A Jewish Boyhood in Poland: Remembering Kolbuszowa - Softcover

Norman Salsitz (author)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0815605811 ISBN 13: 9780815605812

Publisher: Syracuse University Press, 1999

A recollection of a Jewish childhood and the traditional way of life in a small Polish town before the Nazi invasion, as told by Salsitz to Skolnik. Kolbuszowa was a thriving town of 4,000 people before World War II; it is gone now, destroyed by the people themselves at the orders of the Nazis.

Review:

Salsitz does serve up enough wonderful stories about tension between Poles and Jews, Zionists and Orthodox, God and man (and even sometimes woman) to earn his place on the shelf with Isaac Bashevis Singer and Isaac Babel.--Kirkus Review

Salsitz speaks to us both as an exceptional witness to everyday events in the town and as a shrewd observer of the broader landscape. Colorful details bring the people, the customs and habits, both religious and secular, back to life.--Polish Heritage

About the Author:

Norman Salsitz, disguising his identity, joined the Polish Army after his escape from the German work camp. He survived the war, leaving Poland in 1946 for America, where he has lived ever since. He is also coauthor, with his wife, of Against All Odds: A Tale of Two Survivors, which recounts his struggle for survival after the destruction of Kolbuszowa. Richard Skolnik is Professor of History at the City College of CUNY. Skolnik interviewed Salsitz over a three-year period, accumulating several hundred hours of taped conversations. Skolnik is the author of Jefferson's Decision, Our Great Heritage and a number of other books.

• Publisher: Syracuse University Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0815605811
• ISBN 13: 9780815605812
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 212