Non­fic­tion

With a Yel­low Star and a Red Cross: A Doc­tor in the Lodz Ghetto

Arnold Mostow­icz; Antony Polon­sky, fwd.; Henia and Nochem Rein­hartz, trans.
  • Review
By – July 26, 2012
Mostow­icz describes his expe­ri­ences as a physi­cian in the Lodz ghet­to and Nazi con­cen­tra­tion camps, includ­ing an account of a work­ers’ demon­stra­tion in 1940; a descrip­tion of the Gyp­sy camp and the Jew­ish atti­tudes toward Gyp­sies; the antag­o­nism between Lodz Jews and the Ger­man and Czech Jews who had been deport­ed to the Lodz ghet­to; as well as a vivid account of Rumkows­ki, the head of the Juden­rat of the Lodz ghet­to, a man who was despised by most of the Jews but who is cred­it­ed with sav­ing more lives in Lodz than any oth­er Juden­rat Elder of oth­er ghet­tos. Most impor­tant­ly, the author ques­tions the moral­i­ty of his own actions, called upon as he was to make deci­sions that affect­ed the fate of others.
Mar­cia W. Pos­ner, Ph.D., of the Holo­caust Memo­r­i­al and Tol­er­ance Cen­ter of Nas­sau Coun­ty, is the library and pro­gram direc­tor. An author and play­wright her­self, she loves review­ing for JBW and read­ing all the oth­er reviews and arti­cles in this mar­velous periodical.

Discussion Questions