The gold standard by which Holocaust literature is judged is Elie Wiesel's Night/Dawn/Day trilogy. If that is 24k this is 22k gold. Does that mean 4 or 5 stars? I'm no mathematician, only a humble mechanical engineer, so I gave it 4 stars, on the grounds that Amazon.com predicted I would!
These tales are mostly short and so, emminently readable. Above all, one remains in my mind. It is the story of little Shachne Hiller, Mr. and Mrs. Yachowitch, and a young Polish priest. Schachne is 4 years old when he is given up by his Jewish parents into the care of the dutiful and trustworthy Catholic Yachowitchs. The Hillers are careful to instruct the Yachowiths that they wish Shachne to be brought up Jewish. Time passes and the Yachowiths come to love little Schachne dearly. Mrs. Yachowitch takes the little boy to a young priest, explains the situation and asks that the boy be baptized. The young priest refuses. That priest, who is Karol Wojtyla refuses and eventually becomes Cardinal and is then elected Pope. The boy comes to America, becomes a successful businessman and a devout Jew. According to the Grand Rabbi of Bluzhov, Rabbi Israel Spira, "God has mysterious, wonderful ways unknown to men. Perhaps it was the merit of saving a single Jewish soul that brought about his election as Pope. It is a story that must be told."
As for the rest of the stories, I was brought the point of tears by some, rendered incredulous by others, and rarely if ever bored by any. This is great book and highly recommended by a tough grader.

A powerful and compelling testament to the unsung heroes of the Holocaust - the men and women that did not allow the horrific conditions to dampen their love of G-D. A must read.

Eliach gathers together stories which range from the magical to horrifying. Present in all the stories is the strength and faith of the participants as well as the mystery of survival. I have told some of these stories to my students and read some at Passover seders. Everyone is always fascinated.

This book is extremely well written and Yaffa's research superb. The story itself is very topical at the moment and like Jan Gross' book "Neighbours', it will probably draw the attention of Poles, Lithuanians etc around the world who wish to deny that their people had anything to do with the slaughter of Jews in the holocaust. The story covers pretty much all aspects of life for the Jews of Eishyshok for the past 900 years up until the Nazis destroyed the community together with the help of their Lithuanian, Polish and Latvian aids. This book is definately worth reading and with the many photographs in the book, you come to develop a close affiliation with the people. Do read it, it is certainly extremely thorough.

In her very detailed and extensive account of life in a jewish market town of Eastern Europe, the author gives a vivid glimpse of the daily life, emotions and longings of its members. A real interesting book that transports us to the middle of a vibrant community that lived, cried, and smiled during all their history until the bitter end.

A must read for anyone intereste in the jewish culture and it's ethos.

This meticulously researched book chronicles the 900-year-old settlement of Eishyshok, a center of culture and tradition that was virtually extinguished by the Holocaust. Rather than focus on the terrible end, the author has endeavored to revive the town and its inhabitants through salvaged photographs, narratives, and history gathered over many years of travel and research. The author has produced a moving and well documented book that serves history while respecting and memorializing the individual people who gave the town its spirit. I have to doubt the motives of those who are using this review space to disect the author's own life and memories, which are not the subject of this book.