Overview

Lilo and Ernst survived the horrors of WW2 in the center of Berlin, but not without help. An incredible tale of survival and kindness. Lilo was just a teenager when the Nazis took away her mother and father in September 1942. She never saw them again. A year later, she received another painful blow when her brother Hans was taken too. She was now alone at 19 years old in a dangerous and brutal world. Until she heard one familiar voice that called her name, and saved her life. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Ernst was hiding in a small room with his parents, doing all he could to ensure their survival, even when violent explosions and the possibility of exposure threatened to take their lives. They remained hidden for 27 months, but sadly it was only Ernst and his mother who emerged from the shelter after the war. Ernst and Lilo eventually marry, re-locate to America, create a new life, and have a daughter who is the author of this book. This deeply saddening yet touching memoir is not only about the horrific Nazi regime and how it affected both Lilo and Ernst but it is also a memoir to recognize and thank the heroic people who put themselves in danger to save their lives. Without them, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to read their important story.

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9789493056794

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Reviews

"""In this story Evelyn Grossman writes a very readable, thoroughly researched and emotionally gripping account of the experience of her parents and their families from 1932 until after the war. Some were taken from their homes in Berlin to be murdered. Others survived, hidden by angel Germans who risked their lives. As I read I knew what it was like to live every day always terribly afraid that I too would be caught and taken away to die. Be prepared. You will be unable to put this book down until you've finished it.""— Rabbi Robert Freedman, both cantor and rabbi, served congregations in Princeton, NJ, Manchester, VT and Philadelphia, PA ""Behind the simple title lies a complex, multigenerational story set in Nazi Germany and in the United States. At the center are Lilo and Ernst, the author's parents. Through grit, courage and luck, aided by people from all walks of life, they, and Ernst's mother, Betty, survived. It is a story of love and determination and a story of heartbreaking loss and breathtaking miracles. It is a story of an unending search to discover the fate of those who did not survive and those who faded into the background after the war. It is a story about gratitude and rebirth - where the past lives in the present and the present in the past. The narrative is interwoven with connections and trains of thought, which lead the reader from specific events to the larger context in which they occur. When in September 1942, Lilo and her brother, Hans Martin find the door to the family apartment sealed and their parents in Gestapo custody, the narrative pivots to the Wannsee Conference, Eichmann's role in it, and then to Lilo's reactions as she is glued to the TV in her apartment in New Jersey watching the Trial in Jerusalem in l966. Similarly, when Lilo receives a letter from her half sister who was protected because of her ""Mischling"" status, the reader is lead to a reflection of what it means to be a Jew and from there to the Rosenstrasse Protest in l943. And Lilo's first encounter with a portrait of Theodore Herzl leads to a discussion of Zionism and from there to Joachim Prinz, a courageous Rabbi in Berlin who emigrated to the US and spoke at the MLK March in l963. Questions about religion, race, cultural identity and shared history are raised in the context of the Nazi laws about Mischlings. The zigzag of the narrative, the extended time frame from Nazi Germany to contemporary America, and the inclusion of several generations provide a rich and unique perspective on a tragic historical period.""— Dr. Eva Gossman, retired Associate Dean of the College, Princeton University and author of Good Beyond Evil"

In this story Evelyn Grossman writes a very readable, thoroughly researched and emotionally gripping account of the experience of her parents and their families from 1932 until after the war. Some were taken from their homes in Berlin to be murdered. Others survived, hidden by angel Germans who risked their lives. As I read I knew what it was like to live every day always terribly afraid that I too would be caught and taken away to die. Be prepared. You will be unable to put this book down until you've finished it. Rabbi Robert Freedman, ordained as both a cantor and a rabbi, has served congregations in Princeton, NJ, Manchester, VT and Philadelphia, PA. Behind the simple title lies a complex, multigenerational story set in Nazi Germany and in the United States. At the center are Lilo and Ernst, the author's parents. Through grit, courage and luck, aided by people from all walks of life, they, and Ernst's mother, Betty, survived. It is a story of love and determination and a story of heartbreaking loss and breathtaking miracles. It is a story of an unending search to discover the fate of those who did not survive and those who faded into the background after the war. It is a story about gratitude and rebirth - where the past lives in the present and the present in the past. The narrative is interwoven with connections and trains of thought, which lead the reader from specific events to the larger context in which they occur. When in September 1942, Lilo and her brother, Hans Martin find the door to the family apartment sealed and their parents in Gestapo custody, the narrative pivots to the Wannsee Conference, Eichmann's role in it, and then to Lilo's reactions as she is glued to the TV in her apartment in New Jersey watching the Trial in Jerusalem in l966. Similarly, when Lilo receives a letter from her half sister who was protected because of her Mischling status, the reader is lead to a reflection of what it means to be a Jew and from there to the Rosenstrasse Protest in l943. And Lilo's first encounter with a portrait of Theodore Herzl leads to a discussion of Zionism and from there to Joachim Prinz, a courageous Rabbi in Berlin who emigrated to the US and spoke at the MLK March in l963. Questions about religion, race, cultural identity and shared history are raised in the context of the Nazi laws about Mischlings. The zigzag of the narrative, the extended time frame from Nazi Germany to contemporary America, and the inclusion of several generations provide a rich and unique perspective on a tragic historical period. Dr. Eva Gossman, retired Associate Dean of the College, Princeton University and author of Good Beyond Evil.

Author Information

Evelyn Joseph Grossman was raised in Trenton, New Jersey, by parents who wanted to embrace American culture yet couldn't separate themselves from their German past and German accents. She earned a bachelor's degree from Douglass College, Rutgers University, and a master's degree from Fordham University. In her professional life, she worked as a financial analyst in the field of commercial debt obligations. In retirement, she has focused on writing her parents' story, honoring the rescuers as Righteous Among the Nations, doing volunteer work in social service programs in Trenton, going on bike rides with her husband, Lenny, and taking trips to California to visit her grandkids.

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