A tragic story in the middle of tragic events. He whitnessed it, he went through it and he survived.

Book review: Europa Europa

'Europa Europa' is an extraordinary story experienced by quite a normal fellow. The story is about the Jewish boy Solomon Perel who was born in Germany in 1925 and lived there for some years but as the Nazi society developed in Germany he and his family were forced to move eastward. To avoid humiliation and persecution by the Germans they settled in Poland. He got separated from most of his family in Poland and with his brother he fled to Russia. There he lived until Germany invaded Russia and suddenly he was forced into using his basic instincts for staying alive. A German military group captured the Jews they found and started questioning them and if they were Jews they shot them in the nearby forest. Solomon Perel obviously spoke German and he miraculously managed to convince the German soldiers that he wasn't a Jew but a normal ethnic German and that this was a mistake. From that day on and until the end of the war he lived with the Nazis as if he was one of them. He even entered the Hitler Jugend after returning to Germany, and he had to sing along to the songs about spilling the blood of the Jews.

The story, which is authentic, is so special because there naturally were so many encounters were one wrong move would definitely have lead to his dead but he survived. Throughout the whole book you wonder about Luck and Fate. It is filled with situations where you think that either this is just pure luck or maybe it is meant for him to stay alive. But maybe in the end it was his only his own willpower that made him do exactly what his mother had told him in her last words before the separated, 'you must stay alive'.

The book is great and very interesting. Not so much because of the way it is written since the best thing isn't the quality of the writing but more the story that brings you so close to a human, which lived through the greatest fears.

Matthias Petersen

I traveled to Israel on business in 1995. En route at Heathrow, Israel bound passengers went through intensive security screening 3 hours before flight time and were kept in a large room to await the flight. No shopping for me and I hadn't brought a decent book to read. An older gentleman was sitting next to me playing chess on a small computer. After about a half hour, we began to chat. His name was Solomon Perel and he told me the story of his life. Europa, Europa (the film) had recently come out, but the book had not yet been translated to English. He had been on a lecture tour of the United States. Even if you read the book or see the movie, no one can begin to fathom what it was like to sit next to that amazing man for 3 hours hearing about his life. His is a story of desperate acts of courage and survival. It is both heartbreaking and uplifting. He asked me to see the movie and to write to him - telling him what I thought. He gave me his address.

As I worked in Israel I told my Israeli business associates about this chance meeting. By their response, you would have thought that I had met King Solomon himself. I began to doubt that this guy really was the very famous and deeply respected Solomon Perel. I figured he was a bored old man wanting to strike up a conversation with the young woman sitting next to him to pass 3 long hours.

When I got home, I rented the movie. It followed the old man's tale very closely - but I figured that the old guy had read the book in Hebrew or already saw the movie - that's how he knew the story. But then, at the end of the movie, there is short clip of Solomon Perel in Israel. It was him - it was the man I had met in Heathrow.

I regret to say that I never wrote to Solomon Perel. Every time I started a letter, I found it impossible to say anything meaningful. From a young age, this man had suffered an unimaginable horror and came out of it undoubtedly wounded, but also incredibly strong. I, in turn, had been raised by a loving family in a peaceful and prosperous country. I was blessed with a great job, wonderful friends, a loving husband, and a beautiful 1 year old boy. I couldn't think of anything to say to this man that didn't seem trite. Perhaps I'll try again to write to him. If you read this book, it will break your heart. If you are smart, you will realize what I did - just how blessed we are ..... well, so far.

I was a European history buff, but knew little about the Middle East conflict. After meeting Mr. Perel, I started reading history books on the area and since September 11th I've read every relevant book I can find (check out my review of Howard Sachar's A History of Israel). I expected to feel great solidarity with the Israeli cause. But the more I studied, the more I felt that the Israeli policies of occupation, settlement, repression and retaliation are morally flawed. I feel this in spite of my deep respect and regard for Mr. Perel. So I was somewhat reluctant to recommend Europa Europa - fearing that feelings of solidarity with Holocaust victims would further bias reader's opinions about America's foreign policy in the Middle East. Nonetheless, I can't deny Mr. Perel's story is compeling and deserves an honest review. I only hope that readers - in fact all Americans - study the issues carefully. Our country is under attack for our Middle East policies and all Americans have a responsibility to the country and the world to look beyond headlines and speeches, form educated opinions, and exercise your civic responsibility to contact your elected officials. {end of political diatribe}