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The Lost Childhood: The Complete Memoir

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Yehuda Nir's memoir "The Lost Childhood" mainly recounts the years of his childhood spent evading the Nazis, and is a remarkable account of Jews in hiding, and of narrow escapes which are nothing short of miracles. When Poland is invaded by the Nazis in 1939, Yehuda is a nine-year old boy who has up till then, lived a privileged life with a nanny and a German cook. His mother is an accomplished and genteel woman, and his father, though from a less exalted background than his wife, is a successful businessman. Yehuda has a beautiful older sister, Lala who has the power to beguile men. When the Germans invade Poland, their life changes drastically, and in 1941, Yehuda's father is murdered by the Ukrainians. This tragedy (though at the time, Yehuda and his family are not aware of the true fate that befell his father) sees the family of three forced to rely on their wits to survive. The family decides to go into hiding, posing as Aryans in Poland with false papers provided by Lala's boyfriend. Yehuda's mother takes on a variety of jobs, eventually finding a position as a housekeeper to a German aristocrat, having no choice but to help organize orgies and parties for the Nazis. Lala works for an SS dentist, and eventually Yehuda too finds himself working as a messenger boy for a female German dentist.

The memoir reads like a fast-paced thriller as it moves from one precarious situation to another - these three Jews never really get a respite, they are forced to be constantly on their guards, and to maintain an Aryan facade at all times for fear of being denounced by Polish collaborators. At times, I could not help but hold my breath as Yehuda/his mother/sister find themselves almost being discovered. This was especially true for Yehuda. Being a Jewish male made his situation the most precarious (his mother and sister were blessed with Aryan like looks) as his circumcised state would expose him as a Jew. Yet, despite the danger and the specter of death hanging about them, Yehuda manages to infuse his memoir with humor, albeit of the dark kind. In spite of myself, I could not help chuckling at some of the strange and remarkable situations this young man finds himself in - one instance is when the Polish gentiles in the apartment complex where Yehuda lives demand to see his Communion picture (as he has assumed a Catholic Gentile identity). They will not rest until this portrait is produced and it is up to Lala to save Yehuda. Then there are the many times where Yehuda struggles to protect his secret (of being circumcised) which is not altogether easy considering that he finds himself sharing a bathtub with a Polish Gentile brat and on another occasion, in the showers at a German labor camp. What is miraculous is that despite all their travails, these three - Yehuda, his mother, and sister Lala, manage to stay together (though they do not always live together) until the very end.

This is definitely one of the most compelling accounts of Jews in hiding during the Holocaust, and is a must-read. This edition contains previously unpublished material from the original text. Also on a similar theme:Hiding in Plain Sight: The Incredible True Story of a German-Jewish Teenager's Struggle to Survive in Nazi-Occupied Poland.

a must read. you will not be able to put it down. a well written personal account of survival against unculculable odds.

an amazing book. it may very well change your life.