A Final Reckoning: A Hannover Family's Life and Death in the Shoah (Judaic Studies Series)

Ruth Herskovits GutmannOCOs powerful memoir recounts her life not only as a concentration camp inmate and survivor, but also as a sister and daughter. Born in 1928, Gutmann and her twin sister, Eva, escaped the growing Nazi threat in Germany on a "Kindertransport" to Holland in 1939. The false expectation of being allowed to immigrate to Cuba as a family led her father, Samuel Herskovits, to bring the twins back to Hannover in 1941. Rather than receive travel visas, however, they, their father, and their stepmother, Mania, were arrested and deported first to Thereisenstadt and then Auschwitz-Birkenau. After their parents were killed, the girls spent the remainder of the war in numerous other camps. a GutmannOCOs compelling story captures many facets of the Jewish experience in Nazi Germany. She describes her early life in Hannover as the daughter of a prominent and patriotic member of the Jewish community. Her flight on the "Kindertransport" offers a vivid, firsthand account of that effort to save the children of Jewish families. Her memories of the camps include coming to the attention of Josef Mengele, who often used twins in human experiments. Gutmann writes with moving clarity and nuance about the complex feelings of survivorship. a Gutmann paints a multifaceted portrait of her father, Samuel. A leader in the Jewish community of Hannover, he was cajoled, coerced, and ultimately forced to communicate with and cooperate with Nazi and public officials. Gutmann uses her own memories as well as years of reflection and academic study to reevaluate his role in their community." A Final Reckoning" provides not only insights into GutmannOCOs own experience as a child in the midst of the atrocities of the Holocaust, but also a window into the lives of those, like her father, who were forced to carry on and comply with the regime that would ultimately bring about their demise. " A work of both childhood memory and adult reflection undergirded with scholarly research, A Final Reckoning resonates with emotional intensity and insight. Ruth Gutmann's memoir, first published in Germany in 2002, recounts her life not only as a concentration camp inmate and survivor, but also as a sister and daughter. Ruth; her twin sister, Eva; stepmother, Mania; and father, Samuel Herskovits, were interned in both Thereisenstadt and Auschwitz-Birkenau between June 1943 and March 1944, where all but Gutmann and her sister perished. Ruth and Eva spent the remainder of the war in numerous other camps. Gutmann's memoir is compelling in several respects. It spans her birth and early life in Hannover, Germany; her escape to Holland on a kindertransport; her forced return to Hannover; her deportation to the concentration camps (where Ruth and Eva attracted the attention of Josef Mengele, though they were ultimately spared from his murderous studies of twin siblings); and her life postliberation. Particularly striking is Gutmann's portrait of her father, Samuel, a leader in the Jewish community of Hannover who was forced under extreme pressure to communicate and, in some cases, cooperate with Nazi officials. Gutmann uses her own memories as well as years of reflection and academic study to reevaluate his role in their community. A Final Reckoning provides not only insights into Gutmann's own experience as a child in the midst of the atrocities of the Holocaust, but also a window into the lives of those, like her father, who were forced to carry on and comply with the regime that would ultimately bring about their demise-- A work of both childhood memory and adult reflection undergirded with scholarly research, A Final Reckoning resonates with emotional intensity and insight-- Ruth Gutmann ; foreword by Kenneth Waltzer. Includes bibliographical references and index. "A work of both childhood memory and adult reflection undergirded with scholarly research, A Final Reckoning resonates with emotional intensity and insight. Ruth Gutmann's memoir, first published in Germany in 2002, recounts her life not only as a concentration camp inmate and survivor, but also as a sister and daughter. Ruth; her twin sister, Eva; stepmother, Mania; and father, Samuel Herskovits, were interned in both Thereisenstadt and Auschwitz-Birkenau between June 1943 and March 1944, where all but Gutmann and her sister perished. Ruth and Eva spent the remainder of the war in numerous other camps. Gutmann's memoir is compelling in several respects. It spans her birth and early life in Hannover, Germany; her escape to Holland on a kindertransport; her forced return to Hannover; her deportation to the concentration camps (where Ruth and Eva attracted the attention of Josef Mengele, though they were ultimately spared from his murderous studies of twin siblings); and her life postliberation. Particularly striking is Gutmann's portrait of her father, Samuel, a leader in the Jewish community of Hannover who was forced under extreme pressure to communicate and, in some cases, cooperate with Nazi officials. Gutmann uses her own memories as well as years of reflection and academic study to reevaluate his role in their community. A Final Reckoning provides not only insights into Gutmann's own experience as a child in the midst of the atrocities of the Holocaust, but also a window into the lives of those, like her father, who were forced to carry on and comply with the regime that would ultimately bring about their demise"-- Provided by publisher A work of both childhood memory and adult reflection undergirded with scholarly research Ruth Herskovits Gutmann's powerful memoir recounts her life not only as a concentration camp inmate and survivor, but also as a sister and daughter. Born in 1928, Gutmann and her twin sister, Eva, escaped the growing Nazi threat in Germany on a Kindertransport to Holland in 1939 . Gutmann's compelling story captures many facets of the Jewish experience in Nazi Germany. She describes her early life in Hannover as the daughter of a prominent and patriotic member of the Jewish community. Her flight on the Kindertransport offers a vivid, firsthand account of that effort to save the children of Jewish families. Her memories of the camps include coming to the attention of Josef Mengele, who often used twins in human experiments. Gutmann writes with moving clarity and nuance about the complex feelings of survivorship. A Final Reckoning provides not only insights into Gutmann's own experience as a child in the midst of the atrocities of the Holocaust, but also a window into the lives of those, like her father, who were forced to carry on and comply with the regime that would ultimately bring about their demise. Ruth Herskovits Gutmann' s powerful memoir recounts her life not only as a concentration camp inmate and survivor, but also as a sister and daughter. Born in 1928, Gutmann and her twin sister, Eva, escaped the growing Nazi threat in Germany on a Kindertransport to Holland in 1939. The false expectation of being allowed to immigrate to Cuba as a family led her father, Samuel Herskovits, to bring the twins back to Hannover in 1941. Rather than receive travel visas, however, they, their father, and their stepmother, Mania, were arrested and deported first to Thereisenstadt