1. One of the ways that young people can to be exposed to the horrors of the Holocaust is from the prospective of the Gentile heroes who put themselves in danger to save Jews during World War II. Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese Consul General in Bordeaux, France in 1940 saved my family by issuing visas to Portugal against the explicit orders of the dictator Salazar. Sousa Mendes was punished severely for his acts of moral courage. He was one of the first diplomat rescuers to be honored as "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Veshem in 1966.
2. The story Ignas and Hala Krakowiak within the larger context of the Nazi occupation of Europe by inserting actual headlines of the day in the format of news clippings from the Jewish Telegraph Agency. The Nuremberg Laws in 1935, the Evian Conference in 1938, specific references to desperate refugees flooding Portugal and being sent to "fixed residences" in seaside town of Figueira da Foz in the summer of 1940, for example; bringing the microcosm of one family's experience onto the macrocosm of the world stage. These are real people as they experience what is our tragic Jewish history.
3. The author, Joan Arnay Halperin, has included photos of postcards and correspondence from the Warsaw Ghetto. The words of Hala's mother Celia, father Dawid, sisiers Renia and Fredza, 9 year old nephew Marcys' and brother Lolek speak for themselves.
4. A Glossary of Jewish terms and references at the back of the book are meant to expand the audience. This book is not meant for a Jewish audience alone.
5. Resource Links to books and websites used to gather information are provided.
6. The traditional Author's Note is called "Skeletons" in a concerted effort to grab a young reader's attention. Joan hopes it works.
A Family Chronicle of Rescue and Loss During World War II