Tag: Jews

PALESTINE 1936: the great revolt and the roots of the Middle East conflict by Oren Kessler

- Jill 2 Comments

“Exceptional…opens new vistas on troubles past and present.” – The Wall Street Journal

“Key to understanding the current situation between Israelis and Palestinians.” – Booklist (starred review)

When Oren Kessler’s first book, Palestine 1936: the great revolt and the roots of the Middle East conflict,was published earlier this year, while lauded, its true significance would not be felt until now. With the recent surprise attacks on Israel by Hamas on October 7, and the following response including a declaration of war on Hamas by Israel, this book is more important than ever in understanding the complex history which has shaped the present state of affairs. Kessler addresses this complicated topic by utilizing only recently declassified documents as well as memoirs and other sources to draw a thorough examination of this formative and often overlooked period.

In his book, Kessler relates key events from the period of 1936 to 1939 that laid the foundation for the establishment of Israel as a state in 1948 and for the current Arab-Israeli conflict. That period itself is a complicated time in world history, as political tensions were already heightened and ultimately ignited World War II. Kessler believes that events almost 90 years ago, and just prior to the second World War, have so shaped the attitudes and posture of the conflict that it will ultimately lead to tragedy for both Jews and Arabs. Primarily, Kessler suggests that many Arabs in the region are unwilling to accept Jewish equality, political or social, let along their right to an ancestral homeland. He believes that this is the true core of the conflict and not one easily resolved.

“Oren Kessler is a journalist and political analyst based in Tel Aviv. He has served as deputy director for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, Middle East research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society in London, Arab affairs correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, and an editor and translator at Haaretz English edition.” –  orenkessler.com

If you want to more fully understand the current state of affairs in Palestine and the war that is now commencing, Palestine 1936 is a must read. In addition, the Davenport Library has a number of other books that you might find informative and enlightening on this topic and as well as closely related topics.

                         

A Lethal Obsession : antisemitism from antiquity to the global Jihad by Robert S. Wistrich

Master of the game : Henry Kissinger and the art of Middle East diplomacy by Martin Indyk

RAF : the birth of the world’s first air force by Richard Overy

Footnotes in Gaza by Joe Sacco

1917 : war, peace, and revolution by D.(David) Steveson

Decolonizing Palestine : the land, the people, the bible by Mitri Raheb

Tehran children : a Holocaust refugee odyssey by Mikhal Dekel

Remember Us : my journey from the shtetl through the Holocaust by Martin Small

I Am Not Your Enemy : stories to transform a divided world by Michael T. McRay

Bethlehem : biography of a town by Nicholas Blincoe

The Lemon Tree : an Arab, a Jew, and the heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan

19 varieties of gazelle : poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye

Things you may find hidden in my ear : poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha

Chronicle of the Old Testament kings : the reign-by-reign record of the rulers of ancient Israel by J.W. (John William) Rogerson

New moons : contemporary writing by North American Muslims by Ali Kazim

 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

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Lale Sokolav, a Jew from Slovenia, is sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in April, 1942 as part of the Nazi’s “final solution”. The Tattooist of Auschwitz follows Lale on his harrowing journey where, despite the fear and danger he is able to survive and even find a reason to survive.

When Lale first enters Auschwitz he is subjected to the same horror of forced labor, very little food and filthy living conditions as all the prisoners, but when his captors discover that he is fluent in several languages he is given a “promotion” as “Tatowierer” – the tattooist. He is now responsible for permanently marking numbers on the arms of his fellow Jews as they enter the camp. While is is horrified and sickened by his role in their misery, Lale is determined to survive.

Because he is the Tattooist, Lale has some additional privileges – he has his own room and he is able to move around the camp without too much suspicion so long as he carries his bag of tattoo supplies with him. He uses this privilege to collect money and jewels that other prisoners have secretly kept that were found in the clothes of the people who have been murdered. He then then exchanges these for food and medicine from a local workman who comes to the camp each day, building more barracks.

One day, while Lale is tattooing the arms of young women, he falls in love. Her name is Gita and Lale is determined that they will both survive and create a life together beyond the nightmare they are now living. Despite Lale’s status as the “Tatowierer” he still faces many horrific and dangerous situations (sometimes through his own foolishness) and he is haunted by his role in German hands – is he a collaborator? Or simply doing whatever it takes to survive?

Based on a true story, this is a powerful book on many levels, one that is both horrible and thoughtful and optimistic.

If you are taking part in the Online Reading Challenge this year, this book is a good choice for our July theme of surviving the Holocaust.

Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson

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Focusing on a part of World War II that is less explored, Jennifer Robson transports us to Italy under German occupation in Our Darkest Night.

Antonina has lived in Venice her whole life; her family have been residents for several generations. Her father is a renowned and well-respected doctor, with people from all over Europe and from all walks of life seeking him out. But none of this matters after the Nazi occupation of Italy. By 1943, daily life for the Jews of Venice has become nearly unbearable and increasingly dangerous.

As the danger looms, Antonina’s father refuses to leave his invalid wife, but insists that Antonina escape, posing as the wife of a man she’s never met, Nico, a former seminary student. Nico takes her to his family farm in the countryside, several days travel from  Venice, in the hopes that she will be safe hiding with a Christian family in a remote location.

Antonina (now known as Nina) finds her new life grueling and lonely, and she misses and fears for her parents desperately.  But even as she finds a place in her new family and falls in love with Nico, the German threat is not far away. Can she and Nico survive the horrors that are to come?

This is a quick read with characters that you will care about. The relentless cruelty of the Nazi’s can be difficult to read, but the strength of the Italian people will give you hope. For more books about Italy during the German occupation in World War II, be sure to check out A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell and Blame the Dead by Ed Ruggero.

Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson

- Stephanie Leave a comment

I have inadvertently been reading a lot of historical fiction about World War II. How is this inadvertent you ask? I put a bunch of audiobooks on hold through OverDrive and as it so happened, five came ready at the same time. The last two that I’ve listened to have all been about World War II with the main women both playing the violin and one of the main men named Max. During the second book, I had to pay very close attention, so I wouldn’t mix up the books. Hidden Among the Stars was the second World War II fiction I listened to this week. It may be time for a lighthearted read…

Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson slips from the past to the future in this gripping tale of hidden treasure, a castle, and ordinary people fighting to resist evil any way possible.  This piece of inspirational fiction unites 1938 Vienna, Austria with 2018 United States.

1938. Austria. Hitler’s troops are sweeping into Vienna, much to the chagrin of Max Dornbach. With political views that differ from his parents, Max has no desire to shun his Jewish friends. Max offers to help his Jewish friends hide their most valuable possessions, so they won’t fall into the hands of the Nazis. Max works closely with the father of Luzia Weiss, a young Jewish woman he has grown to love. Smuggling those goods to his family’s summer estate near Hallstatt, Max quickly finds himself needing the help of Annika Knopf. Annika’s father is the current caretaker of the summer estate, meaning that Annika and Max have grown up together. Annika has loved Max for as long as she can remember and has thusly decided to help him however she can. Her loyalty and love for Max is stretched when Max brings Luzia with him on one of his trips to the summer estate. Agreeing to hide Luzia in the castle, Annika doesn’t realize the full extent of what is on the line until the Nazis come to Hallstatt and destroy the castle. Luzia and the treasure have disappeared, throwing everyone’s lives into turmoil.

Flash forward eighty years. Callie Randall may not be living the life she thought she’d have at this point, but she’s mostly happy with what she has. Callie is running a small local bookstore with her sister where she is known as Storygirl with amazing striped socks. Callie also runs a blog where she writes stories about different authors. While working on her current article, Callie stumbles upon a cryptic list in an old edition of Bambi that introduces her to the bewildering world of Annika’s story. Digging into Annika’s life, Callie finds that this story may be connected to the life of a close dear friend of hers. In order to find the truth, Callie must venture outside of the safe place she has built for herself. She soon finds herself on an adventure with a chance for new love and long-awaited for answers.

This book is also available in the following formats:

The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia

- Ann 1 Comment

Set in 16th century Prague, Wishnia’s new mystery transforms Jewish sexton, Ben-Akiva, and his mentor, the famous Rabbi Loew, into an effective detective team in The Fifth Servant.  Just before the start of Passover, a young Christian girl is found murdered inside a Jewish shop, which triggers accusations of blood libel and revives the threat of retribution against the entire Jewish community.  As the newly arrived shammes in Prague, Ben has three days to prove that someone else is responsible for the crime, other the the arrested shopkeeper, Federn.  Though Ben gains the support of Rabbi Loew, he is hampered by the Inquisition and by ghetto restrictions, so he  must depend upon his clever wit and mazl (luck).

I’ll admit that for the first 50 pages or so, I had to keep checking the glossary — I really don’t have a strong background in 16th century Jewish terminology!  Still, most of the unfamiliar phrases were readily explainable within their context, so it really didn’t disrupt my enjoyment of the book. The characters are well-developed and the story is richly layered with both spiritual and historical insight, but it is the fast-paced tension that makes this a true page-turner.

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

- Ann 1 Comment

s KeyOn July 16, 1942 thousands of Jewish families were rounded up in Paris and held under brutal conditions at the Vel’ d’Hiv’ train station before being shipped to Auschwitz and almost certain death. Although the orders were issued by the Nazi’s, they were carried out by the French police; most of the Jews were French citizens and almost no one came to their defense. Property and homes left behind by the Jews were quickly taken over by Parisians and the incident buried. While France has recently made an effort to acknowledge and apologize for this dark chapter in their history, and public memorials have been erected, it remains a story that is little known and even deliberately hidden.

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana  de Rosnay brings this horrific story to life. Alternating chapters follow 10-year-old Sarah Starzynki and her family when they are brutally taken from their home in 1942 and present-day journalist Julia Jarmond who is writing a story about the little known roundup. The secret that Sarah carries with her – that, at his insistence, she has locked her little brother into a secret hiding place, believing she will return in a few hours – as well as the suffering she and her family endure shadows her life. Julia, an American living in Paris, discovers that her in-laws have a connection to Sarah, a family secret that they have tried to deny. Julia’s determination to find answers and to trace Sarah threaten her marriage and forever alter her view of her beloved adopted home.

This book is a real page turner – both stories are dramatic, full of twists and revealing of human character both at its worst and its best. There are interesting insights into how the people of Occupied France reacted to the persecution of the Jews, and how many modern French continue to dismiss or ignore their past.  At one point someone asks Julia why she, an American born long after the war and with no connection to the tragedy, is so determined to find Sarah. Julia replies that she wants to apologize, “Sorry for not knowing. Sorry for being 45 years old and not knowing.” Reading Sarah’s Key can help all of us correct this error.