Strangers in a Stranger Land

How One Country's Jews Fought an Unwinnable War alongside Nazi Troops… and Survived

Häftad, Engelska, 2019

389 kr

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What did it feel like to be an openly Jewish soldier fighting alongside German troops in WWII? Could a Jewish nurse work safely in a field hospital operating theater under the supervision of German army doctors? Several hundred members of Finland’s tiny Jewish community found themselves in absurd situations like this, yet not a single one was harmed by the Germans or deported to concentration or extermination camps. In fact, Finland was the only European country fighting on either side in WWII that lost not a single Jewish citizen to the Nazi’s “Final Solution.”Strangers in a Stranger Land explores the unique dilemma of Finland’s Jews in the form of a meticulously researched novel. Where did these immigrant Jews—the last in Europe to achieve citizenship status—come from? What was life like from their arrival in Finland in the early nineteenth century to the time when their grandchildren perversely found themselves on “the wrong side” of WWII? And how could young lovers plan for the future when not only their enemies but also their country’s allies threatened their very existence?Seven years researching Finland’s National Archives plus numerous in-depth interviews with surviving Finnish Jewish war veterans provide the background for a narrative exploration of love, friendship, and commitment but also uncertainty and terror under circumstances that were unique in the annals of “The Good War.” The novel’s protagonists—Benjamin, David and Rachel—adopt varying survival strategies as they struggle with involvement in a brutal conflict and questions posed by their dual loyalty as Finnish citizens and Zionists committed to the creation of a Jewish homeland. Tensions mount as the three young adults painfully work through a relationship love triangle and try to fulfill their commitments as both Jews and Finns while their country desperately seeks to extricate itself from an unwinnable war.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2019-08-27
Mått153 x 227 x 30 mm
Vikt767 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor488
FörlagUniversity Press of America
ISBN9780761871491

Tillhör följande kategorier

Religion: allmänt inom Filosofi och religion
Historiska romaner inom Skonlitteratur
Förintelsen inom Historia och arkeologi
Judendom inom Filosofi och religion
Andra världskriget inom Historia och arkeologi

List of FiguresPreface1. Iron Cross for a Jew? 2. Benjamin Reminisces about his Childhood 3. Vidablick4. Peisach Loses Everything5. Benjamin Remembers His Grandfather6. Finland Becomes Part of the Russian Empire7. Annus Mirabilis8. Peisach Gets a Life9. Correspondence after Camp10. Benjamin Recalls His Family’s Return to Viipuri11. Mendel’s Childhood12. A Little Bird13. Upheaval14. Civil War15. Finland Lurches Right16. Benjamin Thinks Back on Hard Times17. Mendel Becomes a Finn18. Finland Recovers19. Benjamin Reflects on the Rise of Zionism 20. Loyalty Parallax21. Rachel Makes a Decision22. David and the Refugee Situation23. Benjamin Becomes the Man of the House24. Benjamin Recalls His Adolescence25. Europe in Turmoil26. Lotta Training and Civil Guard Youth Camp27. A Night on the Town28. The Magical Summer of ‘3929. Benjamin Recalls the Start of the Winter War30. The Winter War Begins31. Finland’s Survival at Risk32. Benjamin Remembers Wartime Viipuri33. A Bitter Peace34. Finland’s Fragile Truce35. Benjamin Reflects on His Altered Status36. Hitler Changes His Mind37. Pressure Mounts38. A Night at the Theater39. Afraid of Being Eaten by the Bear, the Lamb Lies Down with the Wolf40. Miracles Sometimes Happen41. Benjamin on Heroism and Fear42. Benjamin Goes to War43. Rachel Crosses the Border44. David’s Battlefront Diary 45. Finland Walks a Tightrope46. Tent Synagogue on the German Front47. “Those Eight”48. Benjamin’s Recollections of the Trench War49. Rachel Meets the Steinbocks50. The Worm Turns51. The Beginning of the End52. Waiting53. Against Overwhelming Odds54. All Hell Breaks Loose55. What Price Peace?56. AftermathAbout the Author

I began reading John B. Simon’s non-fiction Strangers in a Stranger Land, which recounts the singular history of Finland’s Jews as the fictional story of three generations, published in time for Christmas 2017, with the intention of making my way through it by the end of the month. What happened? I finished the book in a twenty-four-hour marathon read. I simply couldn’t put it down. . . . Then a second reading before the end of the month. The book in question is, to put it simply, good.