A Family Torn Apart

by Justina D. Neufeld

A Family Torn Apart is the harrowing story of one family’s flight from Soviet Ukraine in the early years of the Second World War. Beginning her narrative in her youth, Justina faithfully recreates the peace and security of growing up in a Mennonite community in Ukraine. This security, however, is threatened more and more by political changes in the Soviet Union in the 1930s. With the outbreak of the war comes an irrevocable rupture in the peace of the Neufeld’s lives and Justina is forced to flee the Soviet and German armies along with her family and community. In retelling her story, Justina describes the feelings of loss and abandonment she felt as she watched her father and brothers disappear forever and the rest of her family being scattered across Eastern Europe and Russia.

“ A Family Torn Apart is an account of immense pathos. The story of this one family is a microcosm of the dislocation and separation of millions during World War II. It is a story of compassion and care of Mennonites for their own. The work of Mennonite Central Committee in the resettlement of postwar refugees will always stand as a testimony to human goodness and to religiously motivated benevolence. The small touch of Zion that comes to some members of the Neufeld family, in the immediate postwar period, comes through this generosity. It is also the story of transcending tragedy, of the human capacity to survive, to rebuild and to reconstruct meaningful, constructive lives. In the concluding chapters we see the triumph of various members of the Neufeld family over the devastating years.” - Paul Toews, from the Foreword

"Neufeld tells her touching - often harrowing - story in a direct, personal manner that ranges from simple narration to highly suspenseful and stirring stories artfully told... Books like these remind us once again that our enduring Mennonite heritage has been forged in the fires of persecution and suffering over the centuries, and that it has again and again been revitalized by the unyielding faith and triumphant hope of those who survived to tell their stories." - Al Reimer in the Journal of Mennonite Studies

Justina D. Neufeld was the youngest in a family of ten children. She and her family were caught in the suffering and turmoil of the Stalinist purges and World War II. As a teenager she fled her homeland. Unexpectedly separated from her mother, she lived as a refugee for four years in Europe. Rescued by Mennonite Central Committee worker Peter Dyck, she and one of her brothers and family were brought to safety in Holland. In 1947 Justina immigrated to the United States. Her parents and siblings were scattered across three continents by the war. Justina graduated from college with a degree in nursing administration and a masters degree in gerontology. She is now retired and lives with her husband in North Newton, Kansas

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Staciekingsbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an eye opener. I never knew the suffering of the Mennonite people in the Ukraine area. Thank you Naomi Wichert for lending me this book. At a time, right now, when our own country (USA) is going through unsure times this book had a profound effect on me. I grew up in an area where there were Mennonites and, also, my great grandparents were Mennonites. They are a people with strong religious beliefs, peaceful non-violent people, and the hardest working people I’ve ever known.

To start with the author gives a background on the reason this group was in the Ukraine. The Empress of Russia, Catherine the Great, acquired an area of land called Ukraine in the late 1700’s. She invited a persecuted German Mennonite group to come and settle in this area to farm and live with freedom to practice their religion. They had a contract with the Russian government. This book is a memoir about the life of the Neufeld family through the eyes of the youngest daughter, Justina. Their contract with the Russian government is dissolved when the Lenin and Stalin regime, Communist Party, take over Russia. The family, along with other Mennonite families, is put on a collective farming program to help feed people in the cities of Russia, which almost starves the Neufeld family. The Communist government abolishes Christianity and no one is allowed to practice his or her religious beliefs. There’s famine, fear of the NKVD (KGB) with people disappearing, and then they’re caught in the middle of World War II. This family of 13 becomes displaced and, as the title says, torn apart. It amazed me the difficulty and near death situations this family overcame. I admired their survival skills, strength, and faith. I think this is something most Americans could never imagine in their lifetime. I would hope this book would give a better appreciation for the country and the freedoms we have today.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not written by your usual author 'type' but by a woman that kept records of her incredible life. She brought to this story the depth of her pain in losing her father and especially her mother when she had to leave her home to save her own life. She and her family lived in Ukraine then governed by the Soviets and grew up in a Mennonite community. When the Soviet government instituted a starvation diet among the rural communities so that the people in big cities had enough to eat, their problems really began. And then the second world war started and their lives were run by the German army who took over the area. But life under the Germans wasn't as bad as under the Soviets. Through all this Justina never lost her desire for an education and learning. Her travels through enormous hardship lead finally to the United States and to Newton, Kansas. This book was given to me by a friend of Justina's, Boots Raber who has been my friend all our lives.

[Heidi Bohrer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little hard to follow with all of the different places/names. But a really good glimpse at the horrible hardships the families had to endure.