Review: Saving the Schindler's Daughter: How Courageous Women Rescued an Orphaned Girl from French Concentration Camps

Saving the Schindler's Daughter: How Courageous Women Rescued an Orphaned Girl from French Concentration Camps by Douglas Boyd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Note: I received an advanced copy of this book from Pen & Sword, Pen & Sword History via NetGalley.

Lore Schindler's harrowing journey began at the age of ten when her father, a dentist named Harry, was arrested by the Gestapo in Berlin and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Her mother, Grete, secured his release by forfeiting all their possessions to the Nazi regime, leaving the family with a mere 10 Marks each. Crossing the border, they endured degrading strip searches.

Lore's ordeal unfolded in French concentration camps, where her mother and father tragically succumbed to the harsh conditions. Orphaned and ailing in the vast Gurs camp, she was saved by prisoner-nurse Schwester Käte. However, had it not been for the compassion of two sisters, Elsie and Marthe Liefmann, who "adopted" her, found sustenance, and ensured she ate, Lore might have perished from starvation. Elsbeth Kasser, a Swiss-German social worker, also played a vital role by offering her milk and Swiss cheese to help nurse "the thinnest girl in the camp" back to health. Elisabeth Hirsch, another social worker, used a forged identity card to facilitate Lore's escape from the camp, ultimately taking her to La Maison de Moissac, a sanctuary for refugee children in southwestern France, overseen by her sister Shatta Simon.

In Moissac, Lore was among several hundred children hidden from Nazi occupiers and French fascists who sought to send them to Polish death camps. When danger loomed in Moissac, Lore found refuge with pianist Hélène Gribenski in a remote village. As circumstances grew perilous once again, they relocated to a primitive forest-dwelling, awaiting the Allied victory.

The remarkable tale of Lore's survival owes its debt to these courageous women who risked their lives to safeguard hers. After the war, she found love in an Israeli kibbutz and eventually settled in New York with her American husband, where she worked as a librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library. Her borrowers never suspected the terrifying ordeals she had endured during her adolescence and the challenges of her formative years in a foreign land whose language she could not even speak.

The sheer resilience and unyielding spirit with which Lore navigates the unfathomable hardships and atrocities that beset her are nothing short of inspirational. Beyond Lore's remarkable journey, the book also illuminates the unsung heroes who emerged from the shadows, risking everything to save countless lives. Their acts of valor and compassion, detailed within these pages, serve as a poignant reminder of the incredible capacity for humanity's nobility, even amidst the darkest of times.

It's essential to clarify that the book isn't connected to the Schindler of 'Schindler's List.' Nonetheless, this book offers a powerful and emotionally resonant journey through a lesser-known but equally important chapter in history.

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