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    Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz
    Unavailable
    Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz
    Unavailable
    Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz
    Ebook381 pages5 hours

    Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz

    By Rena Kornreich Gelissen

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "The most important book of the modern age!"
    Neal Lavon, Voice of America

    "The most historically accurate book ever written of the first transport of women into Auschwitz--the only book ever written by a survivor of that transport, who survived 3 years and 41 days in the camps."
    Irena Strezlecka,
    Director of the Museum of Women at Auschwitz

    On March 26, 1942, the first transport of women arrived in Auschwitz. Among the 999 young Jewish women was Rena Kornreich, the 716th woman numbered in camp. A few days later, her sister Danka arrives and so begins a trial of love and courage that will last 3 years and 41 days, from the beginning Auschwitz death camp to the end of the war. Rena's Promise stands out from other memoirs in mere length of time she spent in the camps. No other survivor from the first transport has ever written about her experience and what it meant to survive for so long as a peasant and a hard laborer who spent 10-12 hours a day making bricks, pushing lorries, sifting sand, performing cartwheels....

    From her escape from Dr. Mengele's experiment detail to her surreal meetings with SS woman Irma Grese, Rena tells a dynamic tale of courage and compassion that reminds us of the resiliency of the human spirit, and the power of people to help one another in unimaginable circumstances, be they Gentile or Jew, German or Pole, kapo or prisoner.

    Used at Brown University in the Psychology Dept and in Holocaust programs at the college and secondary school levels.

    Recommended for Holocaust collections by the Library Journal.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRena Kornreich Gelissen
    Release dateFeb 23, 2011
    ISBN9781458178770
    Unavailable
    Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz
    Author

    Rena Kornreich Gelissen

    On the first transport of women into Auschwitz, Rena survived 3 years and 41 days in the death camps. Despite all the horrors she saw, she was not embittered and her heart never hardened against humanity--she sought to love everyone. For her, Love was the only answer to the Holocaust.

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    Reviews for Rena's Promise

    4.5/5

    85 ratings14 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Wow, this is quite an interesting story.From Rena's earliest memories of a happy childhood, to the increasing horrors as a Polish Jew after the Nazi's took control, to the traumas of Auschwitz, and finally to the rescue and eventual emigration, this story is a heart-wrenching page turner. Some moments seem impossibly coincidental, and few are happy. Definitely a different sort of Holocaust memoir, and definitely worth spending some time with it.
    • 5/5
      Rena and Danka were Polish Jews that spent their childhood in a loving home. In 1942, however, things changed for the worse. Both sisters found themselves in concentration camps with very little food, exposed to the elements, and living in substandard conditions. It is hard to put into words the horrible atrocities that they saw and lived each day. They were tortured daily, but somehow mustered up the will to live. Eventually they were rescued and able to lead healthy, normal lives, but Rena still felt compelled to tell her story.As I read this book, I was absolutely stunned by the descriptions of her life in the concentration camps. There were times that the sentences were hard to read. I often paged to the end of the book trying to get a glimpse of the words that describe their freedom or portrayed some sort of happiness outside the fences of the camps. I would return to where I left off and continue reading with admiration of Rena and her sister and their will to live. As I read, I often thought about my life and how lucky I have been. I appreciates never having to go hungry, freeze, work manual labor with no food or water with no time to catch my breath. I couldn't even imagine seeing the torture and death around me on a daily basis. What a powerful memoir! I highly recommend this book to anyone. Not only is it full of history, but it is inspirational and thought provoking.
    • 5/5
      This is the sort of important book that must be read, even when it contains terrible truths. As survivors of the Holocaust dwindle, their stories must be told and retold, digested and remembered. This is truly a story of survival, one in which humans triumph over unspeakable evil and conquer, even through many scars and setbacks. I struggle to put words to my emotions and to their experiences, but it was deeply felt and truly appreciated. Some survivors close the door on such horrific memories, locking away their personal witnesses. I can't begin to imagine what personal toll it would take to relive and retell these experiences, but I am humbly grateful that these stories are told.
    • 5/5
      A story of 2 Jewish sisters in the camps of the Germans during WWII at turns heartbreaking and inspiring.
    • 5/5
      This is the true story of Rena Kornreich. She was among the first 998 women transported to Auschwitz in March 1942. Soon after she got there, she was reunited with her younger sister Danka, and made a promise that she would take care of Danka and someday, bring her back home.They spent 3 years and 41 days in the camps, struggling to survive, and narrowly escaping death several times. Throughout it all, Rena maintained a spirit of love, for her in her words, "To hate is to let Hitler win."This was not an easy book to read, and by that, I mean it was at times harrowing and heartbreaking, but Rena's will to survive and her courage are amazing. I believe that stories like Rena's need to be told and listened too, to honor all who survived, and also died, during the Holocaust. The story was beautifully written, and just a few pages into the preface of the book, I knew that Rena was a very special woman indeed.I won a free copy of this book from Library Thing.
    • 5/5
      I devoured this book. I hate to think about the horrific things that concentration camps were, but I had to keep reading about what Rena and her friends experienced there. It seems like it has to be fake, but then I have to remind myself that this was real and people actually had to live through these things. I appreciate the numerous mentions of kindness and charity amidst the conditions they were in and the gratefulness that Rena had for all of these actions that helped keep her alive. It makes me want to do something to help others in dire need. I appreciated the footnotes, too, to give me an even better sense of the timeline and people. I'm so glad I got to read this book.
    • 5/5
      Every real story is so harrowing. It never becomes easier to digest. These stories are so necessary.
    • 4/5
      Every Holocaust survivor memoir is a difficult but important read. When she was writing Rena′s Promise, Heather Macadam was asked, ″What′s it to you?″ I find that both an easy and difficult question to answer. To never forget. To honor those lost and those who survived. To try and understand. But I also feel a personal imperative that is difficult to put in words. It′s a self-directed reflection. What would I have done when faced with impossible choices? Where would I have fallen on the moral spectrum? Rena Kornreich′s focus was clear: everything she did and the choices she made were to save her little sister, Danka, and bring her home.Rena was the third oldest of four sisters in a conservative Jewish family living in a small village in Poland. Danka was the baby of the family. When Nazi soldiers began harassing the girls, their parents sent them to stay with relatives in nearby Slovakia where conditions for Jews were slightly better. Unfortunately they ended up on the first registered transport of Jewish women to Auschwitz on March 25, 1942. The two sisters spent the next three years first in Auschwitz, then Birkenau. As liberating armies neared, they were forced on a death march to Ravensbruck in January 1945. These two facts—being on the first transport and surviving three years in the camps—make this memoir stand out from others, but the reason as to why they survived intrigues me too.In The Train in Winter, Caroline Moorehead discusses how women who were communist were more likely to survive in prison and the concentration camps because they organized for each other. Similarly I think Rena survived in part because she was driven by the thought of bringing her baby sister home to her parents. Protecting her sister gave her a reason to life and continue to fight, when she might otherwise have given up. Nationality also played a cohesive role; several male Polish prisoners were instrumental in supplying the sisters with food and warmer clothing. Finding commonality was key to survival.Although Rena′s Promise is of necessity dark, it was not a dismal read. Rena focuses on all the people that helped them: from Andrzej, who guided her across the border to Slovakia; to Emma, the work kapo who protected her; to Malek, the Polish captain who provided food and clothing. She also focuses on the love she found before, during, and after the war. Upon finishing the book, I was left with a feeling of hope and happiness, not despair. That's not always the case with these types of memoirs. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      Every real story is so harrowing. It never becomes easier to digest. These stories are so necessary.
    • 5/5
      So painful to read, but somehow necessary and mesmerizing. I had to read it quickly so that my courage didn't fail me. A story of survival for the sake of survival and the well-being of her sister, finally rewarded by liberation and a life with loved ones. A life that never forgets the loved ones lost from childhood and those who managed to show good will and kindness in the face of immeasurable and unimaginable cruelty. Truly incredible.
    • 5/5
      It has been one of the best holocaust books I have ever read. The story was so amazing. How one survives such and ordeal is beyond anything I can imagine. I was truly amazed how well she was able to asses a situation and adapt. This book is a must read!
    • 5/5
      A captivating and heartwrenching story of courage, selflessness, hope, and survival. This book was eye opening and humbling as Rena shared her tale of survival in Auschwitz while trying to remain humane and trying to keep her promise to her sister. Although it takes place during the Holocaust, this memoir does not put a lot of focus on the evils during the time. Rena's will to survive, her selflessness, and her strength during such a tumultuous time were admirable. The story telling was great and at times I had to remind myself that this was her reality for 3 years. There are a few pictures of Rena and Danka included as well. Two thumbs up
    • 5/5
      This is the second or third time I have read this compelling and interesting story. Rena, was on the first transport of women into Auschwitz and she survived to tell about the three years spent in the camp. Her sister, Danka joined her is Auschwitz a few days later. Together, they managed to survive the brutal conditions, lack of food, unsanitary conditions, hard labor and selections for death. I am amazed at the determination and will to survive that both Rena and Danka exhibited. They continually fought to live, something many holocaust victims were unable to do. I cannot hep but admire their strength.
    • 5/5
      I had to read this book for my History of the Holocaust class. The book follows Rena who is sent on the first Slovakian transport to Auschwitz. Rena astonishingly survives the concentration camp and overcomes great adversity. While this is not a light read, it is definately a worthy read.