This was a fascinating memoir and history of the paths some Polish Jews traveled to escape the Nazis during the Holocaust. In this book, Gerson researches her father’s family, as well as the father of her partner Talia. When she and Talia first met, they discovered not only a strong attraction but a shared family history. Their grandparents were neighbors in the small Polish town of Zamosc. They lived because they fled to the Soviet Union when they had a chance – but their journeys were anything but easy.
There are so many stories told about the Holocaust, yet each one feels unique. The role of the Soviets in World War II is complicated. Initially, they worked with Hitler to divide up Poland. Later, they would turn on Hitler and were pivotal in Germany’s defeat. The Soviets were savage towards the Jews, but at least they were more interested in hard labor than extermination (that’s my interpretation, at least).
It’s a fascinating history because the Jews who fled to the Soviet Union survived Siberian prison camps but were ultimately saved by their decision. Gerson describes how many people fled but then later returned to Poland when given the option, thinking they would be treated better in their home country. They were not. The Nazis systematically traveled through Poland, murdering every Jew they encountered. Mr. CG and I saw an exhibit in Krakow with photographs of the many small, rural towns in Poland that became the site of mass graves.
More than 3.3 million Jews, the largest community in the world at the time, had called Poland home before the war. Only about 4 percent of those who had remained in the country had survived – hidden in forests and graves, protected by courageous gentiles, passing as Aryans, or enduring concentration camps. In stark contrast, an estimated 90 percent of those who had fled to the Soviet Union lived to see the end of the war. They had suffered deportation to the Gulag, forced labor in communal farms, or conscription into the Red Army. But they were alive.
Interestingly, as we see in the story of Talia’s family, it seems the wealthy Jews were less likely to flee, and thus more likely to be killed. They had more to lose, and more reason to think they would be treated better. That might have been the reason so few members of my own grandfather’s family chose to leave Slovakia.
Gerson is a strong storyteller, and it was easy to follow the ups and downs of these two families across so many different countries. It’s made even more interesting because Gerson was able to travel to each of the countries on her grandparent’s journey, from Poland to Ukraine, Siberia, Uzbekistan, Vienna, and Israel. Along the way, she encountered dangerous situations but was helped by friends, historians, and the personal recollections of Holocaust survivors.
Because of my father’s own Holocaust journey, I was most interested in the path Talia’s family took to Israel, and I appreciated Gerson’s detailed exploration of Zionism and the displaced persons camps that families were forced to live in after World War II. This book is an excellent companion to the other books I’ve read recently about Israel, and it added to my understanding of the country’s history.
Gerson effectively weaves her own personal story with detailed histories of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Israel, and the United States. Fans of The Postcard and We Were the Lucky Ones will certainly appreciate this book. And while those two books are lightly “novelized”, this book is based entirely on interviews and public records. Not that one is necessarily better than the other, it’s just an important distinction. I also recommend When Time Stopped, in which the author researches her father’s history in Czechoslovakia.
Note: I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing. This book was published March 31, 2026.
