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Page 26-THE NEWS-December, 1988 □ B oletHetM The Altruistic Personality: Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe. Samuel P. Oliner and Pearl M. Oliner. The Free Press, 866 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022. 1988. 260 pages. $24.95. Emissaries: A Memoir of the Riviera, Haute Savoie, Switzer land, and World War II. Alex- ander Rotenberg. Citadel Press, 120 Enterprise A venue, Secaucus, NJ 07094. 1987. 309 pages. $16.95. The Warsaw Ghetto: A Chris tian's Testimony. Wladyslaw Bartoszewski; translated from the German bv Stephen G. Cappellari. Beacon Press, 25 Beacon Street, Boston, MC 02108. 1987. 103 pages. $14.95. The Cracow Ghetto Pharmacy. Tadeusz Pankiewicz; trans lated from the Polish by Henry Tilles. Holocaust Library, distributed by Pan theon, 201 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022. 106 pages. $16.95 (cloth), $10.95 (paper). Reviewed by Jean-Marc Ran Oppenheim Adequately and graphically chronicled in the numerous studies which deal with the military or political histories of the period, the story of the extermination of the Jews has forced us to question the morals and the values of a world that allowed, by its in difference, or encouraged, by its participation, those monstrosities. Out of the bestial context of Nazi-occupied and war-torn Europe, there now comes a glimmer of light and hope for humanity. Its form is partly shaped by the events and the individuals in the books ex amined here. The common theme which links these four titles is rescue: specific£illy, the rescue of Jews by non-Jews. Three of the titles are memoirs written by individuals who participated in the events described. Two of those. The Cracow Ghetto Pharmacy and The Warsaw Ghetto, are by non-Jews whose contributions to the rescue efforts were vital enough to be recognized and lauded by Yad Vashem, the Israeli institution dedicated to the study of the Holocaust. The third. Emissaries, is by a Jew. The fourth. The Altruistic Personality, written by a Jewish survivor of the Holo caust, is a sociologiced analysis of the personality trmts of the rescuers. Tadeusz Pankiewicz’s The Cracow Ghetto Pharmacy was originally published in Polish in 1947, It is a gripping ac count of life in the Cracow Ghetto from its inception in early 1941 to its ultimate destruction in December 1943. Pankiewicz, by administrative quirk, found himself operating the only pharmacy within the boundaries of the Cracow Ghetto drawn by the Ger mans. The pharmacy, in addi tion to medication, provided significant help to the Ghet to’s inhabitants. It quickly became an important meeting place for the Ghetto’s notables who gathered there after hours to discuss the latest German proclamations. Introducing FAIROi\KS At the Numenthal Jewish Home i I Where new life begins... FAIR OAKS is a residence for older adults who seek an indep>endent, vet supportive living environment where they w ill find companHinship, security and a wide range of health and siK'ial services. Recn*atK)nal, cultural, and spintual needs are addressed on campus alst), yet the emphasis on independence encourages residents to continue w ith activities and interests that have long been important in their lives C ontinuing a tradition of caring that bi-gan in I'Jhfi, FAIR OAKS is an extensK>n ot the commitment to provide the highest quality of care for older adults of all rl•lIgiou^ faiths Health services irn lude. 24-hour call hell system, stafl physician and regislert-d nurse, short-term supptirt in case tif ill- rH'ss, pharmacy, i linKs in dentistry. -i nd rTH' thf FAIK l^AKS hun- fH>diatry, and ophthalmology; physical therapy; staff scKial worker; and priority access to the nursing facility. Fn>m the moment you enter the tree- lined drive, you will know that FAIR OAKS is an extraordinary place to live. It is situated on a n>lling, lightly wM)ded, 113-acre site overkxiking the Yadkin River. Surrounded by lovely grounds with mag- nifn ent vistas, the complex offers a pastoral setting enhanced b>- gardens and court yards Stately oak trees quietly guard the entrance and typify the strength and serenity ot the residence. FAIR OAKS enjoys the best i>f country living and easy accessibility to an urtian shopping and cultural center — the ideal place to begin a new life in a caring community. 1 jII m- li> 4rrjn);' j liHir /ip Kir rrxm* inliirmation, wntr orr^ll the AdmissHins C iMirdindtor, FAIR OAKS At the Blucnenthal leW'ish ftomr 7X?0 Fair Oaks [)nvp (PO Bon 38) lemitums NC 2^2 fW) TTieWarsaw Ghetto AQiristian's Testimony yslaw I rt( )szcwsk i ^ R)rew)rd by btanisiaw Lem Information was exchanged by those present, support was provided for those who needed it, medicine was distributed as warranted. The author pro vides his recollections of events, personalities and con versations in a fashion rem iniscent of stream of con sciousness writing. He describes graphically the structure and administration of the Ghetto; including the Jewish bureaucracy which car ried out the Germans’ orders. Because the pharmacy was located in the square from which the deportations took place, the author witnessed and vividly recorded those ominous and ultimately mur derous events. On more than one occasion he gave shelter to individuals who managed to escape from the deceptive gatherings. While the nar rative has a gripping rhythm, the translation suffers from an occasional syntactical mistake and the story would have benefitted from a map or a sketch of the Ghetto’s layout since the physical structure of the area played such an impor tant role in his recollections. Bartoszewski’s account of the Warsaw Ghetto is also a tale of personal memory. It, however, is copiously sup plemented by quotes from the published record, including German documents, the con temporary underground press, relevant Allied proclamations and broadcasts. His wartime role as a young liaison between the Jewish leadership of the Ghetto and the Polish under ground gave him an invaluable perspective on the tragic events he skillfully narrates. Because of his treiining as a professional historian, Bar toszewski is able to describe and, most importantly, assess the developments which led to the creation of the Ghetto, its structure and its eventual demise. His account of the Ghetto’s uprising in April 1943 is lucid yet full of em pathy for the doomed Jewish fighters and their supporters. And while he pays close atten tion to the details of the events and personalities he describes, he never loses sight of the moral perspective of the actions undertaken. This ap proach only serves to add to the historic£d dimension of the problem of rebellion and sur vival. It is a tale of moral and physical courage made greater by the apparent outcome of an unequal struggle. Alexander Rotenberg was a young Belgian Jew who found himself working for the French Resistance as a courier CONFUSED? Any advertising sales man can confuse you with his own peculiar sales pitch on advertis ing rates, marketing areas, circulation, readership, etc., etc., etc. When you slice through all the advertising mumbo jumbo there is really only one thing to remember: If YOU WANT to Reach the Jewish Market YOU MUST Adver tise in the Charlotte Jewish News. It’s that simple. Wipe out Confusion. Call us today. 366-5007 in the south of France. Along with other stateless Jews, he faced eventual deportation as a result of Vichy France’s pol icies. At the urging of Jewish organizers, he decided to try to find a way to smuggle a num ber of Jews into Switzerland thus saving them from the French collaborationists. In the process, his cover was blown and he was forced to use his new-found channel over the Alps to save his own skin. Written in a lively auto biographical style, Roten- berg’s account reads like a story of adventure and sus pense. Its impact, however, is far more substantial for he raises a significant question while in the process of recre ating his wartime itinerary. Why did total strangers agree to help him escape, and why did he entrust his safety and his life to these strangers? Rotenberg only hints at the motives that compelled people to act selflessly and courage ously in a manner that, if caught, almost certainly meant death. His is a wonder ful story that weaves together courage, compassion and an excellent account of life on both sides of the French-Swiss border. The Oliners’ study of the altruistic personality ex amines in a systematic and thorough fashion the motives to which Rotenberg alluded. Theirs is a sociological project whose origins lie in the fact that Samuel P. Oliner was himself a survivor of the war in Poland who owed his life to Christian Poles. Spurred on by a desire to interview, with the help of trained social scientists in Europe and Israel, hun dreds of individuals who ac tively participated in efforts to rescue Jews from the Nazi ex termination machine. The result is illuminating and extensive. The Oliners coded the results of their associates’ interviews and, in a series of highly detailed tables, present their findings with the aid of a statistical perspective that should thoroughly please the most discriminating modem social scientist. Laymen should not be discouraged by this ap proach for the authors il lustrate their findings by quoting liberally, almost un endingly, from their corres- See BOOK REVIEW next page Israeli Art Show aiul Sale Sat. \ Sun. — Jan. 21 \ 22 (■orcli k ILtll Slialoiii I’at k
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Dec. 1, 1988, edition 1
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