Customer Reviews

Memoirs of a Warsaw Ghetto Fighter

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Kazik was a 19-year-old Jewish lad who survived the Nazi terror and systematic mass killings of Jews, the Warsaw ghetto uprising of 1943 and the Warsaw uprising of 1944.
He was also led many fighters out of the ghetto through the sewer, and he was responsible for the care of many Jews who were hiding in Polish homes. Kazik also managed to find shelters for his parents and his two sisters, and after the war he was one of the very few Jews whose parents were still alive. After the war, Kazik, his sister Raya and parents all immigrated to Israel. Kazik's other sister, Dina, was killed during the Warsaw ghetto uprising. Kazik didn't at that time know that his sister was in the ghetto.

I found the book interesting and heart gripping at the same time. It is amazing to read how Kazik manages to stay alive, and always seems to stay one step ahead of the Nazis and their helpers.

Kazik writes how he found one thing difficult when he arrived in Israel: When he told people that he was one of the very few survivors, it seemed like some almost blamed him for having survived. Kazik tells how people kept on asking him about people who had died, but never about those who had survived. This made him reluctant to talk about his past.
He writes about how one man told him that he (= Kazik) screamed every night in his sleep.
If Kazik had made a volume II about his life after the war, I surely would have read the book. His history is fascinating, and I hope his life was mainly a happy one after he immigrated to Israel.
I liked this book, and I found Kazik's story very interesting. Kazik tells us that he is not much of a talker, and that it was therefore difficult to dictate this book to the writer. Kazik may not be a talker or a skilled writer, but his story is one it is hard to forget.

Being a decendant of a Holocaust survivor and also a Warsaw Ghetto survivor this book brough to life the pain struggle and courage that they all went through. This is one of the best books i have ever read and i would recomend it to anyone

Memoirs of a Warsaw Ghetto Fighter, written by one of the surviving members of the ZOB was a well-written account of not only life as a resistance fighter but also what life was like for the few that fought in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. This is an easy read and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about this period and what the Jews and all victims of the Nazis had to endure.

The author is sincere and spontaneous in telling his personal experience. The description of events, places and facts is also very well. But from the very beggining it is clear that the author is not a writer (or, at least, not a good one.)
I am convinced that it is not only a plain true story what captivates the reader but, more than anything else, the way it is told. This book is a good example of that difference.
Nevertheless, an applause for Simha Rotem, an extraordinary human being that not only fought hard to survive himself, but also to save the life of others.

A terrific true story of one of the few survivors of the ZOB (Jewish Fighting Organization) It is very vividly told and I suggest you get it too.

While describing the events that led up to and included the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (1943), the author frequently mentions the many forms of Polish aid to Jews. (p. 19, 21, 45, 59, 68, 80, 88, 95, 98, 136). This included help from members of the Policja Granatowa (Polish Blue Police)(p. 63, 71), which has at times been misrepresented as a mostly collaborationist force.

The author is frank about the barriers and active opposition to Jewish combat that had existed among the Jews themselves: "Some of the Jews in the Ghetto, who couldn't imagine the evil intentions of the Germans, were steeped in delusions, one of which was that they had to fight the resistance movement and its allies. Other Jews said, `This too shall pass. There have been similar things in the history of our nation.' Religious people put their faith in God. Some in the ghetto were simple cowards, paralyzed with fear. Others were collaborators." (p. 23). Editor Harshav adds that the ZOB (Z.O.B) members had no experience in warfare. (p. viii). [In view of all this, and still other matters that could be raised, is it surprising that the Polish Underground at first didn't take Jewish claims of wanting to fight the Germans too seriously?]

Another factor making Poles disinclined to fully support that ZOB was its pro-Communist leanings. This was aggravated by the (ultimately-futile) ZOB attempt to hide contacts with the Communists, a fact which Rotem admits: "He [Antek: Zuckerman] maintained contact simultaneously with the two Polish Undergrounds: The Armia Krajowa (AK) and the Armia Ludowa (AL). The AL knew about our contacts with the AK, whereas the AK was not supposed to know about our contacts with the AL." (p. 66). Later, ZOB units formally joined the Communist GL-AL. (p. 121).

Unlike some incognito Jews who had been on the Aryan side of Warsaw while the Germans burned the Ghetto, Rotem did not report seeing any Poles mocking the suffering Jews. However, he says that some Poles "seemed happy" about it (p. 62), without citing any observations in support of his assertion.

After the Uprising, some ZOB members fled to the forests. Jewish memoirs commonly accuse the Polish Underground AK (A.K.) and NSZ (N.S.Z.) of killing these and other fugitive Jews. Archival information [see the Peczkis review of Tajne oblicze GL-AL i PPR: Dokumenty (Polish Edition)] proves that the post-Uprising ZOB engaged in banditry against Poles. This, naturally, provoked liquidation by the AK. Consistent with these incidents, Rotem, describing his negotiations with the AK, reported being promised safety for his men: "In return, they asked the members of the ZOB not to pester the peasants in the area." (p. 93).

Also, it can be shown, based on archival information, that it was the Communist GL-AL that was primarily responsible for killing forest Jews: Again see the Peczkis review of the TAJNE OBLICZE link. Consistent with this fact, Rotem (p. 108) mentions Krzaczek, a GL-AL member and ZOB contact, who later killed fugitive Jews.

Rotem elaborates on his ZOB unit's participation in the Polish Warsaw Uprising (1944). After the fall of the Uprising, he was among the evacuees at Pruszkow.

Many Poles report being robbed by the entering Red Army. Rotem notes that Jews were also robbed by the Soviets. (p. 146).

I am disappointed in this book. The premise is good, and the author lived through it. However, this is a very uneven book. Even the author admitted he skipped around alot. There are so many Polish and Jewish names thrown in, I was wondering who the heck was who. The film made much better sense. I could have even rated this book a two star, but since this is the story of a brave man, I gave it an average rating.

Kazik is a Polish Jew from Warsaw who saw his family imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto. As a way of getting even with the Germans, he joined both the Jewish and Polish resistance. He was essentially a courier, who went from place to place organizing things. His story is the overview of NBC's Uprising. I liked the movie. His book was not as good, even though the movie is based on his book. Essentially he throws a lot of memories together, and states this was the story of the resistance. I think this author is a brave man, but his writings leave a little bit to be desired.

The book was in brand new condition and better than i expected, plus the shipping was very prompt!! WONDERFUL!

In the prologue, the author makes a pseudo apology for the writing style. He wanted the book to reflect a sharing of his story that would be reminiscent of sitting down over a cup of coffee and him telling you what he did. That's exactly what you get. I read this while flying over the Atlantic coming back from Poland.
There's a touch of genuineness and authenticity you'll find in these pages.

A good book written by one of the few survivors of the uprising. The author tells a harrowing story about what seemed to be a hopeless situation for the Jewish fighters as the Nazis decimated the ghetto around them with bombing and fire. The Jewish resistance fighters held off the Germans longer than the Polish army did. The author freely admits that he is not a writer and the story gets a little rough in spots but overall a good book from an insider who was there and lived to tell his heroic story.