I read in this news article a few minutes ago, that Yitzhak “Ike” Ahronovitch has died at the age of 86. He was the captain of the Exodus ship, the famed ship that failed in July 1947 to take Holocaust survivors to Israel.

May his memory be for a Loving Blessing

You can read the full article here.

Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
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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.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 – 6th of Tevet, 5770

December was an extremely busy month for me, as I am sure it was, and still is, for many of you. I didn’t read as much as I would have liked. A few of the books were started months earlier, and I finally managed to finish them in December.

Here is a list of the books I have read, so far, in December. It will be updated if I finish any others before 2010. Some I have reviewed, but most I haven’t had the opportunity to write a review of, yet.

Anne Frank: The Book, the Life, the Afterlife, by Francine Prose
In America, by Susan Sontag
Rachel Sarai’s Vineyard, by Deborah Rey
Clara’s War, by Clara Kramer
Chains Around the Gates, by Naomi Ragen
Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks
Total Immersion: A Mikvah Anthology, by Rikvah Slonim
Light the Candles, by Joan Holub
Dinosaur on Hanukkah, by Diane Levin Rauchwerger
The Coffee Trader, by David Liss

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Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
© 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.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 – 6th of Tevet, 5770

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

If you are looking to read a family saga, one that chronicles life through several generations of a Jewish family, then Jacob’s Cane is the book for you. From the moment I began reading it, I couldn’t put it down.

Jacob’s Cane is a memoir told through five generations. The inspiration for the memoir was a cane found in a closet of the author’s aunt. The ornately carved cane fascinated her, and she felt the need to know more about it and more about her family history.

Thus begins a journey for New, throughout Europe and back to America in order to document and trace her family’s Jewish roots. The cane held much familial historical significance, as it was marked in various spots, denoting who had the cane at a particular period in time, and where that person resided. New was completely intrigued by the cane and its place in the realm of her family genealogy.

After speaking with relatives in order to gain insight into her ancestry, and doing some research on her own, New embarked on her own physical journey to Europe. Her fascination could not be diminished, and she had to see for herself where her family emigrated from. She wasn’t totally satisfied with the information garnered from her aunts and other relatives. She needed to find answers to the questions that constantly swelled in her mind.

The constant urge for knowledge would not let go. Documents, records, etc., only motivated her to try to find out more information. Answers from relatives were not enough, she needed more than those verbalized statements. That New is an avid genealogist and researcher is an understatement. Her endeavors took her, literally, from one end of Europe to another, and back to the United States.

Throughout New’s journey, she transcends periods of history, from the Enlightenment period up through World War I, to the Holocaust period of time and through to the present. Jacob’s Cane is a sweeping saga, not only of familial roots, but also of world history. The research involved was extensive, filled with extreme dedication, and was fruitful in the end results.

The family tobacco business is explored in depth. The reader is given a blueprint to the social, political, economic, industrial and cultural aspects of the eras transcended within the pages.

New’s strength and perseverance was her guiding force throughout her quest for family identity. New not only learned about her ancestral roots and foundations, but also gained insight into herself. What began as a search for family history also encompassed a search for Self, often with a surprising outcome.

Jacob’s Cane is remarkable in its historical depth and intensity. Elisa New grasps the moments with brilliant writing and story telling. Her ability to infuse not only her Jewish family roots and history, with specific cultural, financial, and social aspects is incredibly brilliant, and a remarkable feat. Her writing is fluid, filled with vivid imagery, taking the reader through the ages with pages of beautiful and poignant prose.

I highly recommend Jacob’s Cane, by Elisa New to everyone.
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Jew Wishes…Peace to you All.

© 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 expresss written consent/permission.

November 30, 2009 – 13th of Kislev, 5770