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Bury the Hot
The true story of a boy who hid from Hitler, but could never escape the memories ... Deb grew up celebrating holidays with Sal's family. She trick-or-treated with his daughter. Sal attended her wedding. Yet Deb knew nothing about Sal's past until he called out of the blue and asked her to write his story. There was a reason she didn't know. Sal hadn't even told his wife the details of his childhood. BURY THE HOT is the Holocaust story few have the tenacity or courage to share, and explores both a traumatized childhood, and how the repression of it impacts a marriage. It is the heartbreaking account of evading murder, and a brutally honest reflection of a life lived trying to escape the memories.
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2013
12 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Deb Levy
1 book8 followersDeb Levy, author of BURY THE HOT, was born in Miami where she grew up celebrating holidays with Sal Wainberg and his family. She trick-or-treated with his daughter. Sal and his wife attended Deb's wedding. Yet, Deb knew nothing of Sal's past until he called out of the blue and asked her to write his story. Born in a Polish shtetl in 1936, Sal's world was surrounded by murderous rage, and the spare miracle. From living in a ghetto to cowering for weeks in an attic; hiding underneath a farmhouse to wandering barefoot through fields of rye ... Sal lived a life that Deb only knew of from movies. "But don't write some Hollywood tale," Sal told her. "I want the truth." BURY THE HOT is the Holocaust story few have the tenacity or courage to share, and explores both a traumatized childhood, and how the repression of it impacts a marriage. It is the heartbreaking account of evading murder, and a brutally honest reflection of a life lived trying to escape the memories. Deb's writing has appeared on parenting websites and in Lilith Magazine. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and three sons.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 6, 2013
Author Deb Levy quotes Elie Wiesel as stating that it's the survivor's "duty is to bear witness for the dead and for the living. He has no right to deprive future generations of a past that belongs to our collective memory. To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time."
This is the story of Sal Wainberg, one Holocaust survivor. As Levy concludes at the end of this poignant story, "We may think that when it comes to the Holocaust, we've heard it before. In fact, we haven't. We can never hear enough. We must listen to those who survived; we must read their personal accounts. We must recognize the collective suffering is nothing less than six million and more unique stories of struggle, determination, tradition and fate - every single one of them incredible, all of them heartbreaking."
Sal Wainberg died on February 22, 2012. Very soon there will be no survivors among us to relate the horrors of the Holocaust first hand. Thanks to the loving efforts of Deb Levy, Sal Wainberg is not forgotten and his personal account, as related on the pages of Bury the Hot, will bear testimony for future generations. We must never forget.
This is the story of Sal Wainberg, one Holocaust survivor. As Levy concludes at the end of this poignant story, "We may think that when it comes to the Holocaust, we've heard it before. In fact, we haven't. We can never hear enough. We must listen to those who survived; we must read their personal accounts. We must recognize the collective suffering is nothing less than six million and more unique stories of struggle, determination, tradition and fate - every single one of them incredible, all of them heartbreaking."
Sal Wainberg died on February 22, 2012. Very soon there will be no survivors among us to relate the horrors of the Holocaust first hand. Thanks to the loving efforts of Deb Levy, Sal Wainberg is not forgotten and his personal account, as related on the pages of Bury the Hot, will bear testimony for future generations. We must never forget.
September 23, 2013
I hesitate to say myriad stories, because there could never be too many, or too similar accounts to remind our generations of the Holocaust and warn us, less history repeat itself. However, there are numerous books about it, some written by family members, some collected from the journals of children, some by the few survivors themselves.
I have devoured many of these books, held rapt by dauntless courage that seemed to sprout in once common hearts. Where once stood a child, a tradesman, a farmer, a businessman, suddenly emerged men and women refined by unimaginable pain and loss. Also, came men and women with the compassion and faith to go to great lengths to protect the innocent.
But Bury the Hot, by Deb Levy, tells a story of those same blood-drenched years in a different tone.
Levy grew up with Sal Wainberg’s children. Hardly anyone knew his story. Though he was proudly Jewish and obviously of the right generation, he had never revealed much, and most were reticent to ask. Then Levy, grown with children of her own, received an unexpected phone call.
“‘Hi Debbie?’ he said without introductions or formalities you’d expect from a lifetime friend who you haven’t spoken to in a lifetime. “Do you know my story?’”
Bury the Hot, was written as Levy sat at her desk for months, in hours’ long conversations with Sal and his wife, Sandy. Every few chapters, the saga pauses and Levy lets the reader listen to their real-time conversation. We hear her probe softly, ask some practical questions and some that are so personal, she is fearful to ask.
Sal was born, Szulim Wainberg in Zelechow, Poland. He was a mere four-years-old when German planes began bombing his home, disintegrating his life. His family evaded the Germans, hiding in lofts, basements, wheat and rye fields. Sal tells Levy he kept a mental tally of the miracles that kept his family just barely out of the jaws of certain death.
Now, he’s old, retired. His wife and children have lived and aged under the cloud of his secret past. But, how could a little boy assimilate the horror of seeing babies dashed against buildings, of digging his sister’s grave when he was only six, of living for months on end in a dank cellar without light, of feeling the hot, unjustified hatred of his own neighbors? How could he contain that and not be changed; and live a life just like everyone else?
That’s what makes this book unique. Through the interview process and passing back and forth between the decades, Levy shows how a man dealt with that past and carried it forward into a successful future. She unveils how thousands of Jews must have felt emerging from the Holocaust into a world that wanted to pretend as if everything is “normal”.
Bury the Hot, is an exceptional read, unparalleled in its approach to addressing the Holocaust. For anyone with an interest in history, for anyone with an interest in human nature and the aftermath of survival, this is an revelatory book.
http://www.predatory-lies.com
I have devoured many of these books, held rapt by dauntless courage that seemed to sprout in once common hearts. Where once stood a child, a tradesman, a farmer, a businessman, suddenly emerged men and women refined by unimaginable pain and loss. Also, came men and women with the compassion and faith to go to great lengths to protect the innocent.
But Bury the Hot, by Deb Levy, tells a story of those same blood-drenched years in a different tone.
Levy grew up with Sal Wainberg’s children. Hardly anyone knew his story. Though he was proudly Jewish and obviously of the right generation, he had never revealed much, and most were reticent to ask. Then Levy, grown with children of her own, received an unexpected phone call.
“‘Hi Debbie?’ he said without introductions or formalities you’d expect from a lifetime friend who you haven’t spoken to in a lifetime. “Do you know my story?’”
Bury the Hot, was written as Levy sat at her desk for months, in hours’ long conversations with Sal and his wife, Sandy. Every few chapters, the saga pauses and Levy lets the reader listen to their real-time conversation. We hear her probe softly, ask some practical questions and some that are so personal, she is fearful to ask.
Sal was born, Szulim Wainberg in Zelechow, Poland. He was a mere four-years-old when German planes began bombing his home, disintegrating his life. His family evaded the Germans, hiding in lofts, basements, wheat and rye fields. Sal tells Levy he kept a mental tally of the miracles that kept his family just barely out of the jaws of certain death.
Now, he’s old, retired. His wife and children have lived and aged under the cloud of his secret past. But, how could a little boy assimilate the horror of seeing babies dashed against buildings, of digging his sister’s grave when he was only six, of living for months on end in a dank cellar without light, of feeling the hot, unjustified hatred of his own neighbors? How could he contain that and not be changed; and live a life just like everyone else?
That’s what makes this book unique. Through the interview process and passing back and forth between the decades, Levy shows how a man dealt with that past and carried it forward into a successful future. She unveils how thousands of Jews must have felt emerging from the Holocaust into a world that wanted to pretend as if everything is “normal”.
Bury the Hot, is an exceptional read, unparalleled in its approach to addressing the Holocaust. For anyone with an interest in history, for anyone with an interest in human nature and the aftermath of survival, this is an revelatory book.
http://www.predatory-lies.com
July 10, 2013
So moving. An inspiration and the real reason we need to know this time periods history. We can see what lack of education can do to a people and also why we need to fight this kind of thing..
November 12, 2020
Deb Levy does an amazing and thorough job sharing Sal's story. The narrator’s voice differed from any other Survivor’s story that I have read. The book captures Sal’s emotions as a five-year-old growing up in Zelechow, Poland. The language used is descriptive yet simplistic, the way a small child would describe their surroundings. Deb Levy’s writing offered a new lense from which to view the Holocaust.
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November 1, 2024Not my favorite memoir that I’ve read- I didn’t love the writing style, but I did appreciate the story and as happy of an ending as you could hope for when reading a Holocaust memoir.
October 1, 2015
A Holocaust story unlike most that I have read. Szulim / Sal lives through the Holocaust as a young child by hiding with his family in a "pit" / basement of a Polish family with his family. Forced to leave the "pit" many of his family members do not survive the flight through the Polish countryside. But Sal and those who do survive eventually find refuge in South America. Eventually Sal and his brother find themselves studying in a yeshiva in the USA.
This is the story of a man who finds himself retelling his story and finding healing. Sal always knew he was "dfferent". However, having never allowed himself to acknowledge the reasons for his differences until now, he is able to understand and begin healing by the telling of his story.
A very good book. Well written. Great characters. I really enjoyed it.
This is the story of a man who finds himself retelling his story and finding healing. Sal always knew he was "dfferent". However, having never allowed himself to acknowledge the reasons for his differences until now, he is able to understand and begin healing by the telling of his story.
A very good book. Well written. Great characters. I really enjoyed it.
March 2, 2015
The last thing I wanted to read was another Holocaust memoir. But, our group was having a meeting with he author, and a good friend of mine said this was not the typical WWII story. I'm glad I listened to her. This was a fascinating read, and it was wonderful to hear the author talk about her experience writing this book. My only complaint was that I thought the beginning moved a little slow, and I thought the wedding description at the end was too long. I understand the need to have that in there, but I though it was too detailed. But, don't let that stop you from reading this book
May 27, 2014
VERY well written.......but
VERY well written.......but
This book is very well written, I have only one complaint, it is so laced with Yiddish word that it becomes distracting. I am fluent in german and therefore was able to decipher maybe 1/3 of the many many Yiddish words and expressions, but even then it became annoying. The dictionary does not help with about 90% of that either.Other than that it is very well written account.
VERY well written.......but
This book is very well written, I have only one complaint, it is so laced with Yiddish word that it becomes distracting. I am fluent in german and therefore was able to decipher maybe 1/3 of the many many Yiddish words and expressions, but even then it became annoying. The dictionary does not help with about 90% of that either.Other than that it is very well written account.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews