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When She Came Back
A WW2 Historical Novel, Based on a True Story
Would you risk everything to be home again?
Poland, 1935. When Syma – a young doctor, an independent woman with a mind of her own, decides to leave home and embark on an adventure in a strange land, she cannot imagine the powerful emotional whirlpool she’ll find herself in.
Daily life in Palestine is far from comfortable, replete with obstacles. The conflict between the lure of civilized, bourgeois life in Europe and the option of living the Zionist dream while embarking on a love affair is agonizing.
She chooses to leave everything behind, and sails back home, to Poland.
When WWII breaks out and the situation of Europe’s Jews goes from bad to worse, Syma’s choice turns out to be unfortunate.
November, 1942. In the midst of a harsh winter in Poland, Syma stands waiting at the railway station, on the same platform she was so familiar with in her previous life, a bygone reality.
As the train approaches the station, Syma grasps that this voyage will be different. Where is she headed now?
Would you risk everything to be home again?
Poland, 1935. When Syma – a young doctor, an independent woman with a mind of her own, decides to leave home and embark on an adventure in a strange land, she cannot imagine the powerful emotional whirlpool she’ll find herself in.
Daily life in Palestine is far from comfortable, replete with obstacles. The conflict between the lure of civilized, bourgeois life in Europe and the option of living the Zionist dream while embarking on a love affair is agonizing.
She chooses to leave everything behind, and sails back home, to Poland.
When WWII breaks out and the situation of Europe’s Jews goes from bad to worse, Syma’s choice turns out to be unfortunate.
November, 1942. In the midst of a harsh winter in Poland, Syma stands waiting at the railway station, on the same platform she was so familiar with in her previous life, a bygone reality.
As the train approaches the station, Syma grasps that this voyage will be different. Where is she headed now?
- GenresHistorical Fiction
238 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 27, 2020
319 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Yaron Reshef
5 books75 followersYaron Reshef is an industrial designer, product developer, educator, and genealogist researcher.
Together with his wife, Raya, he has traveled to almost every continent on the planet, but most of all, he is a passionate writer, photographer, and storyteller.
Yaron was born in Haifa, Israel in 1951.
Yaron’s publications:
“Out of the Shoebox”: an autobiographic mystery (historical nonfiction), 2014.
“Another Planet”: an amazing journey of photography (using a 360-degree camera), 2020.
“When She Came Back”: a WW2 historical novel based on a true story, 2020.
"Underneath a Changing Sky": A WW2 Historical Novel, Based on a True Story (World War II Brave Women Fiction). 2022.
Together with his wife, Raya, he has traveled to almost every continent on the planet, but most of all, he is a passionate writer, photographer, and storyteller.
Yaron was born in Haifa, Israel in 1951.
Yaron’s publications:
“Out of the Shoebox”: an autobiographic mystery (historical nonfiction), 2014.
“Another Planet”: an amazing journey of photography (using a 360-degree camera), 2020.
“When She Came Back”: a WW2 historical novel based on a true story, 2020.
"Underneath a Changing Sky": A WW2 Historical Novel, Based on a True Story (World War II Brave Women Fiction). 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 2, 2020
‘From both sides now…’
Israeli author Yaron Reshef is both a visual and a scriptive observer of the human condition: he is a photographer having published his photographic essay ANOTHER PLANET, and as an author he has written two books – OUT OF THE SHADOWS and now WHEN SHE CAME BACK. He earned his degree in Environmental and Industrial Design from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, and in addition to having been Senior Lecturer there, he has co-founded and partnered in companies that develop and design safety products.
The author’s tender Dedication makes this book even more compassionate – ‘This book is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Syma Finkleman, my aunt, whom I was not fortunate enough to meet. One’s recollections of a person ought to be nurtured. That is the only way to preserve them. Nurturing is done through a story that breathes life and validity into them. You relate the memories, and they return the favor by growing stronger and creating a safe, permanent spot in your consciousness, until they become a part of you.’
With genuine tenderness and a very fine ability to recreate historical events and atmospheres, Yaron shares the story of Syma’s life, but it also provides a grounded exploration of the history of Palestine and the emergence of the State of Israel. Relating that transition by means of describing one woman’s decision to leave Poland for the challenge of a new life in Palestine only to return to Poland and the impact of WW II and that necessary move to Israel makes this not only an impressive novel, but also a fascinating insight into the inevitable transition to the 1948 creation of the state of Israel.
The plot is outlined well - Poland, 1935. When Syma – a young doctor, an independent woman with a mind of her own, decides to leave home and embark on an adventure in a strange land, she cannot imagine the powerful emotional whirlpool she’ll find herself in. Daily life in Palestine is far from comfortable, replete with obstacles. The conflict between the lure of civilized, bourgeois life in Europe and the option of living the Zionist dream while embarking on a love affair is agonizing. She chooses to leave everything behind, and sails back home, to Poland. When WWII breaks out and the situation of Europe’s Jews goes from bad to worse, Syma’s choice turns out to be unfortunate. November, 1942. In the midst of a harsh winter in Poland, Syma stands waiting at the railway station, on the same platform she was so familiar with in her previous life, a bygone reality. As the train approaches the station, Syma grasps that this voyage will be different. Where is she headed now?’
Far more than just another story about the Holocaust, this is a tribute to a woman who place hope above fear. Very fine ‘biographical novel.’
Israeli author Yaron Reshef is both a visual and a scriptive observer of the human condition: he is a photographer having published his photographic essay ANOTHER PLANET, and as an author he has written two books – OUT OF THE SHADOWS and now WHEN SHE CAME BACK. He earned his degree in Environmental and Industrial Design from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, and in addition to having been Senior Lecturer there, he has co-founded and partnered in companies that develop and design safety products.
The author’s tender Dedication makes this book even more compassionate – ‘This book is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Syma Finkleman, my aunt, whom I was not fortunate enough to meet. One’s recollections of a person ought to be nurtured. That is the only way to preserve them. Nurturing is done through a story that breathes life and validity into them. You relate the memories, and they return the favor by growing stronger and creating a safe, permanent spot in your consciousness, until they become a part of you.’
With genuine tenderness and a very fine ability to recreate historical events and atmospheres, Yaron shares the story of Syma’s life, but it also provides a grounded exploration of the history of Palestine and the emergence of the State of Israel. Relating that transition by means of describing one woman’s decision to leave Poland for the challenge of a new life in Palestine only to return to Poland and the impact of WW II and that necessary move to Israel makes this not only an impressive novel, but also a fascinating insight into the inevitable transition to the 1948 creation of the state of Israel.
The plot is outlined well - Poland, 1935. When Syma – a young doctor, an independent woman with a mind of her own, decides to leave home and embark on an adventure in a strange land, she cannot imagine the powerful emotional whirlpool she’ll find herself in. Daily life in Palestine is far from comfortable, replete with obstacles. The conflict between the lure of civilized, bourgeois life in Europe and the option of living the Zionist dream while embarking on a love affair is agonizing. She chooses to leave everything behind, and sails back home, to Poland. When WWII breaks out and the situation of Europe’s Jews goes from bad to worse, Syma’s choice turns out to be unfortunate. November, 1942. In the midst of a harsh winter in Poland, Syma stands waiting at the railway station, on the same platform she was so familiar with in her previous life, a bygone reality. As the train approaches the station, Syma grasps that this voyage will be different. Where is she headed now?’
Far more than just another story about the Holocaust, this is a tribute to a woman who place hope above fear. Very fine ‘biographical novel.’
February 11, 2021
This book comprises a mix of fact, supposition, and fiction based upon, and surrounding, some events in the life Dr Syma Finkelman, the author’s aunt. This mix will lead some to categorise the book as biographical fiction.
The story commences in Poland, the protagonists place of birth and home. The reader is provided with insights into what life was like there in the mid-1930s. The story primarily unfolds during 1935. Dr Finkelman is of Jewish birth and lives within the Jewish community of Chortkow. Like many of her contemporaries the thought of visiting Palestine or, as they preferred to call it, The Land of Israel, played on her mind. This was prior to the establishment of the State of Israel. In fact such visits and subsequent immigrations fuelled creation of the State.
Subsequent to her father’s passing, Syma decided to follow her younger brother who had already relocated, though she only intended a short visit of a month or so. Once there she would determine whether it desirable to also permanently relocate.
During the sea voyage, Dr Finkelman, a woman far ahead of the social norms for women of the time, meets Nathan. Unexpectedly they quickly develop a close connection that continues beyond their arrival at the city of Haifa. In the story Syma’s brother is an architect deeply engrossed in the construction of modernistic city dwellings and the like. The love story is set against the background of this modernisation as well as the social conditions, understandings, and acceptances of the returning diaspora. The reader is presented with considerable insights into this historic time, though not the extent of overriding the central love story. Some informative photographs are also included which, surprisingly, do not deter from the fictional style of the book. In fact, it all hangs together very well. (Nina Rimon Davis has done a reasonable job of translating the author’s native Hebrew into English.)
The interspersion of three, consequential, dreams through the narrative may strike some as bizarre. Whether these are an attempt to visualise the protagonist’s unsettled mind and emotions, so much was happening in a very short time span, is not clear. The truth is however, they contribute little to the tale and it would probably have been preferential to leave them out. They do cause a slight hiccup in the flow that otherwise carries the reader forward smoothly.
The final section of the book jumps forward seven years into the second world war and its awful consequences for some.
Anyone interested in the creation of the State of Israel will find this an interesting and insightful book. Those who are not so disposed will enjoy a gentle romance set against a historic but unobtrusive background.
The story commences in Poland, the protagonists place of birth and home. The reader is provided with insights into what life was like there in the mid-1930s. The story primarily unfolds during 1935. Dr Finkelman is of Jewish birth and lives within the Jewish community of Chortkow. Like many of her contemporaries the thought of visiting Palestine or, as they preferred to call it, The Land of Israel, played on her mind. This was prior to the establishment of the State of Israel. In fact such visits and subsequent immigrations fuelled creation of the State.
Subsequent to her father’s passing, Syma decided to follow her younger brother who had already relocated, though she only intended a short visit of a month or so. Once there she would determine whether it desirable to also permanently relocate.
During the sea voyage, Dr Finkelman, a woman far ahead of the social norms for women of the time, meets Nathan. Unexpectedly they quickly develop a close connection that continues beyond their arrival at the city of Haifa. In the story Syma’s brother is an architect deeply engrossed in the construction of modernistic city dwellings and the like. The love story is set against the background of this modernisation as well as the social conditions, understandings, and acceptances of the returning diaspora. The reader is presented with considerable insights into this historic time, though not the extent of overriding the central love story. Some informative photographs are also included which, surprisingly, do not deter from the fictional style of the book. In fact, it all hangs together very well. (Nina Rimon Davis has done a reasonable job of translating the author’s native Hebrew into English.)
The interspersion of three, consequential, dreams through the narrative may strike some as bizarre. Whether these are an attempt to visualise the protagonist’s unsettled mind and emotions, so much was happening in a very short time span, is not clear. The truth is however, they contribute little to the tale and it would probably have been preferential to leave them out. They do cause a slight hiccup in the flow that otherwise carries the reader forward smoothly.
The final section of the book jumps forward seven years into the second world war and its awful consequences for some.
Anyone interested in the creation of the State of Israel will find this an interesting and insightful book. Those who are not so disposed will enjoy a gentle romance set against a historic but unobtrusive background.
October 9, 2020
The author writes a tender tribute to the aunt he never knew. It is based on her life, but of necessity he must fill in the details. His good research shows in the details. it is written in the first person, and we are privy to Syma's thoughts and dreams. During the months that this Polish doctor is in Haifa, Palestine, there is no mention of what was going on in Europe in the late 1930's...which makes me wonder if they would have really been ignorant of all the foreboding signs that were occurring. This doesn't seem to even be considered when she decides to return to Poland. There is a very harsh transition here which I found disorienting. On one page she tells her sister she is coming home, and on the next she is being herded into a boxcar and being sent to an extermination camp. Nothing is told of the intervening years in Poland. This story overlaps with what I read in an excellent book, The Anatomy of a Genocide, which occurs in Buczacz, the very area she was from. So I do know what happened there, and it was horrific. To leave those years out left a huge hole in the story of Syma's life.
November 18, 2020
Wonderful
I loved this book!!
The writing was interesting and kept my interest as we first learn about Syra and her family. I enjoyed hearing about Israel in 1935 and having photos to view. The romance was sweet and passionate. Books based on someone’s life are always bittersweet ~ especially so during the war years. The ending is heartbreaking. I feel the author did a wonderful job of bringing his aunt, that he never had an opportunity to meet, to life and he honored her with her story. He used two time frames to highlight her life. Very well done. I’m glad I read this book.
pamarella
PRCS
I loved this book!!
The writing was interesting and kept my interest as we first learn about Syra and her family. I enjoyed hearing about Israel in 1935 and having photos to view. The romance was sweet and passionate. Books based on someone’s life are always bittersweet ~ especially so during the war years. The ending is heartbreaking. I feel the author did a wonderful job of bringing his aunt, that he never had an opportunity to meet, to life and he honored her with her story. He used two time frames to highlight her life. Very well done. I’m glad I read this book.
pamarella
PRCS
March 11, 2021
This is not my usual genre. But the description of the book intrigued me. So, I gave it a try. And, although I am glad that I did, it was a bit of a confusing book. I didn’t understand the purpose of juxtaposing the dream against the flow of the story.
Also, I would have like to have known more about her life after her return from Haifa. What went on in those years? Was there any happiness in her life after her return? I wanted more than just here last 48 hours. Maybe it was just me that didn’t get the bigger picture. Maybe it was just a bit of a biography of his aunt and nothing more.
Also, I would have like to have known more about her life after her return from Haifa. What went on in those years? Was there any happiness in her life after her return? I wanted more than just here last 48 hours. Maybe it was just me that didn’t get the bigger picture. Maybe it was just a bit of a biography of his aunt and nothing more.
October 8, 2020
A story of a woman who became a medical doctor
We learn about Syma a woman very much loved by her family. I knew that the end would not be good because she was Jewish and had moved back to Poland from Haifa. She had so much to give just like the others whose lives were taken. This story is written as a tribute to her life. I enjoyed reading her adventure from Poland to Haifa. A very fun time in the sea.Well written well told story of a Holocaust victim.
We learn about Syma a woman very much loved by her family. I knew that the end would not be good because she was Jewish and had moved back to Poland from Haifa. She had so much to give just like the others whose lives were taken. This story is written as a tribute to her life. I enjoyed reading her adventure from Poland to Haifa. A very fun time in the sea.Well written well told story of a Holocaust victim.
February 26, 2021
Unusual book and computer generated narration
I found this book to be at times compelling and at other parts (for example, the confusing dream sequences) a bit ludicrous. Perhaps it would have been a better if I had read it instead of listening to it. I am convinced that a sophisticated attempt is being made for audio books to be computer narrated. No one could possibly read in such a flat, robotic manner as this "narrator". I can't recommend it for this reason.
I found this book to be at times compelling and at other parts (for example, the confusing dream sequences) a bit ludicrous. Perhaps it would have been a better if I had read it instead of listening to it. I am convinced that a sophisticated attempt is being made for audio books to be computer narrated. No one could possibly read in such a flat, robotic manner as this "narrator". I can't recommend it for this reason.
October 2, 2020
Syma
An incredible story that reaches into your heart and through tears helps to remind that it did happen. There was a Holocaust and people suffered and died. They had dreams and loved and will not be forgotten.
An incredible story that reaches into your heart and through tears helps to remind that it did happen. There was a Holocaust and people suffered and died. They had dreams and loved and will not be forgotten.
October 14, 2020
Another Tragic Story
I enjoyed this book because it was a true story of a woman doctor in 1930's in Poland. It tells the hardships of being a woman doctor, goes to Palestine for several months, only to return to Poland at the wrong time!
I enjoyed this book because it was a true story of a woman doctor in 1930's in Poland. It tells the hardships of being a woman doctor, goes to Palestine for several months, only to return to Poland at the wrong time!
October 18, 2020
Loved it
The book was interesting and described Israel in those days.being able to visualize it before it became a state. I found Haifa very interesting as it looks almost the same as today .
The book was interesting and described Israel in those days.being able to visualize it before it became a state. I found Haifa very interesting as it looks almost the same as today .
February 26, 2021
Woman of strength and courage
I enjoy books about strong women with courage. Biography or fiction. The story covers two important periods in her life, before her death. There are many strong courage women no one ever hears about.
I enjoy books about strong women with courage. Biography or fiction. The story covers two important periods in her life, before her death. There are many strong courage women no one ever hears about.
November 20, 2023
Book slow to start, then jumps to relationship then ends rather abruptly. Author needs more experience writing, even though he wanted to tell the story of his aunt. Sad ending but just missed the mark for me.
October 24, 2020
A life extinguished
History must be brought to light. The lives of these people mattered. Syma was a woman with incredible accomplishment. A life ended too soon. Good read.
History must be brought to light. The lives of these people mattered. Syma was a woman with incredible accomplishment. A life ended too soon. Good read.
January 2, 2021
I would like to give this book a 3.5, but i am rounding up. It was interesting flowing then bam. And what's with the earthquake?
She should never have gone back.
She should never have gone back.
Read
February 23, 2021Had to get my Atlas out to locate places mentioned. Learned my geography and enjoyed book.
Read
March 23, 2021A little disappointed in it. The best part was at the end when history was given of the people.
July 19, 2021
More historical than fiction.
Sad story of a doctor during W
Sad story of a doctor during W
July 25, 2023
Interesting way to tell story ofJewish Polish MD and her experience in Palestine and return to Poland in 1942. Not sure why so much of her experience focused on a brief love affair.
July 5, 2024
This is an interesting book and it's hard to put down. I read it in one day. I would have liked to know more about what life was like in Poland in the 1930s, which led to Syma traveling to Haifa for 2 months. I also would have liked to know more about her decision to leave Palestine, her trip back to Poland, and her experience as the situation deteriorated.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews