When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, approximately one hundred sixty thousand Jews called Berlin home. By 1943 less than five thousand remained in the nation's capital, the epicenter of Nazism, and by the end of the war, that number had dwindled to one thousand. All the others had died in air raids, starved to death, committed suicide, or been shipped off to the death camps.
In this captivating and harrowing book, Leonard Gross details the real-life stories of a dozen Jewish men and women who spent the final twenty-seven months of World War II underground, hiding in plain sight, defying both the Gestapo and, even worse, Jewish "catchers" ready to report them to the Nazis in order to avoid the gas chambers themselves. A teenage orphan, a black-market jewel trader, a stylish young designer, and a progressive intellectual were among the few who managed to survive. Through their own resourcefulness, bravery, and at times, sheer luck, these Jews managed to evade the tragic fates of so many others.
Gross has woven these true stories of perseverance into a heartbreaking, suspenseful, and moving account with the narrative force of a thriller. Compiled from extensive interviews, The Last Jews in Berlin reveals these individuals' astounding determination, against all odds, to live each day knowing it could be their last.
Grace
2025-10-22
A fantastic book
Grace
2025-04-26
I rate this book 5-stars! It’s a remarkable reminder about what humanity looks like in the worst of times. This book shows how survival against all odds in an environment where people have been gaslighted/conditioned vis-à-vis indoctrinated for years to believe they’re a master race is possible through people helping people! This book also shows how easy the human psyche can be turned into something we never imagined possible, how we humans can become monsters towards each other if the moral system around us collapses. Most of us are “programmed” to do what everyone else is doing, without evaluating the situation for ourselves. We are often so conditioned to believe that as long as “I’m not affected, everything will be alright” and that’s a huge part of the problem when we’re threatened by losing control over our own lives as well as having any influence over the political scene. For a lot of people it tends that their inner moral compass is lost in instances of great uncertainty, particularly if the uncertainty is caused by our government or other significant institutions. I find this to be true not only in wartime but also in times of peace, I think particularly during peace times it’s “easy” to forget the importance of having a great knowledge of one’s own values and morals to keep us from falling into a fear based mindset. More emphasis should be placed on talking about compassion, empathy and what collective responsibility and morality looks like, as well as taking deep look inward from time to time. Regards, Grace
För att skriva en recension måste du ladda ner appen