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Memory Fields:The Legacy of a Wartime Childhood in Czechoslovakia
Memory Fields recounts Shlomo Breznitz’s devastating experiences upon being placed in a Sisters of Saint Vincent orphanage just hours before his parents were sent to Auschwitz. He tells of events with other orphans, his teacher, classmates, the prelate and dreaded visits by Nazi officers periodically searching for Jewish children. He describes overwhelming feelings of isolation and loneliness, and persistent dread of being discovered. Interwoven throughout the book, Breznitz, the psychologist, draws on his history and explores the nature of cruelty and kindness, of stifling fear and outstanding courage, and the ways in which memory shapes our lives.
164 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 1992
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 10, 2017
‘Good faith by itself is not sufficient to transform personal recollections into history, and mine, too, are at best a story.’
Israeli author Shlomo Breznitz was born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, in 1936, and received his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is currently professor of Psychology at the University of Haifa as well as the New School for Social Research in New York. He has published several books on stress and health – MAXIMUM BRAINPOWER, CRY WOLF: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FALSE ALARMS, THE DYNAMICS OF STRESS: PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES among other articles and publications. MEMORY FIELDS is an autobiography and as powerful a novel about the Holocaust and its impact as any book available.
Shlomo’s initial MEMORY FIELDS was published in 1992 and his introduction to this second edition tells us much about our world today: ‘The Holocaust is such a frightening and unbelievably cruel part of history that readers of memoirs from that period cannot easily identify with the storyteller. The enormity of evil and hardships thus blocks most feelings of empathy. It is only when the story is "smaller" and thus slightly more similar to one's own experiences that this emotional obstacle can be surmounted. Mine is a small story and after its publication I was gratified and somewhat surprised by the many letters sent to me by young readers. They testified that being personally touched they could, some of them for the first time, truly understand what the Holocaust was about. Twenty five years ago, when Memory Fields was published, my perception of the world was one in which, although bad things often happen, the most terrible ones were surely behind us. After all, nothing like the Holocaust could ever happen again. However, the events in Biafra, Cambodia, Darfur, Rwanda and Syria, to mention just some of them, suggest that humankind did not learn the lesson. Unfortunately, my small story is still a relevant one and with great humility I present it to you.’
In a Prologue, Shlomo sets the tone for this book – ‘My story is about an earthquake – one produced by men. The most powerful ever, it had millions of epicenters. As a child who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught in the maelstrom of events, I, too, became an epicenter. Instead of seconds, this “manquake’ took years, and its aftershocks are still troubling our planet. Among its casualties was human innocence, finally and irrevocably erased from the dealing of men and nations. For many years, the memories of these events have toyed with me. While some loose fragments were always available and could be summoned at will, others were more elusive; they would surface briefly, tempting pursuit, only to be lost the next moment. And then there was yet another type of memory, whose existence was suggested by the gaping holes in the story of my childhood. It seemed buried under the rubble of its aftermath. For too long it was inaccessible, its secrets conveniently locked behind the faithful bars of repression.’
Though the impact of this story must be witness by the reader on the pages of this memoir, the synopsis outlines the story well – ‘Breznitz, who was caught up in the Holocaust as a child, has written a spare and eloquent memoir of his experiences. Born into a Jewish family in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, he narrowly avoided transport to a concentration camp, because his parents, who were soon shipped to Auschwitz, managed to place the six-year-old Shlomo and his 10-year-old sister, Judith, in a Catholic orphanage, where they remained until the end of the war. There Shlomo strove to become a good Christian, hiding his circumcision from the other boys, who frequently treated him cruelly, and memorizing the Catholic litany so well that he was chosen to recite for the prelate. The pain of his memories of the convent was reinforced by an anti-Semitic incident that took place in 1959 when the author was traveling through Hungary as a member of the Israeli student chess team.’
Powerful writing, this, and a book we all should read and experience the horrors that still are present in 2017. Highly Recommended.
Israeli author Shlomo Breznitz was born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, in 1936, and received his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is currently professor of Psychology at the University of Haifa as well as the New School for Social Research in New York. He has published several books on stress and health – MAXIMUM BRAINPOWER, CRY WOLF: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FALSE ALARMS, THE DYNAMICS OF STRESS: PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES among other articles and publications. MEMORY FIELDS is an autobiography and as powerful a novel about the Holocaust and its impact as any book available.
Shlomo’s initial MEMORY FIELDS was published in 1992 and his introduction to this second edition tells us much about our world today: ‘The Holocaust is such a frightening and unbelievably cruel part of history that readers of memoirs from that period cannot easily identify with the storyteller. The enormity of evil and hardships thus blocks most feelings of empathy. It is only when the story is "smaller" and thus slightly more similar to one's own experiences that this emotional obstacle can be surmounted. Mine is a small story and after its publication I was gratified and somewhat surprised by the many letters sent to me by young readers. They testified that being personally touched they could, some of them for the first time, truly understand what the Holocaust was about. Twenty five years ago, when Memory Fields was published, my perception of the world was one in which, although bad things often happen, the most terrible ones were surely behind us. After all, nothing like the Holocaust could ever happen again. However, the events in Biafra, Cambodia, Darfur, Rwanda and Syria, to mention just some of them, suggest that humankind did not learn the lesson. Unfortunately, my small story is still a relevant one and with great humility I present it to you.’
In a Prologue, Shlomo sets the tone for this book – ‘My story is about an earthquake – one produced by men. The most powerful ever, it had millions of epicenters. As a child who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught in the maelstrom of events, I, too, became an epicenter. Instead of seconds, this “manquake’ took years, and its aftershocks are still troubling our planet. Among its casualties was human innocence, finally and irrevocably erased from the dealing of men and nations. For many years, the memories of these events have toyed with me. While some loose fragments were always available and could be summoned at will, others were more elusive; they would surface briefly, tempting pursuit, only to be lost the next moment. And then there was yet another type of memory, whose existence was suggested by the gaping holes in the story of my childhood. It seemed buried under the rubble of its aftermath. For too long it was inaccessible, its secrets conveniently locked behind the faithful bars of repression.’
Though the impact of this story must be witness by the reader on the pages of this memoir, the synopsis outlines the story well – ‘Breznitz, who was caught up in the Holocaust as a child, has written a spare and eloquent memoir of his experiences. Born into a Jewish family in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, he narrowly avoided transport to a concentration camp, because his parents, who were soon shipped to Auschwitz, managed to place the six-year-old Shlomo and his 10-year-old sister, Judith, in a Catholic orphanage, where they remained until the end of the war. There Shlomo strove to become a good Christian, hiding his circumcision from the other boys, who frequently treated him cruelly, and memorizing the Catholic litany so well that he was chosen to recite for the prelate. The pain of his memories of the convent was reinforced by an anti-Semitic incident that took place in 1959 when the author was traveling through Hungary as a member of the Israeli student chess team.’
Powerful writing, this, and a book we all should read and experience the horrors that still are present in 2017. Highly Recommended.
November 10, 2017
The story of a young Jewish boy during the holocaust.
I really enjoyed Memory Fields, it’s a first hand story of a young Jewish boy during the holocaust. I have so much respect for anyone who lived through this horrible time and are willing to share their story with the world. This boy went through so much, and lived to tell his story. It did get confusing at times as it doesn’t always stay on point but I’m away it added to the story, perhaps showing a little of chaos that was his life at that time. I’m not sure I’d be able to organize my thoughts into perfect order myself had I been there! All in all I enjoyed learning more about the holocaust in a first person kind of story. It breaks my heart to know that so many people went through these trials, fear and experienced so much loss at the desire of one man!
I really enjoyed Memory Fields, it’s a first hand story of a young Jewish boy during the holocaust. I have so much respect for anyone who lived through this horrible time and are willing to share their story with the world. This boy went through so much, and lived to tell his story. It did get confusing at times as it doesn’t always stay on point but I’m away it added to the story, perhaps showing a little of chaos that was his life at that time. I’m not sure I’d be able to organize my thoughts into perfect order myself had I been there! All in all I enjoyed learning more about the holocaust in a first person kind of story. It breaks my heart to know that so many people went through these trials, fear and experienced so much loss at the desire of one man!
August 3, 2018
He takes you by the hand and and takes you with him into his inner most thoughts and memories. You hold your breath with him under the covers. You feel the detachment and appreciate his honesty at his own imperfections. This is unlike any autobiography I've ever read before.
September 29, 2023
“A childhood collapsed into a brief winter afternoon.”
I found this in the incredible Argosy Book Store accidentally, in the $3 rack. It was moving and horrifying and intimate - I feel lucky to have come across it.
I found this in the incredible Argosy Book Store accidentally, in the $3 rack. It was moving and horrifying and intimate - I feel lucky to have come across it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews