Beyond Trochenbrod: The Betty Gold Story

by Betty Gold, Mark Hodermarsky (Editor)

Few are familiar with one of the Holocaust’s most monstrous acts, the systematic murder of 5,000 Jewish residents in a Nazi-occupied Polish town, Trochenbrod, on August 11, 1942. Of the 33 who escaped death, only one person remains to describe these events―Betty Gold. Twelve-year-old Betty and her family hid inside a secret wall built by her father and, when it seemed safe, crept toward the forest, which became their home. In part one of Beyond Trochenbrod , Gold provides a brief history of Trochenbrod, the only all-Jewish town to exist outside of biblical Israel, and describes a series of cherished childhood experiences before the arrival of Soviet and, later, Nazi occupiers. Part two centers on the family’s struggles against hunger, pain, despair, and the constant fear of being discovered while living in the forest. How the family survived against these and other threats is nothing short of miraculous. Their unlikely rescue, stay at a displaced persons camp, and journey to America are the subjects of part three. In the fourth and final part of her memoir, Gold recounts her difficult adjustment to her new home in Cleveland and discusses how her Trochenbrod experiences have transformed her life and the lives of others. Man’s inhumanity is undeniable in Beyond Trochenbrod, but so is humanity’s capacity to prevail in spite of unimaginable odds.

Genres: Memoir, Holocaust, War, Autobiography, History

144 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2014

Reviews

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a powerful story. It's difficult to imagine. This is a must read.

[Alex Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old review: to be updated

I met cousin Betty at the Maltz Museum shortly before she passed. She was a wonderful speaker and sparked my interest in learning about the Holocaust, especially since my mother's side has been so greatly impacted by it. My mother and I both got this book signed by her at the speaking, and that was when I learned that she was my mother's cousin, bringing her story even closer to home. Unfortunately, I put off reading the book, but just found it in my basement and immediately decided to read it, which was not a very good decision for me as I almost cried in the doctor's office reading it. It made me feel so many emotions, I had to put the book down and contemplate what I had just read multiple times. This is a book best read alone, unless you're not afraid to let loose a few tears in public. I usually don't leave reviews as it takes so much energy to find the right words, but I felt I had to share my thoughts about this book and this lost town, and my late cousin Betty. I have made it a goal to travel to the site where Trochenbrod once stood. Thank you for reading my review!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond Trochenbrod: The Betty Gold Story by Betty Gold tells the author's story of the inhabitants of the Polish town of Trochenbrod where she grew up. Trochenbrod was a town of 5,000 inhabitants, all but a few of whom were Jewish. Outside of Israel it was the only all Jewish town.
With the approach of WWII, they were initially ignored. But when Hitler and Stalin agreed to split up Poland and take over other countries, Trochenbrod ended up under Soviet Russian control. While they were generally treated well, religion was banned and schools were changed to teach Russian language and communist principles. But soon Hitler betrayed Stalin and attacked Russia and Trochenbrod was quickly taken over by the Nazis. German soldiers came into town one day and ordered everyone out and marched them away. They were shot and buried in a mass grave. The Germans returned a few more times to round up anyone who had hidden during the initial round up and returned after a while thinking it was safe. Betty Gold was twelve years old when this began. Her family arranged to hide and then moved into the forest to try to survive, eventually meeting up with Russian partisans and joining them to wait out the war. Of the 5,000 Jewish inhabitants, only 33 survived the killings and the war. The author describes her experiences before and during the war as well as the aftermath and her eventual immigration to America. Through all of this she had harrowing escapes, saw terrible atrocities, lived in horrible conditions, and through it all she survived. Today Trochenbrod is no more. Betty lives near Cleveland and speaks about her experiences to many groups.

[MacKenzie Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

The childhood experiences she discusses in the first part of the book are fascinating, but the latter part of the book devolves into a stream-of-consciousness story about all the things she now loves and hates.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating telling of other events of the Holocaust. Betty Gold and her family spent WWII hiding from Nazis in the woods. She eventually immigrated to the United States and lived in Cleveland, Ohio.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a good example of well done oral history. The narrative was driven more by memory than factual detail and the writing more focused on authenticity than style.

[Ruby Tuesday · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

So pwerful, I couldn't read it all at once. I literally cannot imagine how they survived, but I am glad Betty did so that she could share her story.