Roman's Journey

by Roman Halter

Book by Halter, Roman

Genres: Holocaust, Nonfiction, Memoir, History, World War II, Autobiography, Biography

338 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roman Halter tells his story beginning with his boyhood in the town of Chodecz in Poland, where he attends, under the caring tutelage of his conscientious teacher Mrs Wisniewska, together with Polish and ethnic German Poles (volksdeutsh) children and his family have friends Polish and ethnic German friends. He had a great love for his gentle maid Mrs Lewandowska, who had been his wet nurse.
He remembers his boyhood as a good time.
Before September 1939, Poles, Germans and 800 Jews lived in my town.
But when he was twelve years of age, Roman and his family watched as the ethnic Germans welcomed the invading Nazi troops with kisses and swastika flags. the "clearing-out" - the genocide - of the Jewish people began almost immediately. . Murder began as soon as the SS police took charge of the town, towards the end of September 1939.
Roman's families house is seized, and his family together with the rest of the Jewish community forced into hovels on the outskirts of the town.
He was forced to become a slave under the local SS chief and witnessed his classmates being bayoneted to death by the Nazis.
Roman's grandfather died soon afterwards and his father starved to death.
From there began the nightmarish journey into the Lodz ghetto, the Auschwitz death camp, Stuthof and a firebombed Dresden.
In Spring 1942, Roman's mother, half-sister, her two children and Roman's sister were all selected to be taken to Chelmno to be murdered there. His entire family were destroyed and Roman began the hellish journey from the Lodz ghetto to Auschwitz, Stutfhof and a bombed out Dresden.
the area, who later is murdered at the hands of the Nazis.

With clarity and sensitivity Halter outlines his experiences that bring the realities of these events to life.
As well as the demonic cruelty of the Nazis, he also speaks of those courageous ethnic Germans and Poles who helped him to survive.
At one point in the Lodz ghetto Roman observes that Jews can never continue to survive as a minority in exile dependant on the mercy of those nations where they are scattered, but must have a land of their own.
among those who he is speaking to are the head of the Revisionist Zionists in the area, who later is murdered at the hands of the Nazis.

He talks about his experiences after the war and the brutality of the Soviet occupiers who replaced the Nazis.
He describes his return to Chodecz and his reunions with some of those who had helped his family.
Eventually he was brought to Britain with other youths and children who had survived the slaughter.
He later migrated to Israel where he and his children and grandchildren now live.
His postscript tells the fate of some of those whom he knew.
Some of those who helped him were murdered by the Soviets and his uncle, a Jewish communist, was killed by Stalin.
Many Holocaust survivors of hundreds of thousands of the descendants of holocaust survivors today live in Israel.
It is ironic that today they are under attack by those enemies of Israel who would like to see them destroyed.
And there are even those very perverted and evil people who refer to Israelis (including Holocaust survivors and their descendants) as Nazis.
They do this in order to prepare the way for a second Holocaust of Israel's Jews.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently, I visited Bruce Castle near Tottenham in north-east London. In its garden there is a Holocaust Memorial Garden, a part of which is dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust survivor Roman Halter, who lived in Haringey. Halter published his book in 2007, five years before he died and more than sixty years after the end of WW2. By writing it, he fulfilled his promise to others that he would never forget what happened to him and others during that terrible war.

This is an eloquently told tale about the experiences of its author during and, also interestingly before and after, WW2. Born Jewish in a small town in Poland, Roman Halter witnessed the destruction of its - his - Jewish community, before going on a nightmarish journey through the unvaryingly horrific 'geography' of the Nazi Holocaust. Horrific in places, Roman's story is told with dignity and great powers of observation. This is one of the better of many Holocaust survivor's tales that I have read.

[Lucy Southwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

As boring as I found this book, it was SO sad

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read anything like this book.
I'm doing research for a long-term project on World War II; the project does not center around the Holocaust, the camps, or the Jewish experience, though it will touch on those things peripherally. I have read numerous Holocaust diaries and memoirs. This book is engaging and, while it tells graphic details about Roman's experiences and about the fates of the men and women he knew, it has an underlying thread of hope. Mr. Halter passed away in 2012; he was frank about the people who helped him and those who didn't. He was the only survivor of his immediate family. And yet, he could write things like this:
"'I must be strong and live,' I told myself. This is what my mother would have wanted for me. I remembered the time when my grandfather blessed me before he died and told me that 'When I survive' and not 'If I survive,' I must hold on to life. When I survive, I will tell the world the truth of what I saw and experienced."

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir, which is written without sentimentality, is a harrowing tale of Roman’s experience of the Holocaust. He was a young boy who lost his entire family, but he never gave up hope. All I can say is that it is beyond belief that humans can be so cruel to their fellow human beings. However, there are always the few who will risk their lives to save others – like Mrs. Herta Fuchs in this book who was honoured as a Righteous Gentile by Yad Vashem. A worthwhile read.

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a survivor. A survivor of the Lodz ghetto, Auschwitz, and Stutthof. A survivor of the fire bombing of Dresden in February 1945. A survivor whose extended family was murdered by the Nazis. This is the story of how he rebuilt his life, and how he found hope and a reason to continue living.

This is a most moving story, told in the most dispassionate terms, without any attempt to dwell on the horrors. The final chapter will leave you in tears.

[Beverly Hallfrisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this down. It was engrossing, such that I sometimes forgot this was not fiction. Then I abruptly realize it's true and wanted to cry.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true tragedy.
I liked that this book did not get stuck in the weeds of every little detail and shared enough that you got the full story.

[Regina Peachey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Holocaust survival story stood out to me because of the honest, bare, and almost simple writing style. Definitely worth reading.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir is unusual because it spends as much time on Roman's prewar childhood and his postwar wanderings and search for his family as it does on his experiences in the camps and ghettos. Beyond that, it doesn't really stand out from the legion of Holocaust memoirs.

[SillySuzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harrowing story about a Jewish boy in Poland during the second World War. It is truly amazing that he survived the cruelty of the SS-chief, the Lodz ghetto, concentration camps and bombings and still managed to get back home to Chodecz in one piece. Unfortunately no other family members survived.

[Tamar Siegel silverman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read. His memory was amazing, the retelling is so real to me. And despite the huge amount of suffering and loss, the reader cant help but feel the optimism, and creativity, reflection and strength of this man. A movie should be made.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read this if you don't want to cry. Of all the members of Roman's large family, he is the only one who survives the Holocaust. A terrible story, but so well-told.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

True account of a young, polish boy's survival of the holocaust.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read, a man who survived the Warsaw Ghetto and concentration camp who was able to write about his experiences so clearly but without rancour.

[Hermien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written autobiography.

[Angela Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I read quite a bit from this genre and while this was good it was not my favorite. Worth reading but be aware there are parts that drag on a bit.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book. It astonishes me how much people went through and the battles that they concurred.