Today is the Jewish holiday of Purim, remembering the deliverance of the Jewish people recorded in the Book of Esther.

Purim is a joyful celebration, as well a religious occasion that includes the reading aloud of the Book of Esther and also offering acts of service such as giving gifts of food to those in need. 

Here is a helpful article from USA Today if you are unfamiliar and would like to know more:

USA Today Purim Article.

In a lovely coincidence, I did not realize until today that it is Purim – and had already planned to share in this week’s book report an absolutely breathtaking book I finished a few hours ago – written by a holocaust survivor – called The Daughter of Auschwitz: A Memoir by Tova Friedman.

As the cover states, Tova was one of the youngest to survive the Holocaust.

This is her story, spending her entire young life in various Jewish ghettos, witnessing unspeakable atrocities, before finally ending up – with her mother – in Auschwitz.

Once there, several times, she is spared death miraculously. At one point –  when all children are being taken – her parents are able to hide her in the ceiling of their home. At another, when she is actually placed in the gas chamber with other children, it is determined that the guards have brought the “wrong group,” and she is sent back to her quarters. Finally, as she and her mother are to be sent on a death march out, her mother hides them among corpses until it is safe to come out and await rescue by the Russian troops coming in.

Then she shares the story of her family’s struggles post-war, to recover physically and psychologically – and how her mother never really does.

As of this writing, Tova is 86 years old and still sharing her story often – and, as she says, being the voice for all of those whose voices were taken.

This book was so powerful and I was going to recommend it already – so seeing that I finished it on Purim felt like a God thing, like I should share it today. ❤

This year, as I’ve been reading a variety of things for my own book research and other projects, I’ve also felt led to read other books related to Holocaust victims and survivors and their stories as well.

So far, I’ve revisited Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl and Elie Wiesel’s Night. I’ve also read a wonderful book that I mentioned here awhile back by Esther Safran Foer called I Want You to Know We’re Still Here: A Post-Holocaust Memoir and I just finished Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.

I now have several more on topic that have made way to my TBR stack that I am looking forward to also.

My heart is definitely with these people – and I know there is a bigger project in this as I’m reading. ❤

Today, I’m wishing you all a Happy Purim, a lovely Palm Sunday, and lots of good reading.

Be well, everybody. Take care of yourselves and each other.

Grace and Blessings.