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Forbidden Strawberries
Cipora Hurwitz (Fela Rozensztajn) was less than six years old when the Second World War erupted. All at once the life of her tranquil family became a Hell. Forbidden Strawberries is the riveting auto-biography of Cipora Hurwitz, an innocent young girl caught up in the Maelstrom of the Holocaust.
Her eldest brother survived the war by the skin of his teeth by fleeing to the Soviet Union. The second brother was murdered when only sixteen. Her parents, by great efforts, succeeded in hiding their little daughter and thereby save her life. Devastatingly, they themselves were unable to escape the hands of the murderers.
Cipora, as yet a young child and an orphan, was miraculously saved after surviving the Budzyn camps and the Majdanek extermination camp. The author relates the story of her life during the Holocaust to a delegation of Hashomer Hatzair youth and Israeli High School students on a mission to the death camps in Poland. In Forbidden Strawberries, Cipora presents her testimony on what transpired to her family and friends who were exterminated, thus paying tribute to their memory.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 4, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
November 11, 2013
I'd give this book five stars for her courage against all the author endured during her young years. I've given it three stars because of the writing style. It's written as if she is telling her story to a film crew with regular "cut!" at certain places. This doesn't add anything to the story and it would have been far better if she just retold her story.
In some places there is too much detail where it isn't necessary and doesn't add to the story. Having said this, the author was only a very young girl during the war years and saw the most horrific things and lost all of her family apart from her elder brother who managed to survive in Russia. How anybody manages to go on to lead a normal life into adulthood after all she witnessed at such a young age is beyond me. I've read countless Holocaust memoirs and I find it interesting to learn how survivors managed to cope mentally after the war. There are some that say that they saw so many terrible things that they lost the capacity to hate, whilst for others they could never shift their hatred of the German's. This author falls into the latter group. A very interesting story.
In some places there is too much detail where it isn't necessary and doesn't add to the story. Having said this, the author was only a very young girl during the war years and saw the most horrific things and lost all of her family apart from her elder brother who managed to survive in Russia. How anybody manages to go on to lead a normal life into adulthood after all she witnessed at such a young age is beyond me. I've read countless Holocaust memoirs and I find it interesting to learn how survivors managed to cope mentally after the war. There are some that say that they saw so many terrible things that they lost the capacity to hate, whilst for others they could never shift their hatred of the German's. This author falls into the latter group. A very interesting story.
May 1, 2011
The writing style of “Forbidden Strawberries,” the memoir of Cipora Hurwitz, a Polish Jew forced to grow up during the Holocaust, is stark, matter-of-fact, and not necessarily elegant, but because of this simplicity and especially because of Hurwitz's vivid recollections, it is powerfully emotive. The recorded impressions of a small, perceptive child (she was six in 1939) are somehow more clearly horrific than if one was reading the memoirs of an adult in similar circumstances and not just because, yes it was horrible that these monstrous things happened to children. It's because a happy child such as Hurwitz didn't have the slightest conception of evil. To read how the concept crashed into her consciousness with the murderous and hateful activities of the Nazis is nearly overpowering. For instance, during one ghetto “aktion” she witnessed three Germans cruelly plucking out the beard and sidelocks of a Jewish man:
“Shema Israel, the man shouted, clearly in pain. The spectacle frightened me to no end, and I fled to the inner parts of the house, where I was still able to hear the pleas and the shouts of Shema Israel. In my innocence, I asked myself a number of times why He, up there, did not hear the cries.”
After most of the ghetto inhabitants, including all children, were supposed to have been rounded up and killed, Hurwitz’s parents hid her in their apartment inside the niche of a fireplace where she sat alone all day long. Because their apartment was very near an “execution” wall, Hurwitz could daily hear the cries of the doomed whose hiding places had been discovered:
“As I sat listening intently to what was going on outside, I always heard the pleas and screams of those about to be murdered, including mothers screaming: But he’s just a child! Have mercy! Why?! And then, bang! When my parents would come home in the evening, I would always tell them how many shots I had heard, or, more precisely, how many Jews had been murdered that day. As time passed, I learned to distinguish between a bullet that hit a person and a bullet that was simply fired in the air. I learned that a bullet that hit a person made a dull sound . . . “
She survived the ghetto and subsequent camps by the kindness and care of others, her own spunk, and often, something akin to chance. Her struggle to piece together a new life, along with the rest of the surviving Jews, is very interesting and inspiring, and a phase of the Holocaust that is not often written about in such a detailed manner.
The Jewish organization Yad Vashem exists to keep in memory all those lost in the Holocaust (and also to honor Gentiles who rescued Jews during that time) and it seems that Hurwitz is trying to do something similar in her memoir. Often, when she mentions the kindness of strangers, it breaks her heart that she can't remember their names or that she wasn't able to thank them properly. And she clearly feels that her memoir is giving permanent remembrance to the Jews she knew personally who were killed, those who might not otherwise have been remembered by anyone.
Although the reader clearly understands from the outset that Hurwitz will survive, the writing and the storyline are such as to make this book a page turner, difficult to read but even harder to put down.
(This review also appears at BookPleasures.com).
“Shema Israel, the man shouted, clearly in pain. The spectacle frightened me to no end, and I fled to the inner parts of the house, where I was still able to hear the pleas and the shouts of Shema Israel. In my innocence, I asked myself a number of times why He, up there, did not hear the cries.”
After most of the ghetto inhabitants, including all children, were supposed to have been rounded up and killed, Hurwitz’s parents hid her in their apartment inside the niche of a fireplace where she sat alone all day long. Because their apartment was very near an “execution” wall, Hurwitz could daily hear the cries of the doomed whose hiding places had been discovered:
“As I sat listening intently to what was going on outside, I always heard the pleas and screams of those about to be murdered, including mothers screaming: But he’s just a child! Have mercy! Why?! And then, bang! When my parents would come home in the evening, I would always tell them how many shots I had heard, or, more precisely, how many Jews had been murdered that day. As time passed, I learned to distinguish between a bullet that hit a person and a bullet that was simply fired in the air. I learned that a bullet that hit a person made a dull sound . . . “
She survived the ghetto and subsequent camps by the kindness and care of others, her own spunk, and often, something akin to chance. Her struggle to piece together a new life, along with the rest of the surviving Jews, is very interesting and inspiring, and a phase of the Holocaust that is not often written about in such a detailed manner.
The Jewish organization Yad Vashem exists to keep in memory all those lost in the Holocaust (and also to honor Gentiles who rescued Jews during that time) and it seems that Hurwitz is trying to do something similar in her memoir. Often, when she mentions the kindness of strangers, it breaks her heart that she can't remember their names or that she wasn't able to thank them properly. And she clearly feels that her memoir is giving permanent remembrance to the Jews she knew personally who were killed, those who might not otherwise have been remembered by anyone.
Although the reader clearly understands from the outset that Hurwitz will survive, the writing and the storyline are such as to make this book a page turner, difficult to read but even harder to put down.
(This review also appears at BookPleasures.com).
November 3, 2013
The reality of the Holocaust cannot be transformed easily into words, Cipora tells of her experiences, forgotten names whose kindnesses are still remembered and the survivors looking for their places in an unforgiving world. Honesty and fallibility are present and make this a must-read for those of us who are attracted to stories of survival and chance and desire to always find a person's story to touch your heart.
June 21, 2014
There are obviously not that many memoirs by Holocaust survivors, and all are worth reading. I came across this one just after reading another (by Henry Orenstein) and was surprised to learn that the two authors were neighbors before the war. Some of the same events are therefore covered from different perspectives.
The author is essentially orphaned at a very young age. She spends the war in hiding and then in a series of concentration camps. Not many children survived, and her perspective is fascinating. The strength of the story itself cannot be denied.
That said, the writing is TERRIBLE. I absolutely hated the way the story was told, the whole "setup" of a visit back to Poland, etc. The author became a militant jew and that also colored the story for me. Her adult views color, in places, the memoir in ways that detract from it - but so it goes - the story is still worth reading. I could go on and on about how bad the writing is - I had to roll my eyes and even gag in places - but I really wanted to get this perspective despite the bad storytelling and I don't regret reading the book.
The author is essentially orphaned at a very young age. She spends the war in hiding and then in a series of concentration camps. Not many children survived, and her perspective is fascinating. The strength of the story itself cannot be denied.
That said, the writing is TERRIBLE. I absolutely hated the way the story was told, the whole "setup" of a visit back to Poland, etc. The author became a militant jew and that also colored the story for me. Her adult views color, in places, the memoir in ways that detract from it - but so it goes - the story is still worth reading. I could go on and on about how bad the writing is - I had to roll my eyes and even gag in places - but I really wanted to get this perspective despite the bad storytelling and I don't regret reading the book.
April 22, 2022
Her memory is almost photographic!
An incredible and very captivating story about “Forbidden Strawberries” written by Cipora Hurwitz (Fela Rozensztajn) a Holocaust survivor. It is remarkable for a child to survive this ordeal, alone, afraid. Her memories are incredibly detailed for someone so young, yet they are also absolutely believable. Her memory is almost photographic. I found this book interesting by the way the story was told. She she writes an easy, flowing read where you have to keep reading to see how it all ends. I couldn’t put it down. In history was so dreadful and I truly believe we only get the real story from surviving themselves. There are times where it was a lot to follow in keeping up with the cities and areas of travel. She was born in Hrubieszow, Poland. She has two old brothers. She was 5 years old when war begins and she was liberated when she was 10 years old. She was an orphan in Palestine in 1947. She fall in love with an American man, Ariel, and married and has 3 children. As a result did her brothers and parents survived?You can decide?
An incredible and very captivating story about “Forbidden Strawberries” written by Cipora Hurwitz (Fela Rozensztajn) a Holocaust survivor. It is remarkable for a child to survive this ordeal, alone, afraid. Her memories are incredibly detailed for someone so young, yet they are also absolutely believable. Her memory is almost photographic. I found this book interesting by the way the story was told. She she writes an easy, flowing read where you have to keep reading to see how it all ends. I couldn’t put it down. In history was so dreadful and I truly believe we only get the real story from surviving themselves. There are times where it was a lot to follow in keeping up with the cities and areas of travel. She was born in Hrubieszow, Poland. She has two old brothers. She was 5 years old when war begins and she was liberated when she was 10 years old. She was an orphan in Palestine in 1947. She fall in love with an American man, Ariel, and married and has 3 children. As a result did her brothers and parents survived?You can decide?
March 5, 2014
Always interesting
this is a story of a young girl who becomes the only surviving member of her immediate family to survive the Holocaust. this is her story told by herself. I found it very interesting, that time in history was so dreadful and I truly believe we only get the real story from surviving ivory themselves.
she admittedly skips some details that I probably would have liked to read but the overall book was quite good. what a story of survival, I guess we would all try to be like her but it's hard to imagine.
toward the end of the book she mentions fighting for her daughter, something that still haunts her but she gave no detail. why even mention it? I was frustrated there.
otherwise it's a good book and a easy read.
this is a story of a young girl who becomes the only surviving member of her immediate family to survive the Holocaust. this is her story told by herself. I found it very interesting, that time in history was so dreadful and I truly believe we only get the real story from surviving ivory themselves.
she admittedly skips some details that I probably would have liked to read but the overall book was quite good. what a story of survival, I guess we would all try to be like her but it's hard to imagine.
toward the end of the book she mentions fighting for her daughter, something that still haunts her but she gave no detail. why even mention it? I was frustrated there.
otherwise it's a good book and a easy read.
March 2, 2017
Unbelievable read!
I am obsessed with history. I have read quite a few books on holocaust. I guess it all started with Anne Frank I read as a young girl. This one through y the eyes of Cipora touched me to my core. I cannot fathom as a mother of daughters to lose her childhood to this. I was drawn to this first from the picture of this beautiful child. No words can you imagine. Survival ..........strength........God.....To know this story.......a must read........we must never forget.
I am obsessed with history. I have read quite a few books on holocaust. I guess it all started with Anne Frank I read as a young girl. This one through y the eyes of Cipora touched me to my core. I cannot fathom as a mother of daughters to lose her childhood to this. I was drawn to this first from the picture of this beautiful child. No words can you imagine. Survival ..........strength........God.....To know this story.......a must read........we must never forget.
March 14, 2015
fantastic
It's amazing how this little girl survived. I not Jewish but I think every non-Jew should read this book and understand what went on over there
It's amazing how this little girl survived. I not Jewish but I think every non-Jew should read this book and understand what went on over there
October 12, 2019
The writing style of this was very dry I found - and the first half was weird, with Cipora suddenly yelling "cut!" at the people she was narrating to - I did not feel that that sort of stuff needed to be included in the book. And then in the second half it all went away anyway, so it felt very disjointed.
I always find it difficult to fathom, in the aftermath of the war, how people didn't just cling to those whom they knew - people found rare family members still alive and then just split up again! It's also crazy to think of how much the kids had to grow up and be more independent, like Cipora basically selling her family house at age 11.
I have to admit that, despite all she went through, Cipora was not a very sympathetic heroine. Of course she is going to be bitter and angry, but she is one of those people who remains angry at the entire German nation to the time of writing - not just at the Nazis, which is of course understandable, but innocent, regular folks who are alive today who were not alive back then!
I always find it difficult to fathom, in the aftermath of the war, how people didn't just cling to those whom they knew - people found rare family members still alive and then just split up again! It's also crazy to think of how much the kids had to grow up and be more independent, like Cipora basically selling her family house at age 11.
I have to admit that, despite all she went through, Cipora was not a very sympathetic heroine. Of course she is going to be bitter and angry, but she is one of those people who remains angry at the entire German nation to the time of writing - not just at the Nazis, which is of course understandable, but innocent, regular folks who are alive today who were not alive back then!
September 7, 2025
It is , at least for me, Gidon Lev, also a child Holocaust survivor , almost the same age as the wri
Ter. I survived THERESIENSTADT, somehow ,came to Israel as Hashomer Hatzair member, and joined Kibbutz HAZOREA, in the Jezrael Valley. Not only that, but my MADRICH,( councilor) in H.H. - Toronto, was ARIEL Hurwitz , Tzipora's husband. On top of that, I served in the NACHAL army unit, and was stationed in K. BEIT ZERA, as the commander of the unit. I was also the commander of the unit stationed in K. GALON. As a 90 year old, I continue to tell my story of survived vival and a great deal more. Together with my ĺife partner we have written and published 2 books; THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF GIDON LEV, available on AMAZON, and LET'S MAKE THINGS BETTER, available at bookstores around the country, not only here in Israel, but in the USA, England, Portugal, Germany, Holland, & Italy.
REALLY LET'S MAKE A DIFFERENCE, LET'S. MAKE SOME SERIOUS CHANGES IN OUR SLIVER OF A SMALL COUNTRY. IT CAN BE DONE,IT MUST BE DONE ,YOU AND I CAN DO IT !
Ter. I survived THERESIENSTADT, somehow ,came to Israel as Hashomer Hatzair member, and joined Kibbutz HAZOREA, in the Jezrael Valley. Not only that, but my MADRICH,( councilor) in H.H. - Toronto, was ARIEL Hurwitz , Tzipora's husband. On top of that, I served in the NACHAL army unit, and was stationed in K. BEIT ZERA, as the commander of the unit. I was also the commander of the unit stationed in K. GALON. As a 90 year old, I continue to tell my story of survived vival and a great deal more. Together with my ĺife partner we have written and published 2 books; THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF GIDON LEV, available on AMAZON, and LET'S MAKE THINGS BETTER, available at bookstores around the country, not only here in Israel, but in the USA, England, Portugal, Germany, Holland, & Italy.
REALLY LET'S MAKE A DIFFERENCE, LET'S. MAKE SOME SERIOUS CHANGES IN OUR SLIVER OF A SMALL COUNTRY. IT CAN BE DONE,IT MUST BE DONE ,YOU AND I CAN DO IT !
March 1, 2020
Many thanks for sharing!
What a terrible story to have to share in a supposed civilized world. The horrors that people can inflict upon one another will never cease to amaze me. Thank you so much for sharing your life story with the world. No one should ever have endure such horrible acts let alone a child. So glad you survived the awful acts to be able to tell the world the truth about your treatment.
What a terrible story to have to share in a supposed civilized world. The horrors that people can inflict upon one another will never cease to amaze me. Thank you so much for sharing your life story with the world. No one should ever have endure such horrible acts let alone a child. So glad you survived the awful acts to be able to tell the world the truth about your treatment.
February 8, 2018
The story of a 5 year old Jewish girl living through WWII in Poland. It was heartbreaking what she had to endure to stay alive. I liked the book but found some of the chapters were too long. Towards the end they skipped over way too many years of her life and it would of been nice to know how she got to present time.
March 19, 2018
Interesting perspective
An easy read from the perspective of a young child during the Holocaust and life in the camps. I was confused by the back and forth time jumps especially because they were no -existent towards the end. Bottom line: Amazing story of courage but wonky writing.
An easy read from the perspective of a young child during the Holocaust and life in the camps. I was confused by the back and forth time jumps especially because they were no -existent towards the end. Bottom line: Amazing story of courage but wonky writing.
March 8, 2020
I liked the honesty which was New for me colors not only had to careful of the Germans but the Luke's ukraines', and others she was never Facebook liked colors frank writing
Recommend for everyone that wants an honest account of what really happened during this time and during the homebody and the war
Recommend for everyone that wants an honest account of what really happened during this time and during the homebody and the war
September 1, 2020
Read this book It's well worth your time!
This is the best book I have read on the holocaust. Cipora is one of the bravest people I have ever read about. She has a very good mind. Her memory is almost photographic! She was braver than any little kid I know, and had a very intelligent mind for solving dangerous problems and what to do! May God bless her for ever!
This is the best book I have read on the holocaust. Cipora is one of the bravest people I have ever read about. She has a very good mind. Her memory is almost photographic! She was braver than any little kid I know, and had a very intelligent mind for solving dangerous problems and what to do! May God bless her for ever!
February 7, 2021
Forbidden Strawberries
The story of a little girl who turned out to be an incredible survivor after a horrific childhood. The fact that the book is not particularly well written did not bother me due to the nature of the subject. I ask myself if I had been in her shoes would I have eleven survived to tell the story?
The story of a little girl who turned out to be an incredible survivor after a horrific childhood. The fact that the book is not particularly well written did not bother me due to the nature of the subject. I ask myself if I had been in her shoes would I have eleven survived to tell the story?
May 22, 2017
Great story.
What a self possessed little girl to have survived camps, etc. A well told chronicle and a very interesting read. The beginning is a bit slow as she leads up to why she wrote the book. And a bit too hysterical for me but of course she had reason to be.
What a self possessed little girl to have survived camps, etc. A well told chronicle and a very interesting read. The beginning is a bit slow as she leads up to why she wrote the book. And a bit too hysterical for me but of course she had reason to be.
March 5, 2023
Faithful
Colors is an excellent writer. I felt she was telling me her horrible childhood at the hands of the Germans. It gives me a good perspective of her hate for the German people.
Colors is an excellent writer. I felt she was telling me her horrible childhood at the hands of the Germans. It gives me a good perspective of her hate for the German people.
June 3, 2017
I was headed to Poland & to visit concentration camps when I read this book. Excellent.
January 3, 2018
I couldn't put this book down. I was glued to every page! A true look into the heart and soul of a child involved in the midst of the Holocaust. Everyone should read this incredible story.
March 26, 2018
Inspring!
I found the story to be straight forward and touching in its simplicity. I couldn't wait to read more and cry at her heartbreak as well as celebrate her triumphs.
I found the story to be straight forward and touching in its simplicity. I couldn't wait to read more and cry at her heartbreak as well as celebrate her triumphs.
October 11, 2018
Incredible story of survival during the holocaust. Could use some editing
February 7, 2019
We should all read a holocaust book every year to a avoid us forgetting the depths we can fall to. When we no longer have survivors will we forget hopefully not.
October 9, 2019
Nicely written
Nicely written and emotionally charged.I enjoyed reading this book and it was uplifting in a spiritual life experience. Thank you for sharing this experience.
Nicely written and emotionally charged.I enjoyed reading this book and it was uplifting in a spiritual life experience. Thank you for sharing this experience.
December 16, 2021
..
Another moving memoir from the Holocaust. A young Jewish girl from Poland survives unimaginable horrors, despite the worst experiences of the time.
Another moving memoir from the Holocaust. A young Jewish girl from Poland survives unimaginable horrors, despite the worst experiences of the time.
Read
February 24, 2022Sad yet powerful
I have read many books about the Holocaust but none like this. The strength of this young girl amazes me. I'm glad she grew up and shared her story with us.
I have read many books about the Holocaust but none like this. The strength of this young girl amazes me. I'm glad she grew up and shared her story with us.
March 10, 2023
It is a touching memoir of a child who survived the holocaust. I think all teenagers should read this book. She was such a courageous child.
July 17, 2025
Excellent yet so very sad
Such a devastating life, yet to survive and be able to tell of such atrocities. Recommend for all to read, to pray no one should suffer.
Such a devastating life, yet to survive and be able to tell of such atrocities. Recommend for all to read, to pray no one should suffer.
November 25, 2018
Excellent! Very moving — first hand experience.
May 5, 2023
Very good read. It’s five star from beginning to end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews