Rabbi Meyer May
Executive Director, Simon Wiesenthal Center
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Rabbi Meyer May
“The Redhead of Auschwitz is a story of a heroic Holocaust survivor who lived through the worst obscenity ever tolerated by human civilization. Yet, the Redhead's own exquisite loyalty, her unyielding courage and indomitable faith inspires us to still believe in the decency of humanity. Hitler lost and the Jewish People out lived him proving, once again, that despite every effort to destroy us throughout the millennia, we remain an eternal people embraced by G-d.” (from Amazon)
by Nechama Birnbaum·You?
by Nechama Birnbaum·You?
Rosie was always told her red hair was a curse, but she never believed it. She often dreamed what it would look like under a white veil with the man of her dreams by her side. However, her life takes a harrowing turn in 1944 when she is forced out of her home and sent to the most gruesome of places: Auschwitz. Upon arrival, Rosie's head is shaved and along with the loss of her beautiful hair, she loses the life she once cherished. Among the chaos and surrounded by hopelessness, Rosie realizes the only thing the Nazis cannot take away from her is the fierce redhead resilience in her spirit. When all of her friends conclude they are going to heaven from Auschwitz, she remains determined to get home. She summons all of her courage, through death camps and death marches to do just that. This victorious biography, written by Nechama Birnbaum in honor of her grandmother, is as full of life as it is of death. It is about the intricacies of Jewish culture that still exist today and the tender experiences that are universal to all humanity. It is a story about what happens when we choose hate over love.