Paul Glaser

A really good story about one man's search for his "past" in the 1950's-1960's as it pertained to WWII. The story centered on his aunt, Rosie. Paul's father was still alive but refused to talk about WWII or his sister. The story alternated voices; those of Paul and his great aunt Rosie, whom he succeeded in contacting. Rosie was a survivor by any means that did not hurt others. Many people will fault her for sleeping with Nazi officers in the camps, but I don't know what I would do when faced with starvation or cremation. Rosie survived 3 camps, including Auschwitz, although she was sterilized by x-rays by Dr. Mengele's assistant. What I really found shocking is the way that the Dutch government treated Dutch citizens who had survived the war, no better than the Nazis, from these accounts. This was a great non-fiction read. 320 pages… (plus d'informations)

The author of this biography was raised in the Catholic faith. He learned of his Jewish background as an adult, and of his aunt Rosie, who survived the Holocaust. Glaser did not have a relationship with his aunt because of a rift between his father and his aunt. However, he had access to her diaries and letters, and they form the basis for this biography.

Rosie was an unconventional woman. She was attractive and had a strong personality. She ignored the Jewish curfew and refused to wear a yellow star on her clothes, and she got away with this for quite some time. When she eventually ended up in work camps and concentration camps, she was able to negotiate with camp officials and with other prisoners to get what she needed, whether that was extra food, warmer clothing, or better living conditions. She didn't seem to have scruples about sleeping with officers if that's what it took to get what she most needed. Rosie survived.

I've read about the Dutch resistance and Dutch citizens like Corrie ten Boom and Miep Gies who hid Jews during the Holocaust. This book tells a different story of Dutch who betrayed Jews and the Dutch government's cooperation with the Germans.

For me, the saddest part of Rosie's story is the rift that grew between Rosie and her brother (the author's father). They both survived, but it seemed that neither could forgive the other for the way they survived.… (plus d'informations)

Paul Glaser didn't want to visit Auschwitz but he was persuaded to go. Afterwards, all anyone in the group had to say to him was about that suitcase they saw displayed that had his last name on it. What did it mean? Was his family Jewish? Those questions changed Paul's life. They led him on a journey, first through diaries and long-forgotten family stories, then ultimately to a woman - his Great-Aunt Rosie. She was remarkable in many ways and thankfully he was able to meet her before she died.

Rosie Glaser was a Dutch Jew by birth, though not by religious practice. She refused to wear her star or obey any of the restrictions against Jews. Rosie loved to dance. She married a dance instructor and began to teach with him at his studio. When their marriage fell apart, she became competition for her ex-husband and he turned her in to the Germans. She and her family were sent to many camps: Westerbork, Auschwitz and Birkenau. She became mistress to more than one German officer and to entertain them, she briefly taught some of the camp guards etiquette and dance. She worked as a nurse and to avoid the hard labor camp, she agreed to allow them to perform medical experiments on her. The nurses whispered to her that she had been sterilized. For a time she was given the task of escorting people to the gas chamber. She would hand them a towel and smile to try and comfort them. Her job was then to drag the bodies out of the room once they were dead. She did not last long at this assignment and soon took a labor job, building grenades. She became ill with Typhoid, even though she had been vaccinated against it during the experiments. She weighed only 84lbs. Luckily this was towards the end of the war and, when the camp was freed, she was sent to Sweden to recuperate. There she remarried and lived the rest of her days.

World War II was not favorable to Rosie's countrymen. Three-Fourths of all Dutch Jews were killed by the Germans - more than any other country. Her story is not one of being hidden by friends or rescued by the Underground. True to herself, she lived as she wanted to and she dealt with the consequences. It was only her strong-willed, pragmatic nature that allowed her to survive the Holocaust. I found much of her experience to be horrifying but in its own way very inspiring.… (plus d'informations)