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The Secret Jewish Soldier: A Gripping Story of Survival & Hope During WW2
Jewish literature and fiction
412 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 7, 2022
236 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 2, 2023
Es un llibre fantàstic que enganxa des de el principi
May 7, 2022
An unforgettable memoir defining the Holocaust
Israeli author Irit Keynan is a professor at the School of Education in the College of Management in Rishon Le’Zion, Israel. She is an historian, a poet, and a writer of books and articles dealing with collective memory, war trauma, multiculturalism, social justice, and reconciliation. She is active in her commitment to reconcile and overcome psychological barriers in collective memory. THE SECRET JEWISH SOLDIER is her first book to be presented in English, translated from the Hebrew by Anne Hartstein Pace.
In the Prologue to her book, Irit shares the origin of her writing this memoir: ‘My journey in search of the memories I wished to make my own began without any prior planning. One day, as I was writing my doctoral dissertation on the displaced persons camps in post-war Germany, my mother handed me a small, dark, and faded old booklet. “Dad and I made every effort to keep you far away from the Holocaust,” she said in her lovely way of speaking, “But we didn’t succeed. I think that if he were alive, Dad would want you to have this diary, which he wrote during his year in captivity.” …Nothing that would attest to the rush of emotions I felt. No hint of the past’s sudden invasion of my present, of the raging storm pulverizing the illusion, that I had permanently suppressed my father’s past in the depths of my consciousness. The deceptive calm was drowned out by inner voices that began pushing me to dig…My father was a prisoner in German forced labor amps for three and a half years…’ And so begins this immensely powerful memoir.
The provided summary distills the content: ‘At the height of World War II, Yaakov-Jacques Kalderon is a Jewish soldier in the Yugoslavian army, fighting against the German forces. When he falls captive at the hands of the enemy Yaakov knows that in order to survive, he will have no choice but to hide his identity from everyone – even the closest of allies. In constant danger of discovery and subsequent death, Yaakov must rely on his wits, skills, and no little luck to endure the tortures of war and hold on to his deepest hope – making it out of the war alive and reuniting with his family. Years later, after Yaakov-Jacques’s death, his daughter happens upon an old diary written in a foreign language. As she works to interpret it, the truth of her father’s incredible story finally begins to come to light, after years of being shrouded in secrecy. It is a tale of strength, resilience, and miraculous escapes from death, from the eyes of a secret Jewish soldier.’
Stunning, beautifully written, and immensely moving, this book is on the top shelf of Holocaust stories. Very highly recommended.
Israeli author Irit Keynan is a professor at the School of Education in the College of Management in Rishon Le’Zion, Israel. She is an historian, a poet, and a writer of books and articles dealing with collective memory, war trauma, multiculturalism, social justice, and reconciliation. She is active in her commitment to reconcile and overcome psychological barriers in collective memory. THE SECRET JEWISH SOLDIER is her first book to be presented in English, translated from the Hebrew by Anne Hartstein Pace.
In the Prologue to her book, Irit shares the origin of her writing this memoir: ‘My journey in search of the memories I wished to make my own began without any prior planning. One day, as I was writing my doctoral dissertation on the displaced persons camps in post-war Germany, my mother handed me a small, dark, and faded old booklet. “Dad and I made every effort to keep you far away from the Holocaust,” she said in her lovely way of speaking, “But we didn’t succeed. I think that if he were alive, Dad would want you to have this diary, which he wrote during his year in captivity.” …Nothing that would attest to the rush of emotions I felt. No hint of the past’s sudden invasion of my present, of the raging storm pulverizing the illusion, that I had permanently suppressed my father’s past in the depths of my consciousness. The deceptive calm was drowned out by inner voices that began pushing me to dig…My father was a prisoner in German forced labor amps for three and a half years…’ And so begins this immensely powerful memoir.
The provided summary distills the content: ‘At the height of World War II, Yaakov-Jacques Kalderon is a Jewish soldier in the Yugoslavian army, fighting against the German forces. When he falls captive at the hands of the enemy Yaakov knows that in order to survive, he will have no choice but to hide his identity from everyone – even the closest of allies. In constant danger of discovery and subsequent death, Yaakov must rely on his wits, skills, and no little luck to endure the tortures of war and hold on to his deepest hope – making it out of the war alive and reuniting with his family. Years later, after Yaakov-Jacques’s death, his daughter happens upon an old diary written in a foreign language. As she works to interpret it, the truth of her father’s incredible story finally begins to come to light, after years of being shrouded in secrecy. It is a tale of strength, resilience, and miraculous escapes from death, from the eyes of a secret Jewish soldier.’
Stunning, beautifully written, and immensely moving, this book is on the top shelf of Holocaust stories. Very highly recommended.
July 31, 2022
An absolutely FANTASTIC read:
You'll learn about the life of Jew through the eyes of his daughter who has found her father's diary and is following his travels of years before. She finds people who her father had known and/or met in his travels.
If you're a WWII history buff, this is a GOTTA read. If you are Jewish, this is a GOTTA read. If your neither this is a GOTTA READ.
Thank you for writing this.
It is extremely important that EVERYONE, not just Americans or Jews, reads this.
You'll learn about the life of Jew through the eyes of his daughter who has found her father's diary and is following his travels of years before. She finds people who her father had known and/or met in his travels.
If you're a WWII history buff, this is a GOTTA read. If you are Jewish, this is a GOTTA read. If your neither this is a GOTTA READ.
Thank you for writing this.
It is extremely important that EVERYONE, not just Americans or Jews, reads this.
July 24, 2022
Amazing
This detailed research is so compelling that I travelled the road along with the writer. What a journey. What a tribute to one who survived the horrors of the holocaust.
This detailed research is so compelling that I travelled the road along with the writer. What a journey. What a tribute to one who survived the horrors of the holocaust.
July 27, 2022
Put on hold for a bit. Will get back to it later on
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews