History
The Odyssey of a Jewish Family during the Holocaust
As a little girl growing up under the fast-darkening skies of wartime Europe, Sylvia (Sarah) Laufer looked to her parents and extended family for a way to make sense of the chaos and horror surrounding her world. For some time her loving family did indeed manage to cushion the blows, but then they were forced into hiding, and Sylvia's own little world filled with darkness too. It wasn't long before, one by one, Sylvia's grandparents, aunts, uncles, and finally her father disappeared, never to be heard from again... Soon it was just Sylvia and her little brother, together with their very young but valiant mother, alone in their fight for survival.
With incredible strength and courage, Sylvia's mother, Mrs. Frieda Laufer-David, refused to give up hope, and she singlehandedly raised her children amid these squalid and depressing conditions. Their challenges did not end at liberation, either. The new era ushered in struggles of a different nature, as Sylvia's mother sought to find stability for her small children in a world still reeling from years of death and destruction.
In Silent Childhood, Sylvia (Laufer) Richter relives her tumultuous childhood years spent in hiding and deprivation, as well as the period of rebuilding which followed the family's liberation. Written from the perspective of a young child, her memoirs are at once heart-wrenching, warm, and poignant. Learn More
Hungary in the 1950s is a difficult place for Jews to live. The country is run by communists who prevent the citizens from practicing religion. Revolutionaries are rising up in revolt, but their plans for the Jews are disturbing and frightening. Gyory and his family want to escape. But they can’t get permits to leave legally. Will they be able to flee the country without being discovered and arrested? This is the true story of a brave and determined family. Join them on their harrowing journey to a land where they can practice their religion freely. Readers will be fascinated to learn more about Hungary in the years after World War II as well as the ill-fated Hungarian revolution, which resulted in Gyory’s family’s escape from Hungary.The Escape series provides readers with compelling, true narratives of Jewish heroism and survival. Each book includes engaging photographs, a timeline, and a glossary. Learn More
Poland in the late 1930s has become a very dangerous place for Jews. Isaac Tzvi, a student in the Mir Yeshiva, knows he must escape. But the yeshiva’s students and teachers must first get passports and visas to far-off places. Will they be able to flee Europe before the Nazis march in? This is the true story of the Mir Yeshiva’s survival against all odds. Join the yeshiva students on their harrowing journey across Siberia, into Japan and China. Readers will be fascinated to learn about the turbulent war years and the miraculous events that helped this famous yeshiva escape to Shanghai. Learn More
An epic journey across borders, The Vale of Tears chronicles close to two years in the life of Rabbi Pinchas Hirschprung as he seeks an escape route from Nazi-occupied Europe. In this rare, near day-by-day account, Rabbi Hirschprung illuminates what life was like for an Orthodox rabbi fleeing persecution, finding inspiration and hope in Jewish scripture and psalms as he navigates the darkness of wartime to a safe harbour in Kobe, Japan. Learn More
Miracle at El AlameinThe story of the rabbis who stopped the Nazi onslaught at the gates of Eretz Yisrael
“All of Palestine was in a panic ... This time, there seemed to be no way out.” -- R’ Chaskel Besser
In 1942, as General Rommel led the German and Italian armies through North Africa toward Eretz Yisrael, terror gripped the Holy Land. It seemed inevitable that the entire Jewish population would fall into the Germans’ murderous hands.
This is the story of the holy tzaddikim of Eretz Yisrael who stormed the heavens with their prayers and brought Rommel’s progress to a stunning halt at El Alamein in Egypt. The events that took place there were nothing short of miraculous.
This gripping account -- a true story of despair transformed into salvation -- will reinvigorate your faith in the power of tefillah.
“An extraordinary source of inspiration and enlightenment [that will leave you] with a heightened ... appreciation of the otherwordly wisdom of the Gedolei Torah ... of the previous generations and their power to influence the course of history.”
-- Rabbi Shmuel Irons, Rosh Kollel and noted historian and speaker. Learn More
Shoah / A Jewish Perspective On The Holocaust Learn More
I Never Saw Another Butterfly Learn More
Those Who Never YieldedThere were Jews in the ghettoes who refused to yield to Satan’s reign of terror, who, from the very outset, rebelled against his regime of enslavement…
These chassidic rebels completely ignored the tyrant’s regime, paid no attention to their decrees, and never yielded…
Who were these courageous young men who dared to defy Hitler’s command? Who was the leader of this brave band? And where did the group’s members get the inner fortitude to stand up for their convictions, even as darkness, doom, and death swirled around them?
What did it take to be counted among those who never yielded? Learn More
