Conscience and Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust [Hardcover]

Eva Fogelman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1994

In this brilliantly researched and insightful  book, psychologist Eva Fogelman presents compelling  stories of rescuers of Jews during the  Holocaust--and offers a revealing analysis of their  motivations. Based on her extensive experience as a  therapist treating Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and  those who helped them, Fogelman delves into the  psychology of altruism,illuminating why these  rescuers chose to act while others simply stood by.  While analyzing motivations, Conscience And  Courage tells the stories of such  little-known individuals as Stefnaia Podgorska  Burzminska, a Polish teenager who hid thirteen Jews in her  home; Alexander Roslan, a dealer in the black  market who kept uprooting his family to shelter three  Jewish children in his care, as well as more  heralded individuals such as Oskar Schindler, Raoul  Wallenberg, ad Miep Gies. Speaking to the same  audience that flocked to Steven Spielberg's Academy  Award-winning movie, Schindler's  List, Conscience And Courage is the  first book to go beyond the stories to answer the  question: Why did they  help?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Some sheltered one Jew for a night; others hid several Jews for years. Some performed a single spontaneous act of heroism, like the baker who saved the author's father in Poland in 1942; others were part of an anonymous network. These brave people, along with the well-known rescuers Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg, had this in common: they were gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews from the Nazi regime. In her deeply affecting book, Fogelman recounts the stories of these Europeans --housewives, businessmen, telephone operators, farmers, diplomats, nurses--and tells how the state of Israel has honored them with the title "Righteous Among the Nations." The author, a New York City social psychologist who directs the Jewish Foundation for Christian Rescuers, ponders deep questions: Why did these particular individuals become rescuers? Can moral integrity be taught and then applied? Is there such a thing as altruism? She explains that one of her reasons for writing the book was "to give altruism back its good name." Her study of extraordinary instances of moral courage will appeal to a broad audience. Fogelman wrote and co-produced the PBS series Breaking the Silence: The Generations After the Holocaust.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-This is not just another Holocaust book. Instead of presenting a detailed factual account of what happened during the war, Fogelman explores the altruistic personalities of individuals who risked their lives and those of their families to help people considered to be enemies of the State. The stories of Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg are told along with those of lesser-known individuals such as Alexander Roslan and Louisa Steenstra, who went to extraordinary means to help Jews. The book is divided into three parts-"The Rescuers," "The Motivation," and "Postwar." Each section, complete with personal accounts, forms a mosaic of courage and conviction on the part of both the rescuers and the rescued.
Roberta Lisker, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 413 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (February 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385420277
• ISBN-13: 978-0385420273
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,712,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring & Disturbing, August 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Conscience and Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust (Paperback)

A brilliant account of those from the non-Jewish community who risked their lives & the lives of their families to save the Jews during the holocaust. Eva Fogelman has combined individual accounts with scientific research to ascertain why some people chose to help whilst others turned a blind eye. Of those who did not help, some commented (when asked many years later) that they 'didn't know'.

The stories she recounts are both inspiring & disturbing, describing the fears & hardships that the rescuers faced on a daily basis whilst trying to conceal their precious secret. Propelled to help those in need, many did so, not for material gain or praise & recognition, but from their own sense of morality. Hannah Senesh sums this book up extremely well in the passage:

'There are stars whose radiance is visible on Earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the World though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for mankind.'

You cannot help but read & wonder whether placed in the same situation, you would have been a light for mankind.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deeply moving account of a world turned upside-down, April 29, 2000

By 

"verdifan" (North Arlington, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conscience and Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust (Paperback)

The book is at once harrowing and uplifting, recounting stories of decent everyday people who risked their lives to shelter their Jewish neighbors. Eva Fogelman delves into the psychology of rescuers while showing us the human beings, warts and all, who struggled bravely through an inhuman time. This is a memorable book indeed.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring and evocative memorial to a troubled time., May 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Conscience and Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust (Paperback)

Eva Fogelman's book of rescuers of Jews during the holocaust is an inspiring and informative look at why people became rescuers, and why others did not. I was moved to tears by the inspirational stories of the moral and spiritual courage it took to become a rescuer. It also forced me to re-evaluate my righteous indignation at others for not helping. Ms. Fogelman gets to the heart of the atrocious nature of the time, and explains in vivid detail why most people were afraid to help. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in having basic questions anwered about why more people did not help. The angels who did were extraordinary spirits who literally risked their lives and the lives of those they loved to do what was right. Highly recommended reading.