Today we remember Yom Hashoah or better known as Holocaust Memorial Day.

In 1959 the Israel Knesset passed a law creating Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed each year on the 27th day of the month of Nissan, according to the Jewish calendar. This date coincides with the beginning of the revolt against the Nazis by Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943.

 

We must never forget the horrific events that happened during the Holocaust. We can stand with the Jewish people to never let this happen again. We are seeing shootings in synagogues. Hate is on the rise again with my people. 

 

6 million Jews died. Thousands of Non-Jewish also perished during this time. It didn't matter what type of Jew you were rich or poor all they seen was the hate of God's chosen people the Jews. Age didn't matter over 1,500 million children of all ages perished in the death camps.

May we never forget! Never Again! Out of the ashes of the Holocaust the State of Israel was born in 1948. After two thousand years the Jewish people had their own land again. Many who came to Eretz (land) of Israel were survivors of the Holocaust.

The sirens are rung every year in Israel to remember all who perished in the Holocaust and everything stops for 2 minutes.

Today we remember Yom Hashoah or better known as Holocaust Memorial Day.
In 1959 the Israel Knesset passed a law creating Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed each year on the 27th day of the month of Nissan, according to the Jewish calendar. This date coincides with the beginning of the revolt against the Nazis by Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943. The Holocaust was between the years of 1933-1945.

We must never forget the horrific events that happened during the Holocaust. We can stand with the Jewish people to never let this happen again. We are seeing shootings in synagogues. Hate is on the rise again with my people.

6 million Jews died. Thousands of Non-Jewish also perished during this time. It didn't matter what type of Jew you were rich or poor all they seen was the hate of God's chosen people the Jews. Age didn't matter over 1,500 million children of all ages perished in the death camps. 

 May we never forget! Never Again! Out of the ashes of the Holocaust the State of Israel was born in 1948. After two thousand years the Jewish people had their own land again. Many who came to Eretz (land) of Israel were survivors of the Holocaust.

 “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” — Elie Wiesel

“I had to help them. There was no choice.” — Oskar Schindler

 

Pray for the shalom (peace) of Jerusalem. Come quickly Yeshua.

Today we remember Yom Hashoah or better known as Holocaust Memorial Day.
In 1959 the Israel Knesset passed a law creating Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed each year on the 27th day of the month of Nissan, according to the Jewish calendar. This date coincides with the beginning of the revolt against the Nazis by Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943. The Holocaust was between the years of 1933-1945.

We must never forget the horrific events that happened during the Holocaust. We must remember to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again.

6 million Jews died. Thousands of Non-Jewish also perished during this time. It didn't matter what type of Jew you were rich or poor. Age didn't matter over 1,500 million children perished in the death camps. The Nazis also targeted people with disabilities, political dissidents, gypsies, and homosexuals.

May we never forget! Never Again! Out of the ashes of the Holocaust the State of Israel was born in 1948. After two thousand years the Jewish people had their own land again. Many who came to Eretz (land) of Israel were survivors of the Holocaust.

 “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” — Elie Wiesel

“I had to help them. There was no choice.” — Oskar Schindler

Pray for the shalom (peace) of Jerusalem. Come quickly Yeshua.

A Nazi officer. A Jewish Czech violinist. Her music haunts him. When he's faced with losing it, he'll go through any length to save it. And her. 

It's 1943 and Anna Zadok, a Jewish Christian living in Prague, has lost nearly everything. Most of her family has been deported, and the Nazi occupation ended her career as a concert violinist. Now Anna is left to care for her grandmother, and she'll do anything to keep her safe-a job that gets much harder when Nazi officer Horst Engel is quartered in the flat below them.

Though musical instruments have been declared illegal, Anna defiantly continues to play the violin. But Horst, dissatisfied with German ideology, enjoys her soothing music. When Anna and her grandmother face deportation, Horst risks everything to protect them. 

Anna finds herself falling in love with the handsome officer and his brave heart. But what he reveals might stop the music forever. 

My Thoughts: 

I enjoy reading historical fiction. The history of the Jewish people is very dear and near to my heart. On Yom HaShoah the Holocaust Remembrance Day it is said, “Never Again.” This story is a reminder that people with lives and feeling were affected by the dreadful Holocaust. The world lost many brilliant musicians, artist, scientist, housewives, children, and everyday people just like you.

The story is fairly fast past and keeps you not wanting to put the book down. It was an emotional rollercoaster at times. You really feel this story like a composition of music that stirs your heart. Grab a box of tissues as you’ll need them.

The author has made the characters realistic. Anna Zadok is a Christian Jewish Believer with strong character with the will to live despite the odds against her and her grandmother.  

Then you have the Nazi Officer Horst Engel who moves into the apartment below Anna and her grandmother. He struggles with what is going on with the Jewish people. Then he hears Anna’s music and it brings healing to his turmoil. He risks his life to save them from deportation to the concentration camps.

May we never forget the history so it doesn’t repeat itself? I find myself having a hard time putting this story in words as it was powerful and very heartfelt. It was well written with the WWII background and the historical setting of the time period.

For some this may be a difficult book to read with the information on the concentration camps. The author does a remarkable job portraying the realities of what the Jewish people endured in the Nazi concentration camps. Don’t forget that many Jewish people throughout history and even today face persecution all because they are Jewish.

I highly recommend this book. Thank you Liz Tolsma for doing an excellent job writing this story and bringing to the forefront of the Holocaust.  It seems to be a topic that isn’t taught about much anymore.  “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” A very moving and powerful story.

I received a free copy of this product from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this information accordance with the FTC Regulations.
 

 Letter N is for Never Again!

Today we remember Yom Hashoah or better known as Holocaust Memorial Day.
In 1959 the Israel Knesset passed a law creating Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed each year on the 27th day of the month of Nissan, according to the Jewish calendar. This date coincides with the beginning of the revolt against the Nazis by Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943. The Holocaust was between the years of 1933-1945.

We must never forget the horrific events that happened during the Holocaust. We must remember to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again.

6 million Jews died. Thousands of Non-Jewish also perished during this time. It didn't matter what type of Jew you were rich or poor. Age didn't matter over 1,500 million children perished in the death camps. The Nazis also targeted people with disabilities, political dissidents, gypsies, and homosexuals.

May we never forget! Never Again! Out of the ashes of the Holocaust the State of Israel was born in 1948. After two thousand years the Jewish people had their own land again. Many who came to Eretz (land) of Israel were survivors of the Holocaust.

 “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” — Elie Wiesel

“I had to help them. There was no choice.” — Oskar Schindler

Pray for the shalom (peace) of Jerusalem. Come quickly Yeshua.

Other bloggers have joined in Blogging through the Alphabet.  Annette and Amanda are hosting this on their blogs. Stop by and see what they are blogging about with the letter N.

#abcblogging

You can see my other post of this series below:

A is for Aleph
B is for Bee
C is for Crash
D is for Dragonfly
E is for Enter
F is for Friend
G is for Gadol
H is for Horse Therapy
I  is for- Idiopathic Arthritis
J is for Joy
K is for Kadosh
L is for Leaven
M is for Mashiach
 

The last two weeks we have been reading an amazing story about survival, courage, perseverance under extraordinary wartime circumstances that the Jewish people endured. I am always amazed when I read stories like this about the survivors of the Holocaust.

The story is a true story about what life was like in the cave and the reality of what it took to survive underground, battling with the elements, lack of food, and the constant fear and close calls with the Nazis. 

The author was able to locate the surviving families that are now located in USA, Canada, and Israel. They retell the story of that dreadful time and from one of the mothers journal that she kept during the ordeal.

The story goes back and forth in-between chapters with the account from the families and the author exploring the caves and finding artifacts left behind and interviewing the survivors. 

The pictures are current photos of the cave and some black and white historical pictures. The last picture is my favorite of the survivors and their children and grandchildren. 

I don't shy away from the Holocaust with my children and feel that it's important for my children to know about the Holocaust. This was a touching story of 5 families and their will to survive. 

May it never happen again or shall we never forget this horrible event in history.

There is also a movie available that I am ordering.

Though this book is written for children ages 7 to 14, it is also intended for any age of people who have difficulty reading anything having to do with the Holocaust of WWII. This story is presented from the personal perspective of a family in the midst of the Holocaust, without trauma but historically correct. Sarah, at the age of seven, does not understand the extreme sadness her great grandmother portrays, prompting her to ask her mother the question, Why is Great Grandma so sad? Her mother decides it is time to relate the Holocaust experience of Great Grandma Hannah beginning at the same age as Sarah. This story gives an account of a family experiencing the onset of WWII, ghetto life, being sent to a concentration camp and the unusual circumstances surrounding their struggle to survive. Through the dialog Sarah comes to have a new view of her great grandmother, Hannah, as a child. Hannah, through necessity, grows up all too quickly. But while she endures these changes and experiences and during times of hiding, her doll Rachael is always there as a confidant and constant companion in her loneliness. She hears also of an unbelievable time when the Jewish people were treated horribly and unfairly. Sarah comes to realize how the Jews, her own people, demonstrated strength and resilience when under pressure, determined to survive. This story brings to life the sadness, and the hope, tightly interwoven in the lives of those who survived the Holocaust culminating with a surprise ending. Throughout this dialog Sarah learns along with the child Hannah about a time in history no one should ever forget. It is the hope of the author that those reading this book will also learn the truth of that time and not allow the voices of those who experienced it to be silenced. This story of Great Grandma is historical fiction. The family is not real but the experiences are. Based on several Survivors of the Shoah, their true life war accounts are included in the book.

Susan E. Heagy is founder and president of Abundant Hope International (AHI), a leading non-profit organization providing relational and humanitarian aid assistance to Holocaust Survivors in Israel. AHI offers education to both the public and private sector and global relationships with Survivors of the Shoah are established to address the trauma and PTSD suffered from WWII.
Susan brings with her experience obtained through management, staff training, corporate oversight and promotions in the movie theatre industry. Whether she was promoting movies like “The Mexican” with flamenco dancers or a golf movie with putting greens, she has implemented a creative approach with an eye to increased revenue and wide success.

Susan has devoted her entire career since 2004 to the philanthropic and nonprofit sector developing programs to encourage the public sector to join AHI in assisting the Survivors.

Dividing her time between Israel and speaking tours in the USA and various countries, she visits with her four children and five grandchildren in America.
Ms. Heagy is available to speak on request with the purpose of educating about the many aspects not generally known of the Holocaust of WWII and those who survived. She shares the personal war accounts of the individual Survivors with the intent of making sure they are never forgotten.

My thoughts:

As my family remembers Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day). I was delighted to receive such a touching book to share with my kids this year. Every year we acknowledge this horrific day. We attend a memorial in town and talk about it. I always remind my kids that they must never forget what happened.  

The message is powerful one within the pages of this story. A quote from the book that is so important, “Tell them remember the Holocaust so it doesn’t happen again.”

The illustrations are powerful all in colored pencils. They are appropriate for young kids but, at the same time they tell a powerful heartfelt message. Most kids couldn’t imagine what it would be like living in a ghetto or a concentration camp, being hungry, or having to do the things that children had to do to survive during WWII.

There are six chapters in this story. At the end of the book a timeline from 1933-1948 that covers the WWII Holocaust History. A glossary to help you understand the Holocaust terms used in the story. 

A very touching Holocaust Survivor Biography of seven individuals that survived the Holocaust. Each Biography is a paragraph or two and has a picture of all seven survivors. All the survivors were children and tell a bit about their experiences from the Holocaust.

I am amazed at how many children don’t’ know what the Holocaust is. I’ve never been shy about it with my kids. Knowledge is a powerful thing. Teach your children what happened. If you don’t know how to tell your kids about the Holocaust then this is a perfect book for you to introduce this difficult subject to them. 

I hope that this book will be used in schools, churches, and home library’s to teach about the Holocaust. Some kids don’t even know what happened in WWII to the Jewish people. They must know what happened and it’s our job to tell them. This story can also be for adults. It’s a very touching and important story for all ages. 

I 100% recommend this book.

Abundant Hope International
You can  buy this book on Amazon.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookCrash.com book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.