In the Garden of the Righteous: The Heroes Who Risked Their Lives to Save Jews During the Holocaust Book Review

What is right and what is easy are two different things, specifically when it comes to making difficult decisions. Sometimes, you have to follow what you believe is right, even when it goes against the grain.

In the Garden of the Righteous: The Heroes Who Risked Their Lives to Save Jews During the Holocaust, by Richard Hurowitz, was published last month. The author tells the story of individuals who put their lives and the lives of their families in peril to save as many Jews as they could. Among the people profiled are Irena Sendler, Aristides de Sousa Mendes, and Gino Bartali.

Hurowitz did his homework. Each person is given the full workup. Their tales are told in human terms, revealing the person behind the story. Their bravery is one for the ages. They knew that the Nazis were bloodthirsty and barbaric. And yet, they put the lives of others before themselves. For that, they are true heroes and deserve the title Righteous Among the Nations.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

In the Garden of the Righteous: The Heroes Who Risked Their Lives to Save Jews During the Holocaust is available wherever books are sold.

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Irena’s Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto Book Review

Irena Sendler is one of the unheralded heroes of the Holocaust. She did what many could not or would not do. Teaming up with her friends and colleagues, she was able to save the lives of 2500 Jewish children.

Tilar Mazzeo’s new book, Irena’s Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto, tells the story of how Irena Sendler and her network was able to save the lives of the 2500 Jewish children. Born to a Polish Catholic family in 1910, Irena’s family was far more tolerant and accepting of her Jewish neighbors and friends than others in Poland. Her early experiences led her to the moral conviction that she had to save as many young lives as she could.

Using her background in social work and her vast connections with both Jews and Christians, Irena worked feverishly to save the children. It was a dangerous task, if she or her colleagues were caught, the consequences for both the children and the adults were death. It was a task she willingly took on, knowing that one wrong move would mean the loss of countless lives.

I have mixed feelings about this book. There were some chapters where I could feel the tension and the danger in real-time, as if I was there. Other chapters I felt like they were filler, without real substance.

But overall, it is a good book and it is a reminder that despite the hate and the prejudice that exists in this world, there is still light and love and those willing to fight against hate.

I recommend it.