One Step Ahead of Hitler: A Jewish Child's Journey through France

by Fred Gross

Fred Gross knew much about the history of the Holocaust, but he didn't know his own, being a young Jewish child during those terrible years. In the late 1980s, he asked his mother to tell him the story of his family's flight from the German invasion of Belgium and the Nazi policies that would become the Holocaust. Later, his two older brothers added their memories. But this story is not simply an account of the years spent one step ahead of Hitler. It is about a little boy then grown man coming to know his own story and realizing the tenuousness of memory. Most of the Grosses' flight takes place in France during its defeat and collaboration with the Nazis, rounding up more than 75,000 Jews for deportation to the death camps. Gross and his family made it through these anguished years because of their fortitude and ingenuity and the help of brave men and women of other faiths, reverently referred to as The Righteous Among the Nations, who risked their lives standing up to their collaborationist government. One Step Ahead of Hitler is a story of survival told in words and in photographs of a journey beginning in Antwerp and ending with his freedom in America. "It is an important memoir," David P. Gushee, Distinguished Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University and author of Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust, writes in the foreword. "Some of the most shameful moments of German, French, Swiss-and human-history are recorded here, not for the first time, but in a deeply personal way by someone who experienced their effects as a small child."

Genres: History, Nonfiction

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[J. Schlenker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was certainly interesting but was much enhanced by meeting the author and hearing his lecture on his family's plight. My favorite parts were the interviews the author did with his family in later years about what happened during the war years as he tried to put all the pieces together, being only a small child himself during their escape. Miraculously, synchronicity played a huge role in their journey. It was almost like the whole drama of this family's life was previously mapped out so that Mr. Gross would someday write this book and make a difference by doing so.

[Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gross at a book fair, which is when I picked up his book. He was a small boy when the Nazis invaded Belgium, forcing his family to begin their trek across France and Switzerland that would last until the war ended. He admits that he did not quite understand the gravity of his family's situation so his story is fleshed out with the recollections of his mother and two older brothers, many years after these events occurred. The family's adventures make for a fascinating read. I was amazed how many times the family's luck held out, allowing for their escape. I especially recommend this book for anyone interested in memoirs of Jews during the War, but I also recommend it for anyone with an interest in amazing personal stories.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met George Gross a couple of weeks ago when he visited the Shoah Collection housed at our library, his story is recorded there. Mr. Gross was part of a program at our local temple. He is coming back to tell his story and discuss his book at our library at the end of April, 2019. Knowing the man and then reading his story was powerful. At one point in the book he questions whether he is a Holocaust survivor because he was not interned in one of the death camps, you are Mr. Gross, as are your family. You survived the Holocaust and all the terrible loss to and of your family. You survived.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

An amazing story of survival. Incredible how many times that one decision made differently would have led to death instead of survival. Luck also played a huge part. The author makes clear it was completely random who got lucky breaks and who didn't.

In reading this memoir it dawned on me for the first time that most Jewish people who escaped from Nazi territories had resources and connections to make that possible. Very few people on the lower end of the socio-economic scale were able to get away.

[Tim Heerdink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fred Gross transports the reader across 1940s war-torn Europe as he recalls, with the help of his family, the journey to escape Hitler's persecution and eventual extermination. The Holocaust during World War II May have been decades ago, but such tragic events are always mere steps away and should never be forgotten.

Tim Heerdink, author of The Human Remains and Red Flag and Other Poems

[Susan Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read the book after hearing the author speak. The book does a great job filling in details that the author couldn't include in an hour presentation.

[Susan Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A firsthand account of one Jewish family's attempt to survive in WWII.

[Larry Mannix · Rating 5 out of 5]

The things this man went through.... I was fortunate enough to get to meet Fred in person when he came to my school and gave a speech about the horrors of living as a Jew in Nazi Germany. The stories that only someone who experienced it personally can share... I will always remember the hardships that this man went through, as it is only one voice among an ocean of voices. My signed copy will always be a prized piece of my personal library.

R.I.P Fred

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of a family that spent almost 7 years in flight across Europe from the Nazis, and miraculously stayed "one step ahead" of them. It is told from the perspective of the youngest son, Fred, who was only three when their ordeal began. When Hitler invaded Antwerp, Belgium in 1939, Fred, his parents, and his brothers were forced to flee. That was the beginning of a journey of flight, hiding, capture and release that continued over the following years, and that would take them through France and ultimately to Switzerland, where they remained until the war ended. It is a story of bravery and resolve in the face of evil, but also a story of familial love, and love of fellow man. This family survived largely due to the sympathy and help given by others, but also by their own wits, in a series of lucky meetings and coincidences. It could so easily have gone differently. A good read.