86. The Light of Days

The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos. Judy Batalion. 2021. 288 pages. [Source: Library]

 First sentence from the introduction: In the spring of 2007, I lived in London and worked as an art historian by day and a comedian by night. I was writing a play about strong Jewish women, and I wanted to learn more about Hannah Senesh, one of the few female resisters in World War II who was not lost to history.

First sentence from chapter one: On Friday, October 10, as the Jews in the small Polish town of Jedrzejow (pronounced YEN-jeh-yuf in Polish) were shutting their shops and preparing for the Sabbath--a day of religious observance--Moshe Kukielka rushed from his store.

There is a central character in this one: Renia Kukielka. But it isn't the story of one person--one woman. It is the story of many working together in Poland during the Second World War. The book opens with a Who's Who: Renia Kukielka, Sarah Kukielka, Zivia Lubetkin, Frumka Plotnicka, Hantze Plotnicka, Chajka Klinger, Gusta Davidson, Hela Schupper, Irena Adamowicz, Bela Hazan, Ruzka Korczak, Vitka Kempner, Faye Schulman, Anna Heilman. You might be tempted to skim it lightly--or even skip it altogether. I won't judge you if you do. But by the end, I'm guessing you'll circle back around in appreciation of what the author has accomplished.

The book, obviously, is set in Poland in the years leading up to the Second World War and the war itself. The focus is on the Jewish communities and neighborhoods. The stories of the ghettos. One doesn't need to use melodrama and imagination to paint the picture--just facts and accounts. This book highlights those that actively resisted. It follows a dozen or so characters through these war years...and if the text alone isn't compelling enough...hitting you right in the heart....the book concludes with PHOTOGRAPHS of those mentioned in the book.

It was a powerful, intense, compelling, substantive read. It was very good.

Quotes:

How do you react to news that you are going to be killed? Do you try to stay optimistic to keep your sanity? Or do you fight back?
When Zivia heard about the mass execution, she didn't doubt it for a second. Other Jews had escaped from death camps and shared their own shocking stories.
If anything, Zivia felt guilty. Why hadn't she seen more clearly that the Nazis meant to kill all Jews? Why hadn't she done more sooner? Precious time had been wasted.

I pledge to engage in active resistance within the framework of the Jewish Fighting Organization of the Halutz Youth Movement. I swear by everything most dear to me, and above all by the memory and honor of dying Polish Jewry, that I will fight with all the weapons available to me until the last moment of my life to resist the Germans, the National Socialists, and those in league with them, the mighty enemies of the Jewish people and of all humanity. I pledge to avenge the innocent deaths of millions of children, mothers, fathers, and aged Jewish people, to uphold Jewish spirit, and to raise the flag of freedom proudly. I pledge to shed my own blood fighting to achieve a bright and independent future of the Jewish nation. I pledge to fight for justice, freedom, and the right of all human beings to live in dignity. I will fight side by side with those who share my desire for a free and equitable social order. I will serve humanity faithfully, dedicating myself without hesitation to achieving human rights for all, subordinating my personal desires and ambitions to that noble cause. I pledge to accept as a brother anyone willing to join me in this struggle against the enemy. I pledge to set the seal of death on anyone who betrays our shared ideals. I pledge to hold out to the end, not to retreat in the face of overwhelming adversity or even death.

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews