On the Fields of Loneliness

by Hersch Altman

This is the remarkable memoir of a young boy, who survived the murders of his father, mother, and three sisters and the destruction of his home and town, while evading his pursuers throughout the Holocaust. The youngest of four childrent and only son of an affluent merchant and Jewish community leader, Hersch Altman vividly depicts his early years in Brzezany, and recounts in vibrant detail the hardships his family endured during the Soviet occupation. He goes on to relate the brutality of the Nazi occupation, the intolerable life in the ghetto, the horrors of the Aktionen, and the ingeniously constructed bunker that eluded the Nazi soldiers and their dogs. Altman describes how each member of his family was killed and the many near death encounters he faced and miraculously escaped. The reader cannot help but share the author's fears, sadniess and loneliness in hiding - often completely alone in barns, forests, fields and attics. The unsaswerable question, "Why me, my God?" echoes throughout this gripping tale.

Genres: Memoir, Holocaust

184 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2006

Reviews

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book packs a lot of punch. Altman's story shows how little what people say and and profess actually matters. Instead, what matters comes from peoples' actions. Altman describes how people -- who I'm sure thought of themselves as good people -- managed either to ignore the needs of Altman and his family or, worse, took advantage or abused the family out greed, anti-antisemitism, or fear. Conversely, he also describes people who had very little who shared their meager possessions, houses, and relative safety with young Hersch Altman. Because of the horrors Altman experienced, it's hard to call this an inspiring story; but it is important that people know what happened and that it happened among real people with real lives who might think they lived lives of insignificance. Altman's telling shows that as a terrified young man he felt keenly every hateful act and every generous act. It's something we all could consider when faced with seeing people in desperate need.

[Juliana Schnur · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching memoir of a Holocaust survivor. This man, Hersch Altman, is astounding. He lost his entire family (three sisters, mother and father) in Poland and survived the war running from the Nazis and hiding in barns, chicken coops, haystacks, wheat fields etc. The war began when he was 10 and at 13, as the Final Solution gained momentum, he was Bar Mitzvahed in the forest by a small group of partisans. Hersch's devout faith in our God and the Jewish tradition in which he'd been raised was perhaps the only strand of humanity he could cling to. After the war he went on to become a successful dentist, father and grandfather. What an inspiration!

[Ashleigh Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A necessary read for anyone who feels a duty to learn as much as possible about the past so as not to repeat its mistakes. Touching and beautiful. Thank you Hersch for sharing your story with the world.

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very heavy memoir. Even the worst moments are told in a completely matter-of-fact manner, making them all the more chilling.