Coordinated by Michal Frischman
These days, you don’t have to look too far to find a reason to mourn the galus, and yet for most of us, connecting to the true anguish of the Churban doesn’t always come easily. While we allow the haunting tones of Eichah to penetrate, wishing we could better connect, we find ourselves turning to the voices that are closer and more relatable — those of the cherished, dwindling few who survived a churban of their own. With their words, we can, for one day, reconnect to the horror and despair of previous generations.
If Tishah B’Av is still a day of mourning this year, is there a Holocaust memoir that will help you tune in?
Pearls to Hold on to
Ariella Schiller
Title: To Vanquish the Dragon
Author: Pearl Benisch
Publisher: Feldheim Publishers
When you first read it: At age 17
Scene that hit you the hardest: When Pearl’s friend, Frydzia, is led away from the barracks.
Just as that sunrise was young and full of enthusiasm, so were we. Fighting the darkness of the world with the light of Torah.
Hoping for the great day of peace, when hate and bigotry would turn to love. Waiting for a new day to emerge from the darkness. Trusting that the awareness of G-d would embrace the entire world and wrap it in His eternal light.
(Pearl Benisch, To Vanquish the Dragon)
IT was the best of times, it was the worst of times. In other words, it was the harrowing throes of high school. Every moment, every interaction, felt so enormous, taking on giant proportions. Every interaction held meaning and weight, every day stretched to eternity, and simple things like friendships and wardrobes took center stage in my psyche.
And the drama. Ohhhhh, the drama.
And in the midst of this roller coaster of angst and identity crises and overwhelming emotions, we began to study the book To Vanquish the Dragon, by Pearl Benisch (Feldheim Publishers).
