, and was manipulated into situations beyond belief.

The woman who seemingly was her mother was a belittling, coarse, brutal woman, who thought little, if anything, of the child she molded to suit her own needs and agenda. Rachel Sarai’s formative years were less than happy and desirable, and included not only extreme situations, such as being dragged to witness scenarios that would make adults feel nauseous, and bring chills up and down their spines, but also the demeaning and degrading abuse of the mind and emotions.

Rachel Sarai’s life was controlled insidiously, manipulated to the extreme by the woman she knew as her mother. She was put into situations at a tender young age, situations such as guiding others to a safe spot during WWII. She delivered messages for the Dutch Resistance, taking over where her deceased father left off. She did this under extremely adverse conditions, risking her own life in order to fulfill the desires of a desperate woman seeking power and recognition.

Did Rachel Sarai truly understand what she was ordered to do? Did she comprehend the inner workings of the Dutch Resistance? Was her youthful naivete an asset? How did she manage to survive the emotional and physical abuse she was thrust into? Question upon question entered my mind while reading Rachel Sarai’s Vineyard.

The novel depicts a strong Rachel Sarai, and how she was able to conquer the evil forces within her life, and overcome the devastation, horrors and abuse. For a short period of time, she had a mentor, a mother figure and person who treated her with love and respect.

Rachel Sarai’s Vineyard is not a pretty story, not a sugar-coated story, and not one to read if you are prone to having a weak stomach and/or dislike harsh language. But, for those who can persevere through the emotional content, you will finish the story with an education of how some children were abused and misused during World War II, to suit the goals of adults. You will come away appalled at how children could be forced into the workings and hold of the Resistance. Deborah Rey’s writing is vivid and compelling, and she paints pictures that boggle the mind.

Will you understand the reasoning behind the abuse, or the abuse, period? I didn’t. For the life of me I can’t fathom anyone treating a child with such moral, emotional and physical debasement. Will you cry for Rachel Sarai? Possibly. Will you become angry at the way she is treated? Yes. Will you be appalled at the circumstances she is forced to deal with? Yes. Will you be inspired by her will to survive and stamina? Yes!

Thank you, Deborah, for the gift copy you sent me of Rachel Sarai’s Vineyard.
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© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.

Tuesday December 8, 2009 – 21st of Kislev, 5770

Not Me: A Novel, by Michael Lavigne is a completely engrossing book in my opinion. It is compelling on many levels for its underlying themes.

From forgiveness and redemption to survival and the desire to go on, to identity and reinventing one’s self, Not Me is a book filled with many thought-provoking questions and constant analyzing, and infused with many lessons that the reader can take away with them.

The story line is about a man named Heshel Rosenheim who is seemingly a Holocaust survivor, and his divorced son, Michael, a comedian and also a father of a son, himself. The relationship between Michael (the narrator) and Heshel is strewn within the pages of Not Me, in an interesting and intriguing manner from the minute Heshel, who has Alzheimer’s Disease, hands Michael a box of weathered and moldy old journals. How the journals appeared in the hospital is beyond Michael, and Heshel doesn’t seem to have the answers as he transitions back and forth from being cognizant one minute, and lapsing into his lack of memory the next.

The journey of Michael’s trying to understand the past and present begins when he starts reading the musty journals. Disturbing secrets begin to unravel with each page. Mystery and elusiveness loom forward, as events are unfolded, events that Michael finds incredible and difficult to believe. From the complexities to the perplexities, life as Michael knows it dissipates.

It is not only his father’s past that comes into play, as he tries to find a thread or a sense of understanding, but also his mother’s, and his own. He begins to question who he actually is, both logically and emotionally. He flashes back in time to his childhood wondering if he had an inkling about his father’s true identity, as his (Michael’s) own identity is in question.

It appears that Heshel was an SS Nazi Officer named Heinrich Muller, a man who was in essence a conspirator to genocide. I use the word “appears” because the journals are written in a story-like format, and it is difficult for Michael to figure out if the content in them is factual or fictional. Not Me is almost a story-within-a-story. As the pages are turned, we see Heshel just weeks before liberation deliberately starving himself in order to lose weight. He also tattooed a number to his arm, changed his name from Heinrich Muller to Heshel Rosenheim (Heshel Rosenheim was the name of a corpse, a Holocaust victim who was killed), and pretended to be a Jew in order to avoid his own arrest for the crimes he committed.

He becomes involved in the displaced persons program, ends up in Israel, fighting in the War of Independence, much to his own dismay. His hatred for Jews is boldly written in the journal pages, expressed through angry euphemisms and statements. Yet, he continues his pretense. Somewhere along the line there is a change in behavior, as he transforms himself into a practicing Jew. He literally had a “moment” a revelation of sorts. And, from that point forward, the journals trace the behavioral changes in his character and mindset.

To continue with the story line further would be to reveal too much of the novel. Suffice it to say that once this reader began the book, she read it straight through overnight.

Not Me is compelling on so many levels. For me it was a metaphor for self identity, sin and change, and the superficial roles that one plays in order to move on with their life and flee from the consequences of their actions. Heshel learned that fleeing only negates the truth, which followed him everywhere he went. Within the context of the self identity are the themes of love, loss, forgiveness and redemption. The blur between forgiveness and redemption is obvious in the way Lavigne writes. Michael is torn between his new found knowledge and his love for his father. He is a man who is floundering. He is torn between the truth and the superficiality of his childhood. He is torn between who he truly is and what he is.

There is no clear cut answer to most of the questions that Not Me formulates in the reader’s mind. Michael Lavigne writes vividly, and illuminating images jump from the pages, evoking our emotions into play, almost like an elevator ride, one minute positive, the next negative, up, down, up, down. Not Me is a psychological study in behavior. It is also a study in the father-son relationship, and is a unique Holocaust story. It is a book that is fascinating, compelling, insightful, poignant and comical, and one that I highly recommend.
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I personally own and have read this book.
© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.

Tuesday December 1, 2009 – 14th of Kislev, 5770

Hunting Eichmann, by Neal Bascomb, is quite the intriguing thriller, and a non-fictional work that is brilliantly narrated.

In recounting the historical facts that led up to the capture of Eichmann, Bascomb left no detail or event untouched. His research is more than extremely thorough, and through his own travels to unearth anything and everything regarding the capture, including documents, interviews, articles, archives, etc., he has fashioned a narration that reads like a spy novel.

In fact, Hunting Eichmann is infused with spy material that will leave you amazed and astounded. From CIA records to Mossad agents, from worldwide indiffference to the Nazi underground in Argentina, to the El Al flight, the trial, the sentence and execution, and so much more, the historical information is incredible. I was totally engrossed in the book from page one. A thriller it is in every aspect.

How Eichmann was tracked, and how the plan to capture him was plotted is an amazing feat, and Bascomb reveals it all to the reader, without mincing words or leaving out clues. The fortitude, energy and extreme planning that it took to finally get Eichmann in Israeli hands, is basically the same fortitude, energy and planning used by Bascomb to convey the entire story to the reader.

There were many who thought it would never happen, and understandably so. There were the skeptics, those who thought that the issues should just die out, but there were those who felt that there needed to be justice, and justice there was. Bascomb demonstrates the journey to justice with intense clarity, through his brilliant writing and unending research.

Bascomb has done a great service in authoring Hunting Eichmann. He has brought to the forefront the incredible circumstances that led to Eichmann’s capture. Not only that, he has done it with extreme illumination through the vivid images he presents us. a href=”http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/titledetail.cfm?titleNumber=694153″>Hunting Eichmann is invaluable as an educational and historical documentation of Eichmann’s capture and execution. Neal Bascomb should be applauded for his incredible efforts, brilliant writing, and perseverance to convey the entire process, from day one through the finale. It is historical writing at its finest. It is story that doesn’t soon leave the reader
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© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.

Monday November 2, 2009 – 15th of Cheshvan, 5770

It appears that an L.A. synagogue was attacked by a gunman, earlier today. Two people were shot, when a gunman entered the synagogue at about 6:20 a.m. Read the full story on MSNBC.

The above story was very disheartening to read. My thoughts go out to those who were injured, their families, and the synagogue members. Please daven/pray for them.

This autumn photo was recently taken by me, locally.

I am still feeling out of sorts. It feels as if a jackhammer is pounding inside my head. I have not had a fever, but don’t feel up to normal par, so I am not sure if it is the flu. I am resting, drinking liquids, taking extra vitamin D, and have been pushing soup down when I can. Whatever it is, it isn’t fun.

I have so many reviews to write, but my body won’t allow me to sit down and take the time to do it. I hope to be back in the full swing of blogging by the end of the weekend.

Take care, everyone.

The Dentist of Auschwitz: A Memoir, by Benjamin Jacobs is a unique and compelling Holocaust survival story. That Benjamin was able to survive within the confines of several concentration camps is astounding, in itself.

Benjamin’s story of survival begins on May 5, 1941, when he was a young man of 22, ns when he saw his parents embrace each other for the last time, as he and his father were part of a convoy of men being deported to a labor camp. He managed to keep his dental tools with him, and this was in essence his saving grace.

Those dental instruments helped him throughout the Holocaust days of horror and atrocities. He offered his dental assistance to other prisoners, and even managed to give assistance to a Nazi or two. Benjamin did this in order to survive, and to try to make his life in the camps as convenient as possible, not only for him, but his father, also. He wasn’t so much concerned for his own life, but was concerned for welfare of others. Due to his skills, he earned respect and earned the friendship of some of the higher ups in command in the camps. This came in handy in many ways.

The fact that Benjamin performed dentistry work gained him a few favors along the way, and gained him a bit of extra food. It also helped him to gain an easier job for his father. This is not to say that life was easy for him, because it wasn’t. It was an hourly struggle each day to survive. Whatever small gains he was able to garner, were enough to help him to get through the horrendous situations forced upon him.

Eventually Benjamin and his father were reunited with his brother. And, this is where I will leave you with details of the story. It is one you must read yourself, in its entirety in order to know about Benjamin and his ordeal and determination to keep his family together and his struggle to survive.

Benjamin had a story to tell, and a compelling one, filled with intense moments and horrors. The Dentist of Auschwitz is more than a memoir about a dentist, more than a story about his experience in Auschwitz. Benjamin was in more than one concentration camp, and this book encompasses his thoughts, perceptions and perspectives of his time spent in each camp. His struggles to survive under bitter and harsh conditions are well documented and written with forthrightness.

Throughout most of the pages, the reader will not find Benjamin Jacobs judging others for their actions. He doesn’t seem to try to make sense of what has occurred, but rather tries to focus on staying alive. That he survived, is a testament to his inner strength and determination. It is a gripping memoir, intense and descriptive regarding camp life. It is invaluable as an educational resource. I highly recommend The Dentist of Auschwitz to everyone.
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I personally own and have read this book.

© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.

Tuesday October 27, 2009 – 9th of Cheshvan, 5770