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Moving seamlessly between past and present, Shlomo Breznitz's memoir unfolds through multiple voices, capturing a poignant and harrowing journey. During the Holocaust, Breznitz and his family fled from village to village in Czechoslovakia, ultimately facing the reality of Nazi persecution. Before their deportation to Auschwitz, his parents arranged for the Sisters of Saint Vincent to take their two recently converted children into the convent's orphanage. At just six years old, Shlomo—known as Juri—was separated from his parents and sister Judith, as the nuns segregated the children by gender and communication was limited. Juri shares his devastating experiences with fellow orphans, nuns, teachers, and Nazi officers, expressing feelings of isolation and fear of being discovered as a "stinking Jew" while striving to be a good Catholic. The memoir transcends childhood recollections, reflecting Breznitz's insights as a psychologist into the complexities of cruelty, kindness, fear, and courage, as well as the profound impact of memory on our lives. In the final chapter, nearly fifty years later, Breznitz returns to Czechoslovakia to revisit significant places in his past, seeking the nuns who saved him and his sister. This evocative narrative is beautifully rendered, offering a stunning exploration of survival and resilience.
Una storia incredibile, rocambolesca, drammatica e commovente, tutta assolutamente vera. La salvezza di una famiglia di ebrei slovacchi ad opera delle suore di un convento, raccontata dall'autore, attualmente professore di psicologia a New York e a Haifa in Israele, tornato nel suo paese di origine, il paese della memoria, dopo mezzo secolo, per incontrare una delle sue salvatrici. Breznitz arricchisce la memoria indelebile di quell'infanzia con le sue attuali competenze di psicologo e studioso dello stress.
Zwischen der Perspektive des Kindes und des Erwachsenen wechselnd, erzählt Shlomo Breznitz die ergreifende Geschichte seiner Kindheit. Von seinen Eltern getrennt, durchlebt er in einem katholischen Waisenhaus alle vorstellbaren Schrecken eines verlassenen Kindes: Die Machtspiele seiner Klassenkameraden, die Borniertheit seiner Lehrer, die Hysterie der Schwestern und die Bedrohlichkeit des Nazi-Offiziers, der gelegentlich nach dem Rechten sieht. „Shlomo Breznitz hat das unendlich Schwierige bravourös vollbracht. Als Sechzigjähriger hat er sich zurückversetzt in seine jüngste Kindheit. Er erzählt seine Geschichte bruchstückhaft und doch akribisch und zu jeder Zeit spannend.“ (Chuzpe Frankfurt) „Ein intensiver, mitreißender Lebensbericht, der den Leser gefangenhält, noch lange nachdem er das Buch wieder geschlossen hat.“ (DIG-Magazin)