Tova Friedman Books

The harrowing, moving and poignant account of one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz: a girl who was only five years old when she was sent to an extermination camp.

In the waning months of World War II, a Soviet regiment entered Auschwitz-Birkenau, Adolph Hitler's infamous concentration camp, and found seven thousand prisoners on the brink of death from illness and starvation. Among them were three young girls from a town in central Poland called Tomaszow Mazowiecki. Before being deported to Auschwitz, Tova Friedman, Rachel Hyams and Frieda Tenenbaum had already survived the Jewish ghetto in their town and two slave labor camps. Now, thanks to their Soviet liberators, they survived the Kinderlager, the children's barracks at Auschwitz that were nothing more than a holding area for the gas chambers. When the regiment's commander, Marshal Ivan Koneff, discovered the children--their limbs thin as toothpicks, most of them unable to walk--he broke down and wept. The date was January 27, 1945. Tova was 6, Rachel 7, and Frieda 10. A quarter century ago, on the 50th anniversary of their liberation, Tova, Rachel and Frieda first told the world about their Auschwitz ordeal. Today, on the 75th anniversary of their liberation, they tell their stories again--although Rachel, who died in 2008, can no longer tell her story in person. It is to her, along with the million-and-a-half children who died in the Holocaust, that we dedicate this edition of Surviving Auschwitz.

The narrative centers on a young girl's harrowing struggle to survive the horrors of Auschwitz. It presents a poignant and sensitive account of her experiences, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable terror. Through her journey, the book sheds light on the broader themes of survival, courage, and the impact of historical atrocities.

The powerful middle grade adaptation offers a poignant recounting of Tova Friedman's experiences as one of the youngest survivors of the Holocaust. Through her perspective, readers are introduced to the harrowing realities of this historical tragedy, highlighting themes of resilience and hope in the face of unimaginable adversity. The memoir not only serves as an educational resource but also aims to inspire empathy and understanding among young readers.

Das Buch erzählt die eindringliche Lebensgeschichte einer der letzten Holocaustüberlebenden und beleuchtet ihre traumatischen Erlebnisse während des Zweiten Weltkriegs. Es thematisiert die Herausforderungen, mit denen sie konfrontiert war, sowie ihren unermüdlichen Kampf ums Überleben und die Suche nach Identität in einer Welt, die von Verlust und Trauer geprägt ist. Die Erzählung bietet nicht nur einen persönlichen Einblick in die Schrecken des Holocaust, sondern auch in die Hoffnung und den Mut, die trotz allem bestehen bleiben.