Holocaust memoirs
The Holocaust Autobiographies Catalogue is a database of over 180 memoirs that have been written by survivors of the Holocaust and published in Australia. These books have been written by people from different countries and different communities. They describe events from varied perspectives: some of the writers were very young during the years of the Second World War; others were more mature. Some survived by going into hiding, whilst others endured the tortures of Nazi concentration camps. The writing styles also vary. Some of the books in the database were written by accomplished writers; others were written by people who would not have chosen to write at all were it not for a compelling sense of duty to tell their stories.
The database contains detailed information about each book. In addition to bibliographical details (author, title, publisher, place and year of publication), the database also lists a book’s location, where possible. The database has been created in parallel with a collection of memoirs located in the Rare Books Collection of the Sir Louis Matheson Library of Monash University. If that collection or any of the Monash University libraries has the book, then that is listed as its location. Otherwise, an alternative library is listed. There is also a summary of each book, as well as a list of camps, towns and cities mentioned.
Finally, a brief word about the criteria for inclusion in the database. All of the books in the database were written by first-generation Holocaust survivors; the authors have written about their own experiences rather than those of parents or grandparents. The books are all written by Jews who came under the Nazi sphere of influence at some stage during or immediately before World War II. All of the books were published in Australia, though a few of the authors do reside overseas. It should also be mentioned that the database is at this stage still incomplete. As such, some books do not yet have summaries or full details.
# Concept: Andrew Markus - Prepared by: Daniel Bloom, Adrian Sackson and Margaret Taft, with the assistance of students enrolled in the subject 'The Holocaust' at Monash University
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K| L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Adler, Jacques, Remembrance, memory and life: Jewish holocaust survivors in Victoria, State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, 1993
Agar, Fred, A Colourful Life: A Memoir of Ferencz Schwartz/Fred Agar, Fred Agar (Brown Prior Anderson), Melbourne, 2006
Ajzen, Chaim, Chaim Ajzen remembers, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2005
Ajzenbud, Moshe, The Commissar took care, Globe Publishing, Melbourne, 1986
Ajzner, Hania, Hania's war, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2000
Alexander, Aleksandra, Tracing the past, Self Published
Altman, Kitia, Memories of ordinary people, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2003
Antman, Fred, A Tale of Three Cities: Berlin, Shanghai, Melbourne, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2011
Arkwright, Kenneth, Beyond Survival, Hybrid Publishers, Melbourne, 2018
Armstrong, Diane, Mosaic - a chronicle of 5 generations, Melbourne, 1998
Arnstein, Lenke, Recurring dreams, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2002
Atlas, Zygfryd, Just one life, Rocham, Melbourne, 1999
B
Barac, Barbara, Escape from destiny, Jewish Holocaust Centre, Melbourne, 1990
Berk, Leon, Destined to live, Paragon Press, Melbourne, 1992
Biderman, Abraham, World of My Past, AHB Publications, New South Wales, 1995
Bierzynski, Burnett, My Life and My Struggle, Bierzynski, Melbourne, 1996
Blau, Magda, From Childhood to Auschwitz, Self Published, Melbourne, 2003
Borenstein, Henry, All Alone: A young boy hiding in wartime Poland. Caulfield South, VIC: Makor Jewish Community Library, 2008
Bornstein, Zelman, A Leaf on the Diaspora Tree, Melbourne: Self-Published, 1994
Braun, Emil, Into the Light, Self Published, Melbourne, 2000
Bruell, Anna, Autumn in Springtime, Self Published, Melbourne, 1995
Burnett, I.B., In Footsteps of Memory, Morescope Publishing, Melbourne, 1993
C
Cassab, Judy, Judy Cassab Diaries, Random House, Sydney, 1996
Celemenski, Jacob, Elegy for My People, Self Published, Victoria, 2000
Censor, Maria, Letters to My Mother, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2000
Cherny, Sylvia, Who is Sylvia?, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2004
Cohen, Louis, Just for the Record, Self Published, Melbourne, 2000
Colman, Alex, After Forty Years Silence, Jewish Holocaust Centre, Melbourne, 1990
Cooper, Leo, The Long Road to the Lucky Country, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2005
Cooper, Leo, Stakhanovites and Others: The Story of a Worker in Soviet Union, Hudson Publishing, Melbourne, 1994
Cukierman, Doba-necha, A Guardian Angel, Ester Csaky, Melbourne, 1997
Cymbalist, Susie, Susie’s Story: Surviving in Budapest. Caulfield South, VIC: Makor Jewish Community Library, 2011
Cyngler, Danka & Henry, Going through fire without getting burned: Memoirs of two Holocaust survivors, Melbourne: Self-Published, 2013
Cytrynowski, Itzhak, And I Will Remember My Covenant, Self Published, Melbourne, 1988
D
Dror, Tamar, A Green Parrot, Kitia Altman, Sydney, 1999
E
Ekstein, Elka, Chutzpe un Draystkayt, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2006
Eisfelder, Horst Peter, Chinese Exile, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2003
Elton (Elbaum), Zyga, Destination Buchara, Dizal Nominees, Melbourne, 1996
Engelman, Matylda, The End of the Journey: An Autobiography, Lantana, Melbourne, 1978
Engelman, Matylda, Journey Without End: An Autobiography, Lantana, Melbourne, 1977
Erlanger, Arnold, Choose Life, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2003
F
Fabian, Garry, A Look Back Over My Shoulder, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2002
Feniger, Saba, Short Stories; Long Memories, Vista Publications, Melbourne, 1999
Fischl, Otto, My diary: 19 October 1943-15 March 1945. Translated by Jeanette Kidron. Darlinghurst, NSW: Sydney Jewish Museum, 2011
Fiszman, Moshe, My Vow Never to Forget. Elsternwick, VIC: Jewish Holocaust Centre, 2019
Firestone, Lucyna, Aby Dalej (Just Keep Going), Andrew Firestone, Melbourne, 2005
Foster,Thomas, Frozen Boots: A story of love and survival. Darlinghurst, NSW: Sydney Jewish Museum, 2006
Fransman, Harry, The Devil's Greed, Self Published, , 2000
Friedman, Jakob, Reluctant Soldier: A Jewish Partisan's Story, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2005
Friend, John, Out of darkness, Self Published, Melbourne, 1998
Friesova, Jana Renee, Fortress of my youth, Teledor Publishing, Hobart, 1996
G
Gaida, Jack, This is my story, Self Published, Melbourne, 1985
Ginzburg, George, A Will To Live, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2003
Glas-Wiener, Sheva, Children of the Ghetto, Globe Press, Melbourne, 1983
Glazer, Cesha, Cesha’s Story, Sydney Jewish Museum, Sydney, 2011
Gluck, Catherine, The Girl with Long Hair, Self Published, Sydney, 1992
Goldberg, Luba, A Sparkle of hope, Self Published, Melbourne, 1998
Goldberg, Paulette, Just think it never happened, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2002
Goldrei, Naomi, The Champions of my Childhood, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2003
Goldstein, Guta, There will be tomorrow, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 1999
Gould, Lucy, Empty Corners - a memior, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2000
Gray, Gary, A Spoonful of Soup and other stories, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2003
Green, Sissel, The Deprivation of Cili Duman, French Forest, Melbourne, 1994
Gross, Jozef, If all the seas were ink, After Hours Computer Services, Melbourne, 1993
Gunsberger, Otto, Choice of Profession, Nustyle Services, Melbourne, 1991
H
Haberfeld, Lusia, Lauferin: The runner of Birkenau, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2002
Halbreich, Simon, One day at a time Poland 1939-1945, J. Jarvis, Sydney, 1999
Hellinger, Elsa, Lucky, Again and Again: A Survivor from Michalovce, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2013
Hillel, Hilde R, Across barbed wire and beyond, Self Published, 1998
Hoffman, Louse and Masel, Shush. Without Regret, Perth: University of Western Australia, 1994
Hoffman, Maurie, Keep Yelling: A Survivor's Testimony, Spectrum Publications, Melbourne, 1995
Honigman, Ben, Upon Gods Mercy, Self Published, 1997
Horak, Olga, Auschwitz to Australia: survivors memoir, Kangaroo Press, Melbourne, 2000
Huppert, Nora, From Holocaust to Haven, Huppert, 2002
Hymans, Robert, Treasures from the attic, Self Published, Wodonga, 1994
I
Ingram, Bernard Hellreich, Unfinished Symphony, Self Published, Newcastle, 1991
J
Janowski, Niusia, A life apart, Self Published, Melbourne, 1993
Jolson, Leon, Działowski: A Survivor of the Sinking of the Cap Arcona. Caulfield South, VIC: Makor at Lamm Jewish Library of Australia, 2020
K
Katz, Kalman, Memories of war, Eskay Press, Melbourne, 1995
Kay, David, Tough kid: surviving Siberia in style, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2005
Kaye, David, I still remember, Lara Consultancy, Melbourne, 1996
Kempler, Sonia, The Wheels of Memory: Growing up with a war on my shoulders. Caulfield South, VIC: Makor Jewish Community Library, 2010
Kery, Iby, I have been Chosen, Self Published, Melbourne, 1985
Kochan, Maurice, I Survived: A Testimony of a Teenager's Holocaust Experience, Self Published, Sydney, 1991
Kogosowski, Hanna, The times of my life, Self Published, 1991
Kolliner, Peter, The Story of the Kolliners, Self Published, Melbourne, 1987
Kolt, Judy, Tell it to the squirrels. Caulfield South, VIC: Makor Jewish Community Library, 2009
Korda, Teri, My dear Andrea & Andris, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2002
Korn, Henri, Saviours: The story of a Jewish Alter Boy, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2004
Kostanski, Jan, Janek - a gentile in the Warsaw Ghetto, Self Published, Melbourne, 1998
Kraus, Clara, The Colours of War: Ten Uncertain Years 1935-1945, Spectrum Publications, , 1987
Kriek, Samuel, Forty years, Focus on Israel, 2001
Krupinski, Jerzy, My four lives, Vista Publications, Melbourne, 2001
L
Ladanyi, Helena, Where do you people come from?, Spectrum, Melbourne, 1988
Landau, David, Caged - a story of Jewish resistance, Pan McMillan, Sydney, 2002
Lane, Martin, Six million and one, York Press, Melbourne, 1973
Lazarus, Francine, A Hidden Jewish Child from Belgium: Survival, scars and healing. Elstree, UK: Vallentine Mitchell, 2017
Lederman, Celia, Becoming Celia: The Story of Haftling 46996, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2011
Lee, Des, I had nothing to lose: A life of ups and downs. Caulfield South, VIC: Makor Jewish Community Library, 2010
Leizerson, Rachel, My Story, Self Published, Melbourne, 1990
Leperere, Helen, Memoirs & Reflections, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2002
Lermer, Willy, From Hell to Salvation: Surviving the Holocaust. Elsternwick, VIC: Jewish Holocaust Centre, 2017
Levine, Barbara, Surviving, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2004
Lewinson, Irene Alice, Half A Life: The First Forty Years, Vista Publications, Melbourne, 1996
Lewitt, Maria, Come Spring, Scribe, Melbourne, 1980
Lewkowicz, Berek, A Boy from Bedzin, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2014
Liebmann, Henriette, Death wore a Nazi uniform, Self Published, Melbourne, 1988
Lippman, Gert, A Link in the Chain, Self Published, Sydney, 1990
Lipszyc, Mordka Beer, Memoirs of Mordka Beer Lipszyc, Self Published, Melbourne, 1998
Lissauer, Mark, A 20th Century Jewish Life: A survivor from Hamburg. Caulfield South, VIC: Makor Jewish Community Library, 2013
Lissing, Herman, Against All Odds I Survived, Self Published, , 1991
Lissing, Betty, God Cried at Auschwitz, LMN Systems, Adelaide, 2003
Loven, Shoshana, Blessings and Curses: A Life Remembered. Caulfield South, VIC: Makor Jewish Community Library, 2010
Lowy, Alex, Dedicated to my children & grandchildren, Self Published, 1989
Lurje, Izak, Nothing Special: The Story of my life, Self Published, Melbourne, 1999
M
Mandelbaum, Feige-Rachel, Dos is mayn Lebn - This is my life, Feigie Bennet, 1975
Mandelbaum, Rae, Echoes from the past, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 1999
Marks, Eva, A Patchwork Life, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2002
Markuszewicz, Roman, A miraculous escape, J. Hammond, 1976
Mayer, Hania, A Lucky Human Being: An Incredible Story of Survival, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2009
Meadows, Julie, Memory guide my hand: An anthology of autobiographical writing by members of the Melbourne Jewish Community, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 1998
Meadows, Julie, Memory guide my hand: An anthology of autobiographical writing by members of the Melbourne Jewish Community, volume 2, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2000
Meadows, Julie, Memory guide my hand: An anthology of autobiographical writing by members of the Melbourne Jewish Community, volume 3, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2004
N
Nadel, Lita, From 2 hells:an autobiography, Self Published, Sydney, 1995
Nagler, Eva, Massacre on the Baltic, Self Published, Melbourne, 1995
Nowak, Josef, The sacrifice, Oasis Print, , 1990
O
Olenski, Luba, A Life Reclaimed: A child among the partisans, Caulfield, VIC: Makor Jewish Community Library, 2006
P
Phillips, Hartog, Just call me Harry: growing up in a Dutch village, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2005
Pretzel, Marian M, By My Own Authority. Kenthurst, NSW: Kangaroo Press, 1985
Pretzel, Marian M, Portrait of a Young Forger: Marian Pretzel’s memoir of His adventures and survival in wartime Europe, St Lucia, QLD: University of Queensland Press, 1989
Pretzel, Marian M, There was no farewell: Fifty years on Marian Pretzel revisits Lvov, Darlinghurst, NSW: Sydney Jewish Museum, 1995
Prow, George, Unforgettable Heroine, Self Published, 1996
Przbyszewicz, Lusia, All That Was, Self Published, 2001
Q
Quittner, Eva, Pebbles of Remembrance, Kerr Publishing, Sydney, 1993
R
Rack, Ruth, Book of Ruth: memoirs of a child survivor, Southern Highlands, Sydney, 2002
Ray, Kenneth, Ordered to live-the life of a holocaust survivor, Vision Publication, 2000
Reinisch, George, Shanghai Haven, Self Published
Reiser, Icyk Mendel, The watchmaker, Self Published
Reisman, Kathy, More than nine lives, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2002
Reiss, Henry, January 1944: a saga of survival, Reiss family, Sydney, 1991
Robin, Moshe, Stepping into life, Reiss family Moshe, Melbourne, 2002
Robinson, Halina, A cork on the waves, Sydney Jewish Museum, Sydney, 2005
Rogozinski, Szymon, My fortunate life, Self Published, Melbourne, 2001
Rosenberg, Jacob G., East of time, Brandl & Schlesinger, 2005
Rosenberg, Elfie, Serry and me: kindertransport and beyond, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2001
Rosenbloom, Fela, Miracles do happen: memoirs, Scribe, Melbourne, 1994
Ross, Rita, The Sum of Three: Rutka, Jadzia, Rita, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2013
Roth, Rena, Gizela, Endeavour Publishing, Melbourne, 1988
Roth, Marianne, An intricate collage, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2000
Rubin, Wolf, Wolf: survivng by art, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2003
Rudolph, Joanne, Witness: voices from the Holocaust, Macmillan, , 2000
S
Saaroni, Sarah, Life goes on regardless, Hudson Publishing, Hawthorn, 1989
Sage, Alex, For Esther, Flamingo, Melbourne, 2000
Sandy, Kitty, Stormy weather: A life’s journey from Budapest to Melbourne, Caulfield South, VIC: Makor Jewish Community Library, 2006
Sattler, Stanislaw, Prisoner of 68 months Buchenwald & Auschwitz, Kelly Books, Melbourne, 1980
Schreiber, Vera, The porcelain doll Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2000
Schwartz, Andor, Living memory, Black Inc, Melbourne, 2004
Schwartz, Zoltan, Army-cap boy, McMillan, Melbourne, 1983
Schwartz, Zoltan, Survivors: autobiography, Lina Publishing, Melbourne, 1998
Seligman, Richard, Very convenient everywhere. New York: Vantage Press, 1991
Sharpe, Annita, Escape to Les Vignes: A Childhood in Nazi-Occupied France, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne 2007
Siegreich, Siegmund, The Thirty Six, Random House, Sydney, 2009
Silberg, Michael, My story, Self Published, Melbourne, 1992
Silbert, Eric, Dinkum mishpochah, Artlook Books, , 1981
Simievic, Charles, Letter to Timna and Gil from your Saba Charles Simievic, Self Published
Singer, Ivan A., Across three continents, Self Published, Sydney, 1994
Singer, Ivan, My father's blessing, Singer Consulting, Sydney, 2002
Skall, Lily, My story, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2000
Slonim, Eva, Gazing at the Stars: Memories of a Child Survivor, Black Inc Books (Schwartz Publishing), Melbourne, 2014
Spindler, Arthur, Outwitting Hitler, surviving Stalin, University of New South Wales Press, New South Wales, 1997
Spira, Leonard, A Lucky Story: How a Polish family came to Australia in 1941. Sunshine Beach, QLD: Self-Published, 2008
Spitzer, Martin, Storm over Tatra, Self Published, Adelaide, 1989
Sprada & Prigge, Regina & Geoff, Laugh to survive, Geoff Prigge Productions, Melbourne, 1993
Sput-Stern, Anna, On the other side of the river, Aussie Publications, Melbourne, 1999
Stark, Boris and Leikin, Vladimir, ed. Not to be forgotten: Eye-witness accounts of the Holocaust from Melbourne Residents, Melbourne: Self-Published, 2003
Starkiewics, Helena, Blades of grass between the stones, Self Published, Melbourne, 1998
Steel, Helen Rose, T.B. versus Nazi, Self Published, 1987
Sten, George, Memoirs of a survivor, Self Published, Sydney, 1996
Steinbok, Fela, Remember. Caulfield South, VIC: Makor Jewish Community Library, 2008
Stern, Max, My stamp on life, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2003
Stone, Nina, Born to Survive: A long journey to freedom. Caulfield South, VIC: Makor at Lamm Jewish Library of Australia, 2015
Stone, Nina, Silent no more: Melbourne child survivors of the Holocaust, Child Survivors of the Holocaust, Melbourne, 1999
Szalmuk, Mira, From tragedy to triumph, Puma Press, Melbourne, 1997
Szego, George, Two prayers to one God, Hardi Grant Books, Melbourne, 2001
T
Tauber, Tova, Out of The Ashes: How I survived Lodz Ghetto, Auschwitz-Birkenau and Torgau, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2011
Tycho, Tommy, Tommy Tycho story: music, maestro please, Brolga, 1995
U
V
Valent, Paul, Child survivors, William Heinemann, Melbourne, 1993
Valenta, Nick, Destiny and luck, Self published, Sydney, 2002
van Apeldoorn, Jan, Departure delayed, Robertson & Mullens, 1945
van Rijsdijk, Mink, The Shoes of a Foundling. Translated by Anneke van Deurse-Verhave, Caulfield South, VIC: Makor Jewish Community Library, 2005
Varga, Susan, Heddy and me, Penguin Books, Melbourne, 1994
Verolme, Hetty E, The children's house of Belsen, Fremantle Press, Fremantle, 2000
Verstandig, Mark, I rest my case, Saga Press, Melbourne, 1995
Visontay, Czeizler Rose, Boutique, Self Published, Sydney, 1976
W
Wagowska, Halina, People and Places in War and Peace, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2009
Wajnblum, Emanuel, My destiny - an autobiography, Self Published, Melbourne, 1998
Wajnryb, Abraham, Testimony of Dr. Abraham Wajnryb, Self Published
Wajnryb, Abraham, They marched us three nights, Melbourne Holocaust Centre, Melbourne, 1988
Wargon, Alex, The several lives of Alex Wargon, Self Published, Sydney, 1998
Weiss, Lotte, My two lives, Sydney Jewish Museum, Sydney, 2003
West, Joseph, Survival, struggle and success, JFW Publications, , 1995
White, Naomi Rosh, From darkness to light - surviving the holocaust, Collins Dove, Melbourne, 1988
White, Maurice, Lechaim! To life, Self Published, Melbourne, 2003
Widawski, Celina, The sun will shine tomorrow, Self Published, Melbourne, 1993
Wilson, Ruth, Child survivors speak out, Kenigsberg & Wilson, , 1995
Wright, Susanne, A Ballad by Johannes Brahms: A journey to understand a childhood in Vienna shattered by Nazism, Caulfield South, VIC: Makor Jewish Community Library, 2006
Wroby, Godel, My battle for survival, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2004
X
Y
Z
Ziskind, Chaya, They watched over us, Puma Press, Melbourne, 1998
Zylberman, Halina, Swimming underwater, Makor Jewish Community Library, Melbourne, 2001