The Redhead of Auschwitz: A True Story (Holocaust Survivor True Stories WWII) by Nechama Birnbaum is an addition to the series. Redheads are cursed, isn’t that what they say? Certainly, Rosie was always told that but she brushed it aside. She dreamed of getting married to a man she could love forever but her life changed in 1944. Rosie was sent to Auschwitz, with her beautiful red hair shaved off on arrival. Her dreams and her red hair may have gone but the Nazis could never tame her red-headed spirit, could never hold back her resilience and her determination to get back home, even when all those around her had lost hope of ever being free. No matter what the Nazis put her through, she never lost hope. Rosie was the girl who believed she could survive the horrors of the death camp and sometimes belief is all you need. The Redhead of Auschwitz by Nechama Birnbaum is another one of those Nazi survivor stories that you must read. Our beautiful heroine, the young red-headed Rosie, teaches us that sometimes hope and belief in yourself are all you need to give you that nudge to keep going. This Auschwitz survivor story is a lesson to all of us and should be on required reading lists at schools and taught in history lessons. It informs us about Jewish culture, about the bonds of family and friends, and it teaches us to have a true, deep belief in all we want to accomplish – believe, and you can do it. This is a harrowing book, as any death camp survivor story is, and it is a hard read at times. Be prepared to cry, fume at injustice, and delight in Rosie’s triumphs. Be prepared to read this from start to finish in one go because you will be hooked. No matter how hard some people try to wipe away all traces of history, no matter how much they deny that these things happened, stories like this must be repeated because one thing is certain – we must never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Nechama tells us the true story of her grandmother’s childhood and time in World War II concentration camps. This was a difficult read but enthralling. I finished in one day. I could not put this book down. There were short chapters about Rosie’s childhood before the war started which showed her history. The reader really gets to know the family and feels for her all along the way. “No one ever cared that I was Jewish. I spent my childhood in this very square, meeting friends and shopping for Mama. It has always been my home, but in an instant, it has turned into something else. Something I can’t even recognize.”

I was sent an advanced copy of this book, but I am now pre-ordering a hard copy, that is the impact it has made. The book is the true story of Rosie's first person account told to and written by her Granddaughter. I have followed 'The Redhead of Auschwitz' on Instagram, and heard this remarkable woman speak so as I read I could hear her voice telling her story. Beautifully written, but at times so difficult to read that I had to pause. The bravery that this young woman had, determined that 'I will go home,' is nothing short of amazing. It is a story of strength and grace in the midst of the most horrible of inhumanity and brutality. All the more impactful because it was not a novel about a character created by an author, but the true telling of a survivor. Read the book, follow her on Instagram and hear her message of hope for us all to do better.

The Redhead from Auschwitz: A True Story is written by Nechama Birnbaum. Nechama is the granddaughter of Rosie Greenstein, a Holocaust survivor. When other grandmothers gave their grandchildren gifts and things, Nechama’s grandmother gave her stories. These stories are the basis of this book. Rosie felt that her memories and those of other survivors should be told so that the tragedy of this era were not lost and that those who lost their lives should be remembered. Rosie, her mother, her brother and her sister, Leah, were taken from their home in Crasna on May 14, 1944 along with the other Jew of the town and were combined with many of the small towns around Crasna on a train bound for Auschwitz. Her mother made her and Leah promise to keep together no matter what and to help each other. On arrival at Auschwitz, her mother was sent to the right while the three children were sent to the left. However, her brother couldn’t stand his mother being alone and managed to sneak to the right. Rosie’s last sight of them was of them wrapped in each other’s arms. She had no way of knowing this was the last she would see her mother and brother. Leah and Rosie managed to stick together in the same barrack and when Leah wanted to give up, Rosie badgered her to keep going. Rosie never gave up the idea that she would go home after this was over. Nechama gives the details her grandmother gave her as she tells us the horrible road her grandmother traveled to reach freedom. She and Leah went through Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Duderstadt ammunition factory, and Theresienstadt. Together, they traveled with their aunt back home. Nechama tells the story in alternate chapters. The first set of chapters tells us of her life before the war at different ages. We learn about her father, mother, brother, and grandfather who had such an effect on her life. The second set of chapters shows us what happened after they were taken in May, 1944 until she and her husband attempt to get to America. The details she gives of her life and the feelings and thoughts she has throughout her life gives us a clear picture of her strengths and where she got them. When she is working at the ammunition factory, she has flashbacks to her home and family. Her mother and grandfather give her the strength through these flashbacks to continue and fight to live. Her family means everything to her. Rosie is now the mother of 5 children, 28 grandchildren, 120 great-grandchildren, and 7 great-greats. All of them know their grandmother well and have heard her stories. Nechama vows not to let them forget. The book is easy to read and is compelling. I was able to read the book in one day with extensive bouts of reading. I simply could not easily put it down when I had to. When she and the others were in the gas chamber at Auschwitz, I could vividly see the scene as I have been to that camp. I saw where the orchestra played and where they undressed. I was able to go into that gas chamber and see the scratches on the walls. It was extremely easy to feel the suspense building as the door was shut but no water or gas came out. It wasn’t until later that Rosie realized where they had been and why their Kapo was so amazed that they were alive. The book is amazing.

This book is simply spectacular! Beautifully written, easy to read, great depiction of detail, bringing the story to life. From the glimpses of small town Krasna to the harrowing scenes unfolded in various dark places such as a brickyard, the infamous death camp Auschwitz, and an ammunition factory deep in the forest, this story offers insight into the true tale of Rosie Greenstein, a young woman who went through and witnessed one of the worst atrocities ever committed to humankind - the Holocaust. Although there is much tragedy in this story, it is laced with hope, determination and outright miracles demonstrating how Rosie felt G-d’s presence with her throughout. Enjoy the read, I could not put this one down !

The Redhead of Auschwitz was a difficult book to write but not so to read. Rosie Greenstein’s granddaughter captured the experience of her grandmother and drew so close that she was able to write in her voice. The result is a powerful work that traces Rosie's experience from the itense family life of her youth, to the German invasion of Hungary, ghettoization, deportation, arrival, Auschwitz and the daily struggle for survival. No one survived Auschwitz without luck but Rosie's is able to describe the many ways she defeated death by wit and wisdom, determination and an iron will. She was one of the very few who entered the gas chambers and returned because on the day she was selected to be murdered, gassing stopped. She was more valuable to the Nazis alive than dead. We follow her through the death marches to liberation and the return and catch the briefest glimpse of her life afterward. Each chapter begins with a verse from Psalms chosen with such great sensitivity that we see how Psalms can accompany us all the days of our life from the depths of anguish to the heights of joy, from the darkness of humanity to majesty of human kindness and our Creator. An important story told with grace and love!

Nechama Birnbaum has written a very moving and heart wrenching account about her redhead grandmother’s life growing up in Crasna, Romania and her experiences in back breaking work in a brickyard, Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, the Duderstadt ammunition factory, Theresienstadt and DP camps. Her testimony honors the memory of family members who were murdered by the Germans, and demonstrates how, against all odds, she survived. “The redhead who promised herself that she is going home,” leaves an incredible legacy of 5 children, 28 grandchildren, 120 great grandchildren and 7 great, great grandchildren.

My wife was dumbfounded that I read the entire book in three sittings over just three days. You have no idea what my daily reading of world events consumes of my daily routine! I don’t usually have the time or the inclination to read an entire book, but your grandmother’s story and your ability to shift to the horror from the nostalgic was especially artful and powerful. The Redhead of Auschwitz is a story of a heroic Holocaust survivor who lived through the worst obscenity ever tolerated by human civilization. Yet, the Redhead’s own exquisite loyalty, her unyielding courage and indomitable faith inspires us to still believe in the decency of humanity. Hitler lost and the Jewish People out lived him proving, once again, that despite every effort to destroy us throughout the millennia, we remain an eternal people embraced by G-d.”