The millions who lost their lives in the Holocaust no longer have a voice, so I am committed to speaking for them.
★★★★★
Janet Singer Applefield’s story is a tale of resilience against adversities: growing up Jewish in pre-WWII Poland, she didn’t know that her life and the life of her family would be upended by the events to come. Janet’s parents leave her to the care of their relatives, having the reassurance that her looks will protect her in plain sight. She is in fact blond with fair skin, physical traits prised by the Nazi regime. By a mix of favourable odds and the bravery and generosity of neighbours and strangers, Janet will survive the horrible tragedy that rocked Europe.
Written with such an empathetic and gentle voice, which doesn’t diminish the brutality of the events, it is no surprise that Janet Singer Applefield is an educator who shares her Holocaust testimony in schools. This is how we find her at the very beginning of Becoming Janet: ready to speak to the next generation. Because to prevent history from repeating itself, we must never forget.
Spanning from her earliest memories with her family just before the outbreak of war in Europe to the aftermath of WWII and her new future, Applefield shades light on a topic that is not often discussed: the loved ones left behind.
Moving from the care of different relatives and strangers, Janet will forget what stability and safety felt like. Once her ordeal will be over and she is reunited with her dad, she will need time to heal from the trauma of the war.
Even when the traumatic events seem to be over, life is far from returning to normal. Just because the occupation of her country has ended, hatred has not disappeared. She will be constantly faced with a sense of insecurity and alienation in a country that stripped her of everything she had.
My Thoughts
Even though the story of this young and brave survivor may seem purely traumatic, there are uplifting moments that give us a sense of hope and faith in humankind. The entire book revolves around brave people who made courageous choices: no matter how dangerous and life-threatening choosing the right thing to do might be, it can make all the difference. It did for Janet, and many others. Applefield brings her experience to young people not just to give voice to those who don’t have one, but also to let the next generation know that they have a choice: stand up to discrimination and injustice, or be complicit.
Something else that I found particularly interesting in this book is the description of life for Jewish people after WWII: just because the war is over, hatred will not stop overnight. This sad reality is apparent, but it’s also rarely discussed. Of the few testimony that I read, not many delve into the details of how life changed, especially for those who continued to be persecuted just for their “diversity”, and the remnants of the Nazi agenda.
In line with the book’s goals and origins, at the end of it, readers will find questions designed to stimulate reflection and discussion, whether individually or in a classroom setting.
Dzidzia, jesteśmy w domu. Teraz możemy żyć w spokoju.
(Baby, we are home. Now we will live in peace.)
They laughed and cried, and when their bodies parted, their smiles were wide and their faces were streaked with tears that were a mixture of joy and torment.
All those who should have been standing beside us gripped our hearts tightly.
“I want them to know what can happen when a government gets so powerful that people stop thinking about what is right and what is wrong. What is logical and illogical. What is sane and insane.”
“Everyone has a story,” I say, breaking the silence. “I share mine with you as a reminder that when you see prejudice or injustice or bullying, you have a choice to make. You can choose to do something or say something, and that choice can have a ripple effect that changes your friends, your school, your community, and potentially the world. I hope you will think about those who chose to show me kindness and how their actions changed my life and my children’s lives and their children’s lives. You all have that same power.”
“The millions who lost their lives in the Holocaust no longer have a voice, so I am committed to speaking for them. I speak for my mom and for my aunts and uncles, my cousins, and my grandparents. I was a witness to the Holocaust, and now that you have heard me speak, you too are witnesses. When there are no more Holocaust survivors to tell our stories, I hope you will carry the torch for me. You are the ones who will help make sure this never happens again. I also tell my story to encourage you to learn about where you come from. We all have our own stories that are worth sharing.”
“Just as there are good Americans and bad Americans, there were good Poles and bad Poles, good Germans and bad Germans. Remember, if it weren’t for Maria, Alicja Gołąb, Aunt Eugenia, Janina, and so many other good non-Jewish people, I wouldn’t be here today. Those righteous gentiles changed generations to come and are true heroes.”
Inky Lighthouse 
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