Granddaughter and Bubbie (Grandmother) Publish Second Book for Young Readers About Upstanders During the Holocaust

The second book in the "Upstander Stories: Brave People Who Saved Jews During the Holocaust" series—"Golda, Stachek & the Helpers"— has been released.

LIVINGSTON, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES, January 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The second book in the new Upstander Stories: Brave People Who Saved Jews During the Holocaust series has been released by 18-year-old illustrator Lilly Wise and her Bubbie (grandmother), writer Joyce Kamen.

In The Story of Golda, Stachek and the Helpers, young readers (aged 8-12) will learn about a brave young Catholic man named Stachek—an employee and friend of a Jewish businessman in Stryi, Poland — who risked his life to save his boss's family (including their 9-month old baby named Golda) and nearly 30 other Jews—from the Nazis during World War II. Along the way, Stachek enlisted the help of others in the community who were also helping to save Jews.
Baby Golda (now Zahava Rendler) survived the war, and in the 1960s, settled with her family in Cincinnati, Ohio. Now a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Zahava is a retired Hebrew school teacher who speaks to school and community groups throughout the region about her family’s experiences during WWII. “Though the trauma of the Holocaust has faded, I always think of the 6 million Jews who died,” she tells audiences. “That includes one and a half million Jewish children. So my duty is to be their voice. Your duty is to learn from the past so you can open your mind to the future.”

In the first book, The Story of Anna and Dr. Helmy, young readers learned how an Arab-Muslim Egyptian doctor saved a young Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied Berlin from deportation to a concentration camp during World War II. Dr. Mohammed Helmy risked his life every day for over two years to hide Anna Boros. He also arranged for her parents and grandparents to be hidden as well.

These stories — and others to come — not only impart stories of courage and sacrifice during the Holocaust; they remind readers of the importance of being Upstanders today—acting to help others in need —and how doing the right thing can change the world for the better.

"Upstander Stories" was born after Lilly participated in a high-school class project to illustrate a book about two members of her community who survived the Holocaust. She was so inspired by the experience that several months later, she asked her Bubbie if she would write a book for young readers about how Bubbie’s husband Fred’s biological mother (Anna) was saved by an Egyptian doctor in Nazi-occupied Berlin — while Lilly would create the illustrations.

“Publishing a book together with my Bubbie, especially on such an important topic as the Holocaust, was deeply meaningful,” said Lilly, now a senior in high school. “I felt a profound sense of duty to accurately and respectfully convey these stories as works of art—knowing that my work could contribute to preserving history and fostering understanding. My generation must now emerge as the keepers of these stories.”

During the Holocaust, many non-Jewish people were horrified about what was happening to the Jews in their communities. Most were too terrified to help them because they knew if they were caught, their fate would be the same as the Jews they were trying to save. However, others decided to act—regardless of the risks.

“An Upstander is the opposite of a bystander,” explained Joyce. “A bystander is anyone who sees bad behavior or terrible things happening to other people but does nothing about it. But an Upstander is anyone who sees an injustice happening to another person and decides to step forward to help in the name of justice.”

Lilly and Bubbie hope that young readers—along with educators around the world—will find these books (and those that follow) to be inspiring and fully capable of reducing the surging incidences of antisemitism, racism and all forms of hate in America and throughout the world.

ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF UPSTANDER STORIES WILL BE DONATED TO THE NANCY AND DAVID WOLF HOLOCAUST AND HUMANITY CENTER IN CINCINNATI, OHIO.

TO ORDER, CLICK HERE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CLICK HERE.

Upstander Stories Book Series
Upstander Stories
info@UpstanderStories.org
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