Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World

by Jane Ziegelman

A powerful exploration of the books created by Jewish Holocaust survivors to honor their lost world

By the close of World War II, six million Jews had been erased from the face of the earth. Those who eluded death had lost their homes, families, and entire way of life. Their response was quintessentially Jewish. From a people with a long-history of self-narration, survivors gathered in groups and wrote books, yizkor books, remembering all that had been destroyed. Jane Ziegelman’s Once There Was a Town takes readers on a journey through this largely uncharted body of writing and the vanished world it depicts.

Once There Was a Town resounds with the voices of rich and poor, shopkeepers and tradespeople, scholars and peddlers, Zionists and Communists, men and women telling stories of the towns that were their homes. Stops are made in the bustling market squares where Jewish merchants catered to local farmers; study houses where men recited Torah; kitchens where homemakers baked 20-pound loaves of bread; cemeteries where mourners conversed with departed loved ones and wooded groves where young couples met for the occasional moonlit tryst. Of the many towns on Ziegelman’s itinerary, she always circles back to Luboml, her family’s ancestral shtetl and the point of departure for her own journey of discovery.

In conversation with classics by IB Singer and Roman Vishniac, Once There Was a Town is a landmark of rediscovery, and a love song to a vanished world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Jewish, Biography, Holocaust, Historical, World War II

240 pages, Hardcover

Published January 20, 2026

About the author

Jane Ziegelman is the director of the Tenement Museum's culinary center and the founder and director of Kids Cook!, a multiethnic cooking program for children.

Her writing on food has appeared in numerous publications. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 5 out of 5]

“When a person is born, an invisible note is hung on him which he carries on his person all his life-that is his name and the place where he was born.”
(Yiddish poet, David Einhorn as noted by the author.)

I’ve read a good many Holocaust books , but had never heard of Yizkor Books until now . Yizkor means “may he remember”. They are books put together by groups of people, Holocaust survivors to remember the place they were from and the people there, the people lost, the place of their birth . This book is a tribute honoring those people and places through an examination of yizkor books . I found it to be an education, an enlightenment for me of so much I did not know about Jews who survived the Holocaust, actually about Jews in general.

That connection between place and people is intimate as the poet above describes and it is evident here - they are each other. Jane Ziegelman’s analysis of the yizkor books is fascinating explaining “Jewishness” - laws and the origin of some customs food , dress and more . Shtetl life is described in them sometimes highlighting the importance of storytelling, folklore and sadly first antisemetic memories . It’s heartbreaking in that these histories are of towns that no longer exist. They are also beautiful representing testaments to people and the places they left behind. Even more intimate and personal the author tells her own family’s story, the impact of the Nazi occupation of their town and how “they got out”, highlighting her own family’s yizkor book as well as others.

January 27 is National Holocaust Rememberance Day . This book is a tribute to those who perished and those who survived. Reading it is my way of remembering and writing about it my way of bearing witness to the horrors that I pray may never happen again.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martins Press through NetGalley

[Larada Horner-Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title intrigued me, and I wasn’t disappointed. The author gives the history of the Jewish Memory Books. Then she tells the story of the destruction of a town in Poland by the Nazis during World War II. Laced in the book is her on personal family stories.

In this time of world uncertainty, this book is a must-read to cement in the facts of the Nazi atrocities which we should never forget.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: Jan. 20, 2026

“Yizor” books are collections of memories, anecdotes and family histories of Jewish communities, long forgotten or torn apart by war and antisemitism. In “Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World”, author Jane Ziegelman used the stories collected in her family’s “yizor” (and others) from a small, now non-existent town in Poland as the basis for her new book.

Most people are familiar with the tragedies of the Holocaust and the indignities that the Jewish community suffered at the hands of the Nazi’s, but there were everyday atrocities that plagued Jewish communities that we are likely less familiar with, and these are the stories told in “Town”. Ziegelman is proud of her heritage and her family, and she shares their stories as well as others, to ensure readers get as much information as possible.

“Town” is a deep dive into the Jewish faith and its different facets, from the extreme to the less devout, and it speaks of the foods, stories and traditions that make up the Jewish faith. I found these details interesting and educational, as my understanding of the faith and traditions of the Jewish people are by no means expansive. Obviously, the traumas suffered by the community, especially during the Holocaust, were devastating, and Ziegelman helps readers understand on a more personal level, by connecting them with individuals and families who experienced it.

“Town” does not have one protagonist telling their story but is, instead, a collection of experiences from a former Jewish community in Poland. It is more of an examination of storytelling in the Jewish culture and how it has aided to preserve parts of history that would otherwise be lost.

Ziegelman is known for her cultural cookbooks and “Town” is her first non-culinary book and, although both genres are extremely different, “Town” is well-written, well-researched and emotional. It is more than just “another World War Two” story of the Holocaust and those afflicted, but instead it examines the Jewish culture and traditions, with the war as a backdrop, as an influence on these traditions and culture and not as the starring role.

Unique and educational, “Town” won’t be for everyone, but it provides a lot of information on parts of Judaism that are not known, beyond the Holocaust and its tragedies. “Town” is a story of a community and its people and the stories that connect them.

[Pooja Peravali · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the Holocaust, since entire shtetls had been reduced to just a handful of survivors, people across continents came together to put together yizkor books to record their collective memories of these vanished places.

I have never heard of yizkor books, nor knew much about life in the shtetls before or during World War 2. As such this book provides a comprehensive overview with a strong personal touch, as the author interweaves the words of the people who lived there with her own family stories as a typical example of the place. I liked how the author arranged the themes by chapter, giving us glimpses in the work they did, the food they ate, the stories they told, how they prayed, and more.

I did think the book was a bit more limited in scope than I first assumed - though the author does briefly discuss other towns and other yizkor books, the focus remains on Luboml, from where her grandparents came. While the author does use these family histories cleverly to illustrate the theme being discussed in each chapter, I wished we'd gotten other stories too - yizkor books seem to have been full of anecdotes, but we only hear a few. I also thought the writer's style was a bit dry for my taste.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Stanjay Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

World War II took an immense toll on the Jewish people of the market town of Luboml. The author provides insight into these atrocities by recounting portions of the Yizkor book. Prior to reading this work, I was unfamiliar with Yizkor books. As I read, I conducted research alongside the text to better understand the events discussed. One of the first things I explored was the meaning of a Yizkor book. These memorial books were created by former Jewish residents whose communities were destroyed during the war.

The Yizkor book offers insight into religious observances, traditional foods, patterns of migration, and the survivors’ efforts to rebuild their lives in America. This material was deeply impactful and fostered empathy and understanding as I read. I also learned several Yiddish words and their meanings, as well as a great deal about the author’s family experiences across multiple generations.

I recommend this book because it is essential that we learn about the atrocities that have affected so many people throughout history. Whether those atrocities stem from racism, antisemitism, or other forms of hatred, we must acknowledge them, reflect on their impact, and allow that knowledge to guide us toward empathy, understanding, and meaningful humanistic work. Only then can we move forward in a way that is better than the past.

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional book! It is a memoir of sorts- it includes many of the author's memories but also facts about yizkor books. I was fascinated with the variety of yizkor books! They often included quotes from the old testament, maps and visual images.

There are many heart wrenching parts of the book. From the German occupation to the Soviet occupation, many Jewish and Polish lives were lost. These events are in the past but sadly antisemitism seems to be on the rise again. This book serves as a reminder that history should never be forgotten.

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from St. Martins Press via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 1/20/2026. It is sometimes difficult to review a non-fiction book. Even more difficult when it is, sort of, about books. Once There Was A Town further complicates attempts to review it by its very nature; it is a thoroughly researched and beautifully written ode to the former homelands of Jews who escaped Eastern Europe before the Holocaust, to the millions of Jews who did not escape, and to the tradition of yizkor books and their return to prominence as a way to remember both the lives lost and the places never to be regained. While the book covers some generalities, especially in the case of Jewish traditions and religious practices, most of it focuses specifically on a town in Poland named Luboml. This was the hometown of the author’s family, the place her grandmother and great uncles were born (and left), her father and aunt were small there, and familial memory had deep roots there. Then came the time between the World Wars and the Holocaust. Eventually the author, Jane Zeigelman, came about and grew interested in family history and learned of a beautiful and fascinating tradition of yizkor books, books kept as written memory of people and places by a notoriously mobile group of people.

Dating back hundreds and hundreds of years, yizkor books were started as ways to commemorate and honor a place and a community. They also served as diaries of sorts, tracking everything from important rabbi visits to public scuffles to holiday events and everything in between. The books also made a point of noting the deceased as honoring family who passed was vital in the Jewish community and an important part of life in the shtetl. After World War II, many of the Jews who fled to America and elsewhere took up the practice again to honor hometowns that were devastated and to memorialize those lost. They were epic projects, written with both love and pain. Much like this book, to be honest.

Zeigelman takes you through her family, using them as a gateway into their past and the past of Luboml. In depth and detailed, every line remains human in this way. They are not just stories of a thriving community, a busy marketplace, and a strong synagogue. They are stories of her family’s history even if none of her relatives are directly named. You feel the connection in the history and tales. The link between the history of the Jewish people and the importance of story-telling is clear at all times. This is not just history. This is their life. This is their connection. Zeigelman uses excerpts from surviving yizkor to show the humanity behind the memories as well as the through-line from then to now. Somehow she manages to walk the line through all of the various feelings the stories arouse in the reader - amusement, sadness, joy, horror. It is not an easy book by the end of your read but it is very important. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. Yizkor books and all honest books on the topic of the Holocaust are vital in remembering. Never again is not just a pair of words. It is a vow.

Note: My only complaint was an inability to see pictures but that is because it was a digital ARC so they had not been entered yet.

[Jacen Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memory and remembrance are important for Jews. And yizkor books allow us to remember the ones we have lost and even the ones we never knew through the written voice of the yizkor books.

This book in particular not only explains the tradition but also what we can find within multiple examples. We take trips to various shtetls (shtetlen?) that no longer exist. But Yizkor books allow us also to remember places that have 'died' or are no longer what they once were. For instance, the town we follow through the decades used to be called Luboml in what was Poland with the highest percentage of Jewish population in all of Poland. Now it is Liuboml in Ukraine (Libevne in Yiddish). The city changed and grew over the decades and in the decades since the end of the Holocaust, growing to over three times what it was when we first meet the city. I know this thanks to a feeling that compelled me to know the fate of this specific town. And though it absolutely isn't the same as it was in the 19th Century, at least it survived in some way where so many towns simply just disappeared off the map entirely. Both from the Holodomor and the Holocaust.

Interspersed through the tracing of the fate of Luboml (Liuboml), we gain stories of the author's family both through word of mouth and excerpts from letters the author has though said letters are scant in the present day.

The trail starts from the later years of the shtetl to the Holocaust, recounted through yizkor books the whole way.

This book can, of course, also be considered extremely useful from a cultural anthropological standpoint. It recounts not just the Yizkor book tradition but the culture of Hasidic Jews from the 19th century onward. As a Reform Jew, I know little about the traditions of my Hasidic cousins.

There are some parts that feel slightly disjointed, could probably flow a bit better. But you can feel the love the author has for her family and the love that the Yizkor book authors had for their homes.

We all need a place to call home. We all feel sometimes in some small way that the towns and cities love us in return. And towns with large populations of Jews before the Holocaust only to lose them almost entirely after, deserve to be remembered, if not by its residents then by us. The same way we, at least in the Jewish tradition, remember our blessed dead, we should remember dead towns, as well.

I would suggest anyone interested in Jewish history, the Holocaust, Soviet history, or just history in general to read this book. Yizkor books were a labor of love, and this book was also a labor of love and remembrance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free copy of this book. I was unpaid and am unaffiliated with the publisher.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once There Was a Town is a moving and deeply reflective work that reminds us why the act of remembering—and the discipline of recording those memories—matters not only to individuals, but to entire cultures. Through its intimate portraits of a community that no longer exists, the book becomes far more than a historical narrative; it becomes a testament to the power of collective memory.

At its core, Once There Was a Town is about reclamation. It gathers stories, fragments, testimonies, and recollections of a place lost to time and, in doing so, reassembles a world that would otherwise vanish from human consciousness. The author treats memory not as a static archive, but as a living thread connecting past to present. Every detail: daily routines, traditions, relationships, celebrations, serves as a reminder that history is built from ordinary lives, and that each life is worthy of being remembered.

One of the book’s greatest strengths lies in how it models historiography; the study of how we write history and why it matters. The author doesn’t simply recount events; they examine the process of preserving those events, calling attention to the fragility and responsibility inherent in historical record-keeping. By showing how memories are gathered, contested, and ultimately shaped into narrative, the book highlights that history is not inevitable or self-sustaining. It must be consciously preserved.

This theme resonates especially powerfully today. In an age when information can be lost as quickly as it is produced, Once There Was a Town argues for intentional remembrance. It urges us to document our family stories, safeguard community histories, and preserve the experiences that define who we are. The book demonstrates that memory is not merely personal—it is cultural, intergenerational, and foundational to identity.

For future generations, these records become guideposts. They offer insight into how people lived, loved, endured, and adapted. They provide warnings and wisdom, continuity and context. They ensure that those who came before us are not erased, and that their lives continue to speak into our own.

Ultimately, Once There Was a Town is more than a recollection of a vanished place; it is a quiet call to action. It asks readers to become stewards of memory, to value the histories woven into their own families and communities, and to take seriously the task of passing those stories forward. It reminds us that the past survives only when we choose to carry it—and that in doing so, we build a richer, more connected world for those who follow.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book review: Jane Ziegelman Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World.
St. Martin’s Press, with heartfelt thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

This is one of those books that asks you to slow down and listen. Not skim, not rush, not read with one eye on the clock. Jane Ziegelman invites the reader into a quiet, deliberate act of remembrance, and once you step inside, it feels almost disrespectful to hurry. I expected a history lesson. What I got instead was a deeply human meditation on memory, loss, and the stubborn will to record a life even after that life has been violently interrupted.

At the center of this book are yizkor books, memorial volumes created by Jewish Holocaust survivors to honor the towns and communities that were destroyed. Ziegelman explains their origins, structure, and purpose, but what makes this work so compelling is how personal it feels. By circling back again and again to Luboml, her family’s ancestral shtetl, she gives the reader something solid to hold onto. This isn’t abstract history. It’s names, kitchens, schools, marketplaces, arguments, prayers, and recipes. It’s people being people right up until history refuses to let them continue.

What struck me most was how much life is here. There is grief, of course, but before that comes texture. Muddy roads and crowded markets. Massive loaves of bread baked for hours. Study houses humming with debate. Young couples stealing moments of privacy. These details matter, and Ziegelman treats them with reverence. She understands that genocide doesn’t just erase bodies, it erases routines, jokes, rivalries, and the thousand small habits that make a place feel like home.

The writing is thoughtful and restrained, which makes its emotional weight even stronger. Ziegelman never needs to overstate the horror. She trusts the reader to feel it on their own, especially once the inevitable destruction arrives. One line in particular stopped me completely: “To remember a town is to insist that it once mattered, even if the world tried to erase it.” That sentence feels like the spine of the entire book.

I also appreciated how this book examines the act of recording history itself. Yizkor books were not neutral documents. They were created by grieving people, often across continents, arguing over details, tone, and meaning. Ziegelman doesn’t smooth over those tensions. She lets us see memory as messy, emotional, and imperfect, which only makes it more honest. This is history shaped by love and loss, not distance.

Once There Was a Town is not a traditional Holocaust narrative focused solely on camps and death marches. Those realities are present, but they are not the whole story. This book insists that Jewish life before destruction deserves just as much attention as Jewish death during it. That insistence feels especially urgent now.

This is not a book I sped through. I read it slowly, sometimes putting it down just to sit with what I’d absorbed. By the end, I felt changed in a quiet way. More aware of how fragile memory is, and how powerful it can be when someone takes the time to preserve it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

#OnceThereWasaTown #JaneZiegelman #BookReview #NonfictionReview #HolocaustHistory #JewishHistory #YizkorBooks #HistoryBooks #ARCReview #NetGalley #StMartinsPress

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure what I was expecting out of Once There Was a Town. I think it was more survivor stories from those who lived through the Holocaust.

It is kind of that, but it is more about the culture and traditions of the European Jews who lived in shtetls, many of which ceased to exist at the end of World War II, leaving those that survived and hadn’t already emigrated to America or Israel in search of a new place they could call home, where they might be welcomed.

Grieving their home, community, and dead, survivors around the world tried to work together to create yizkor books that told the history of their shtetl through the vibrant stories of its people and the tragedies and mistreatment they were often the victims of.

I have never read a yizkor book, nor am I Jewish, but I see Ziegelman incorporating elements that are probably similar to one, telling stories of her grandmother and great uncles coming to America, the challenges they faced in getting here, the working conditions once they did, and the things they’ve done to keep their religion and traditions alive and passed along in a new world.

Ziegelman also recounts other stories held in yizkor books and historical events that occurred between the two world wars, reminding readers that discrimination against Jews didn’t begin with Hitler coming to power in Germany.

It’s also a great introduction to many Jewish traditions for those not familiar with Judaism, especially its more devout practitioners. Not unlike many other religions, women were regarded as lesser and a temptation for men. Not being a practitioner of any of these religions it is always hard for me to read about women being treated as lesser, or being expected to censor or hide themselves to avoid “tempting” men, instead of men being expected to have the willpower and strength to live equally beside women, and being found lacking and punished if they cannot. No wonder I root for the modernizations that provide more balance and freedom.

At times the book feels a bit repetitive, and some of the chapters seem to start on one topic only to meander into something different by chapters end. But overall it was interesting introduction to shtetls and Jewish culture and history during the twentieth century.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[June Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I had heard of the Yizkor books, I had no real knowledge of their history. As the author explains early on, it's long. Even the Biblical book of Lamentation, I believe credited to Jeremiah, might be considered the first example of what might be called "Jewish disaster literature". It tells of the destruction of the Temple and an era of Jewish exile. To be simplistic, these books attempt to capture the history and times as well as the individual names of those caught up in disaster. They tend to run from 400-800 pages when complete and provide the link that connects past to present and, yes, future. The objective, as directed by scripture, is remembrance. While names of those killed or passed are certainly given, they also capture a snapshot of the life these people and/or village lived.

Ironically, I started this book just before the Bondi Beach attack, so one has to imagine that event will eventually make its way into a vizkor book. The author's focus, however, is largely on the now long-gone town of Lubomi, Poland, where many of her ancestors came from. She knew little of that story growing up but not just Lubomi but many other villages disappeared during WWII. Totally. They are remembered, however, by the presence of Vizkor memories captured in writing. While the author detours away to other places at times, her focus remains on her family's past hometown. Besides names, it includes memories of personal life, one of my favorites being the time-consuming baking of a huge amount of bread. Their ordinary lives remind us not to forget. As you read, a community seemingly erased by history comes to life. The people are no long mere statistics but living, breathing people. People who were part of the author's family.

I'm not going to detail the stories, that would be unfair to not just the reader but the subjects, but it's very human and obviously heartfelt. While I did feel the pace slowed here and there, perhaps that was actually a good thing as it gave my mind time to process all I was reading. The author's occasional detours to other sites is also a reminder that Lubomi wasn't an isolated, one time instance. It is part of history and deserves to be remembered. Thanks #StMartin'sPress for this early look at such a meaningful book.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Ziegelman begins Once There Was a Town by explaining that “While some cultures honor the dead with pyramids or triumphal arches, Jews have traditionally built monuments of paper and ink.” Thus, the existence of yizkor books, volumes of stories, pictures, art and poems written to remember people and places. Although the first known yizkor book was written in Nuremberg, Germany in the 13th century, most of the 1800 existing books were written the the second half of the 20th century, as a means to ensure that Jews and the shtetl life that disappeared during World War II would never be forgotten.

Ziegelman has centered the book on her own family, and their hometown of Luboml, Poland (now part of Ukraine), but she includes voices from several books that originated in Eastern Europe. She starts by quoting narratives from various books (an extensive bibliography and citations are included at the end of the book) about daily life; customs, markets, school, traditions. As the book progresses she moves forward in time to describe yizkor book stories of life during the Holocaust. All of the stories were educational and very moving, but the Holocaust stories hit hard. We seldom hear first person accounts of what happened in these small towns from the point of view of the Jews who lived there or whose relatives survived to tell the story. No Jews currently live in Luboml.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of this information, and it’s hard to describe the effect of this book. It is very readable, if sometimes difficult, and brings people and places to modern readers in a way that illuminates but doesn’t preach. I learned so much, and it will stay with me for a long time.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Sheri Metzger Karmiol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once There Was a Town, by Jane Ziegelman
This non-fiction book is a history of the creation of Yisker books. I am familiar with the creation of Yisker books. Years ago, I purchased the YIsker book for Stopkov, a small village in what was once called Old Hungary. This was the village where some of my husband's ancestors had lived. It was written after the war, and then translated into English.. Parts of the texts are also in Hebrew. My husband's family is listed as having perished in Auschwitz. As Ziegelman describes her own family's Yisker book, it begins with a map of the village. There is also a history of the village. Like Ziegelman's Yiskers book, the Yisker book for Stropkov contains these similar chapters.

I first saw a collection of Yisker books in the library of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, when I was there on a summer fellowship. I know that the NY Public Library also contains many Yisker books, although most are not in English. As Ziegelman tells readers, Yisker books are more than just a drawing of a town and a list of those who died. Yisker books include a history of the town, including the social and cultural history. Yisker books relate the dangers that Jews faced from Hooligans and from pogroms. Antisemitism was common, as were daily attacks on Jews. As the war moved closer, Jews tried to emigrate, but the world was closed, and there were not enough places where Jews might emigrate. Ziegelman describes clothing and education, and the stories that Jews told in their community. Readers learn about market day, the mud of winter, the prayers, and annihilation. Survival was also important, for only for a few.

I am so glad to have read Once There Was a Town. It is a privilege to read a text about the Yisker book that belonged to Ziegelman's family. I did purchase a print copy for our local NM Holocaust & Intolerance Museum.
5 stars

[Susan Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small Jewish communities in Eastern Europe maybe not have thrived but survived in spite of rampant and pervasive anti semitism. Lest anyone think atrocities were the sole purview of Nazi Germany, they were just more thorough and determined. All of my grandparents had immigrated to Canada before the stories in this book but reading it resonated with what they had shared and what I had observed. Anyone who thinks that Jews are this one homogenous group would be disabused of this notion quickly as the story of the small Polish town is told. Even within the different sects of the town, there were divisions. Those who followed the words of the Bible as interpreted by whichever rabbi held sway were often challenged by those whose outlook was less rigid all the way down to secular.

But putting this aside, often those looking back at history wonder why, knowing what faced them, Jews did not either rise up or move. Had they been given the opportunity by the Western countries including Britain, the US and Canada, they would have fled in greater numbers.. Within the author’s family is the sad tale of some who made it out and some who were trapped and doomed. Even for those who did get out, life was not easy. Life was hard but those with determination and hard work and education grudgingly were allowed to prosper. The book offers an unblinkered look at what challenges were confronted. Unlike many books on the Holocaust that give a bird’s eye view, this one is at ground level.

There is no way to read about the Holocaust without feeling the myriad of emotions that surround it. If you want something just as evocative but more personal, this will be a good addition to your library.

Five purrs and two paws up.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ziegelman, curious about her family’s Polish roots, looked through a yizkor book, conventionally described as a memorial book, that she found on her parents’ book shelf. That yizkor book chronicled the daily activities in her relatives’ hometown of Luboml, Poland. For Jews killed in the Holocaust who were denied a proper burial, yizkor books became their graves and tombstones.

The yizkor books that Ziegelman analyzes describe the twice weekly marketplace that brought Jewish merchants together with gentile farmers for a day of buying, selling, and bartering; the ever present mud that was a shorthand for the miseries of poverty; anti-Semitic experiences; the shtibl where Hasidic men spent most of their waking hours; the laws that governed shtetl dress; food insecurity and the shtetl diet built around bread and potatoes; folklore, including tales of devils, demons and ghosts; providing sons with a Torah education whereas girls received an ad hoc education that varied widely; and the growing influence after World War I of nationalists and xenophobes that stoked Polish antisemitism resulting in the eruption of Jewish hate crimes and measures that left Jews with no choice but to immigrate.

Like Ziegelman’s relatives, my maternal grandfather came to the United States in the 1920s from a shtetl in Eastern Europe but I was too young to discuss his experiences with him. Ziegelman has created a tapestry of life in a shtetl that provides a window into that vanished world. Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for this book that remembers that which has been lost.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for for an illuminating book about the Memory books of Jewish communities in pre WWII Eastern Europe. This book is the result of the author asking questions about family members not present and receiving evasive answers. Her grandmother and 3 brothers emigrated from a town in Poland called Luboml They would say "I got out," instead of "i left Poland in such and such a year."
These memory books were called "yizkor," which comes from the Hebrew word lizkor, "to remember."
A quote: "While some cultures honor the dead with pyramids or triumphal arches, Jews have traditionally built monuments of paper and ink. In the face of violent and persistent upheaval, yizkor books were a source of continuity, links in the 'golden chain' that connected one generation to the next."
A second quote: "The oldest surviving yizkor book was written in Nuremberg in 1296 to coincide with the dedication of the town's new synagogue."
While many of these books were destroyed by the N**is in WWII, the surviving ones have been collected by scholars and are stored in Israel. They are available digitally, based on the extensive source footnotes cited in this informative book. I recommend it to readers interested in history, Jewish culture and Eastern European history.
Thank You Michelle Cashman at St.Martins Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#OnceThereWasATown
#JaneZiegelman
#StMartinsPress

Pub Date 20 Jan 2026

[bexbooklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the Holocaust and the destruction of entire shtetls the survivors across continents got together and put together yizkor books to record the memories of the places that vanished after the destruction. 

This was not something I had ever heard of before. I knew about the wider aspect of the Holocaust and the horrific tragedies that entailed within it but I never really read anything that focused on the after effects and how people in communities gather together to remember and leave a record of what they had lost. 

Book was such a comprehensive collection filled with personal touches and beauty and heartbreak. I really love how the author intertwines the stories from her own family so it really hits home how important these books are. 

Whereas I did thoroughly enjoy this book it was a very educational interesting and at times heartbreaking I kind of wished we gotten more of a wider scope and overview of more than just one town. I mean I understand why she focuses on that town as that's the place of her grandparents where her ancestry comes from so it makes sense but I wish it would have been a little bit more complete with even just more mentions of other stories. 

With that being said this is still a very very good book that I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in World War II. This takes a perspective on such a massive historical event that you don't often get, the aftermath.

Thank you so much to the publisher for a copy of this book!

[Book Club of One · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the late 18th century to the 1930s the Russian Empire confined Jewish people to a region of Eastern Europe known as the Pale of Settlement. While restricted from owning land or farming, small villages (known as Shtetls) were established were people made their lives, until the genocidal Nazis arrived and killed all those they could find. Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World re-creates snapshots and surveys of life in the region, with much of the focus on Luboml where Jane Ziegelman 's family originated.

Ziegelman begins with her own memories, recalled large family meals and the constant litany of family stories recalling what life was like in Luboml, but all of it tinged with nostalgia and the unspoken knowledge of its destruction. When older, Ziegelman discover a yizkor book for Luboml owned by her parents. The Yizkor books were published after World War II typically to at least list the dead, but also to recall stories of shtetl daily life, notable visitors or layout.

The book is not a straightforward narrative, instead unfolded by section through themed essays. Readers will learn of the religious life, dietary practices, gendered structure, economics, the constant tensions between Jews and non-Jews and changes over time.

It is a world that exists only in memory, as preserved by the Yizkor books.

I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yizkor books, or memory books, connect generations or the “golden chain” of Jewish experiences, culture, and stories. Nearly 1,500 exist today, thankfully, and include illustrations and art as well as traditions and folklore. Fascinatingly, many entries contain apologies for lack of editing, very personal and insightful. They were created to ensure that Jews killed in the Holocaust would not be forgotten as most were denied burial. Significantly, author Jane Ziegelman‘s family members “got out” of rather than “left” Luboml, Poland, and horrors of persecution, humiliation, punishment (and worse), and ostracization are detailed.

This book describes meals, especially those on the Sabbath; the tradition of sour food; education of boys versus girls; the number of seeds in a pomegranate and number of commandments in the Torah; “hooliganism”, malinas (bunkers); the meaning of words such as “Nebahk”; and the seizure of people from Luboml in 1941. Understandably, survivors felt it was critical to bear witness to the horrors of the Holocaust, especially the martyrdom of their loved ones. What powerful, important, and precious treasures!

Though I have read many, many books about the Holocaust, I have read very few with mentions of Yizkor books. The history and personality these contain are priceless. My heart was very moved while reading these evocative and poignant stories and I am grateful for newly-acquired knowledge about Yizkor books.

[Jeanne Alfveby Crea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been working on my own family history for the last several months. Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World hit a chord with me. The Polish town of Luboml, where this family was from, is no more. It survived by the memories of those who "got out" of Poland and came one by one starting in the 1920's. "Luboml belonged to a different time when life was both harder and more beautiful." "The great mystery for me was how and why Luboml had met its end. On this subject, not a word was uttered by any of the siblings." The author then finds all the stories she wanted to know in a little book called a "Yizkor" book on her parents bookshelf. This type of little book is a compilation of memories and what life was like at a certain place and point in time, with hand drawn maps, and everything that could be remembered about their town, lifestyle, neighbors, and how it all ended. Yizkor means “may he remember”.

"For Jewish people, the injunction to remember is a religious obligation that falls on each of us."

I found this whole idea fascinating. I find myself wishing something like this was written about the different areas where my ancestors are from, only I'm glad their hometowns are still there.

Thank you to St. Martins Press through NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy. All opinions are my own.

[Nan Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful addition to my knowledge of WWII was this little gem of a book! It answered a lot of questions that I’ve had for years. One thing I’ve always wondered about was how precise accounts of life that happened several hundred years ago were preserved. This book is based on the yizkor books that were housed in the synagogue of the shtetl in Luboml, Poland. This was a common practice among the Jewish population in Eastern Europe. The oldest yizkor books that have been found date back to 1296 in a synagogue in Nuremburg, validating the lives of the Jewish population there.

Some of this book had actual translations from the yizkor books that survived the war in Poland and some of this book was either explanation or oral memories of those times that the Jews were being targeted as undesirables in Poland.

The knowledge in this short book was well laid out and easily read as a family saga. For anyone interested in the history of the era, I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. I sincerely hope that the photos are present in the commercial offerings as my copy was lacking photos.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Once There Was a Town tells a story about Luboml, the Jewish families and Jewish life around WWI and WWII through the Yizkor books, also known as memory books. Jane's grandmother and three brothers had emigrated to the US from Luboml a town in Poland. They did not all arrive at once but instead arrived one by one and they never used the words "left" but instead phrased it similarly to "got out" of Luboml. Which speaks to the tragic backstory there in itself. Jane mentions that whenever a family member talked about Luboml it was in the past tense and she never understood why until she discovered the Yizkor.

This story is really centered around Jane's family and the Luboml Yizkor but there are mentions of other Yizkors as it tells of the way of life, the extreme devote and those not so extreme, schooling, observations, celebrations and migration from other point of views. The resilience of those having to run, hide and really take a chance in trusting who you are talking to comes through in the story that is told.

In reality this book is a 4.5 stars, but rounding down as there were times I got a bit lost in what was being explained, but it could be 'cause I have an advanced copy.

[Vexx · Rating 3 out of 5]

There Once Was A Town by Jane Ziegelman is an exploration of Jewish communities’ written accounts before, during, and after WWII. The book mainly focuses on the town in Poland were Ziegelman’s
Grandmother Esther and her brothers grew up. Starting in the 1920s, the family began to leave Poland one-by-one for a new life in the United States. As conditions for Jewish communities worsened in Poland, more and more of the family sought refuge abroad. Although the family never explicitly discussed their darker experiences in Poland in detail, Ziegelman discovers a book in her parents’ possession which changes her life forever.

There Once Was A Town presents quotes from, and contextualizes written Jewish histories. From her examination of the texts, combined with family stories and research, we experience a deeper understanding of the lives and environment of Polish Jews during this time. Ziegelman deftly describes the sights, sounds, cultural events, everyday events, and significant happenings of these towns. Through these chronicles, the reader can catch a glimpse of the vibrant communities that existed, as well as the magnitude of what was lost during the Holocaust.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an electronic ARC

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

It goes without saying that World War II and the Holocaust were fully of terrifying, horrifying, unspeakable events, atrocities. But there were also many, many instances of unbelievable strength and faith and incredible will to carry on, before, during and after the war itself.

Many such examples of this strength and perseverance are contained in author Jane Ziegelman’s book Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World. After the war, rather than hide, fade away or feel sorry for themselves and each other, survivors gathered in groups, made the brave decision to remember and not forget, and wrote books, remembering all they had lost, all that had been taken from them, all that had been destroyed. They wrote about small things, big things, rich people and poor people, things that may seem like ordinary, everyday life to those of us who did not live through the war or have relatives that were lost to it. These books remember and honor a way of life that was lost, that was snatched away, that was destroyed.

Once There Was a Town is intense, heartbreaking, uplifting and riveting first page to last. I received an advance copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, 3.5 stars and I received this book as an ARC, so many thanks!

Once There Was A Town is a book written by Jane Ziegelman about her family and Jewish history to include Yizkor, or memory books. Although the book contained a lot of interesting information and insight into Jewish history it was honestly hard to follow. I personally believe the book would benefit from having a family tree at the start of the book that you can reference. At the end of the book, it was highlighted that there were two Nathan’s in the family (hence my confusion throughout the book since the last names weren’t frequently used). The family tree with little tidbits would help the reader a lot.

I would also love captions with the photos (perhaps this is intended to come later)

The excerpts from the Yizkor books was wonderful and helped to capture the feelings that were being experienced at the time

Lastly, the flow of the book was hard. Personally it felt like there was no real flow. It hopped around a lot which is where having the family tree would be most helpful.

All of this being said, I learned a lot and I am very grateful for the pleasure of reading and enjoying this book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there's one historical era I've read more about than any other, it's the Holocaust and WWII, so it's always a pleasant surprise to learn something about the history of that time period that is new to me. Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World introduced me to the documents known as yizkor books, volumes created as memorial records of the towns and shtetls essentially erased by the Nazis. They describe what life was like in these places and what sort of people inhabited them in addition to containing lists of the names of those killed. While the book addresses this topic generally, there's also a focus on the town where the author's relatives came from, making this a memoir of sorts, too, as her study of the yizkor book for their shtetl was able to tell her things about the family left behind that her grandmother and great uncles could not and would not discuss. I found it to be a fascinating read. My only disappointment in the book is that the ARC I received did not contain the photos that are referenced in the back of the book -- I would have loved to see those family photos! But that just gives me an excuse to pick up a physical copy of the book when it's published.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in return for an honest review. This book will be published January 20, 2026.

[Valleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World is a non-fiction book by Jane Ziegelman that explores the history of Jewish life in Eastern European towns (shtetls) before and during the Holocaust, using rare "yizkor" (memory) books written by survivors as its primary sources. The author specifically shares the story of Luboml, her own family's ancestral shtetl, which beautifully adds a personal aspect.

After the Holocaust, since entire shtetls had been reduced to just a handful of survivors, people across continents came together to put together yizkor books in order to record their collective memories of these vanished places. The books were written by the rich and the poor, men and women. They all came together so that the stories of the towns that had been theirs would never be forgotten.

I was unfamiliar with yizkor books, and I am walking away feeling amazed that they were written. May they continue to be shared.

Thank you, #StMartinsPress, for providing this book for consideration and review via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Once There Was a Town has an expected publication date of January 20, 2026.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

TL;DR: A short and interesting peek into Jewish culture and memory books.
Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher!

Plot: We start discussing Jewish Memory books and look at culture within small towns before briefly touching WWII.
Setting: Primarily Poland area, though we bounce between small towns in other countries.
Readability: It’s definitely an easy read, a fascinating primer if you’ve never read about Jewish culture.

Thoughts:

Once There Was A Town focuses on the memory books of lost Jewish towns. These books talk about and capture a culture that has largely been lost since the end of the World Wars. These little snapshots of the culture are fascinating but also heartbreaking. Our author’s own family was part of Luboml, a town that she explores through the memory book her family carries.

While the book focuses on this culture, the idea of these books and how they came about it doesn’t give nearly as much information on them as I expected. Perhaps due to the lack of books (I don’t know how many are in existence or how many the author had access too) I just didn’t love the length of this and what we got. I found so much interesting, I just really wished that there was more here. More towns, more memories and culture, etc.

If you are looking for more Jewish culture and history this is one I think that’s worth looking into, even with as short as it is. As far was World War history, it’s far lighter. But the culture and history is well worth looking for.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because my ancestors would have lived in a very similar shtetl to the one explored in this book, I found the history recounted here even more fascinating. It's heartbreaking to learn about what became of this town during WWII, but Ziegelman makes sure to dig into relevant details, giving background on everything from the clothes they wore to the types of education the residents had. My favorite part was probably learning more about the food eaten in this culture. It was super interesting to discover the history of some of the Jewish foods that we still eat and love today. There were some parts of the storytelling that felt a tad dry, and I would have loved to have the author's own family experiences and her perspective included a tiny bit more. I'd also like to note that because I read a digital ARC copy, I was unable to see any pictures, and I think this would have added to my enjoyment of the book in a big way. Still an insightful and compelling read!

*Free ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*