Codename: Zosha: A Woman Fighter Against the Nazis

by Yehudit Kafri, Anne Pace (Translator)

An unsung Jewish heroine of World War IIHer daring activity in the Red Orchestra and the heroic struggle in a Gestapo prison.Zosha Poznanska was recruited into the Soviet spy network known as the Red Orchestra, which operated in Western Europe. It was on the eve of World War II and Zosha was part of the inner core of the network, a third of whose members were Jews. Apparently unaware of the Jews' participation in the Red Orchestra, Hitler declared, "The Bolsheviks surpass us in one area espionage!" and he commanded his counterspies to eradicate this network at all costs.

This book tells the story of Zosha through all the chapters of her short childhood, the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement in Poland, Eretz Israel and the PKP in the 1920s, Europe in the 1930s and the Red Orchestra. It tells her loves, her relationships with family and friends, her daring activity in the Red Orchestra and her heroic struggle in a Gestapo prison. The State of Israel posthumously awarded Zosha a medal of honor for fighting the Nazis.

Zosha Poznanska is an unsung Jewish heroine of World War II. Born in Kalisz Poland, she immigrated to Israel as a pioneer and for a brief time belonged to the group that founded Kibbutz Mishmar Ha'emek. Afterwards, she joined the Palestine Communist Party (Palestiner Kumunistishe Partie in Yiddish, abbreviated PKP), and from 1930 until her death she lived in France and Belgium.





˃˃˃ A prize for top literary achievementThe book is written as a biographical novel and relies on exhaustive research; all fictional passages are derived from and based on extensive documentation. It was awarded the 2004 prize for top literary achievement, by the Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel (ACUM).

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Genres: Historical Fiction, World War II, Historical

439 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2014

Reviews

[Melissa Kersey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very moving read. I found myself feeling emotional as I read this biography but Yehudit Kafri. Kafri is incredibly talented and really knows how to keep the reader engaged while tugging at all the right heart strings. This is far from a light read. I found myself pausing to reflect on Zosha's experiences. What a courageous woman.. I found myself fascinated by her character and strength.
I am so glad that I picked up this novel and learned about Zosha. She truly was a heroine! To learn of a woman so courageous, not afraid to push past all her challenges and fight for her beliefs,was very empowering!
This was an emotional glimpse into Israel and there is no surprise that it was awarded the 2004 prize for top literary achievement, by the Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel (ACUM).
For a very thought provoking read, I recommend Codename: Zosha
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 2 out of 5]

This took me much longer to read than usual - it was long and unnecessarily so, padded by the poet author with wistful nostalgia, imagined conversations with the subject, and digressions into present day encounters with sources. Beneath all that is a fascinating tale of a Jewish Bolshevik radicalized in Mandate Palestine championing Arab equality and churned into a pointless, young death by the heartless Moscow controllers as a radio encipherer in Brussels. Much here refutes point by point facts asserted by Leopold Trepper in Great Game: Story of the Red Orchestra making this a natural companion book to that memoir.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried

Because of the reviews I read before starting this book, I promised myself that I would read at least half of it before giving up on it. I really tried but as far as I got was 37% . I wanted to like Zosha and be invited into her world. It just didn't happen for me. The book was long and very wordy and as many books as I have read about the 1920's, the atrocities the Jewish people suffered and the Communist s, this book made no sense to me. It just wasn't for me.

[Shirley McAllister · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was hard for me to follow the story it switched around a lot. I got 70 percent through and still nothing about WW2. Was written by a future person reading letters from the past and speaking to others from the past. It kept going from the past to present and from one location to another. Some of the characters had different names for the same person. I read the book, but still am not sure I understand all that I read. If you are looking for history on how Israel was started or on the Communist party during the this time and the second World War you might get into this book.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. Engaging.

[Taylor Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great find through Kindle Unlimited. Historical fiction is so interesting to me and after reading the description of this novel, I knew that I would have to read it. I think that the author did a marvelous job with this book and shows the true life of Zosha. I enjoyed how the book covered all the aspects of Zosha's life. I liked getting to learn about her childhood and how she became such a strong woman. I also liked learning about Zosha's relationships and her family life. This book is a biographical novel and you can tell that the author put a lot of research into the book. I learned more interesting facts about the time period and was very interested in the work as a whole. I can see why this book has won awards, please don't pass this one up. This book is well-worth the read.

[Andrea Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book for my unbiased review and I can honestly say it was one of my favorite WWII books.

What a truly impressive novel. I think this might be one of the most important example of historical WWII. I enjoyed this book more than others I have read because it is more culturally rich and, frankly, it's about a woman.

I commend the author for bringing this woman's life and sharing her unbelievable story. Zosha would make an excellent film, but the film needs to show her as strong as she is the in the novel and give the author the respect she deserves for this well written novel. I plan on having our book club read this book in this Fall!

[Jessica Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seriously love this book. The way it is written it truly amazing. It is straight from the heart, you can feel every emotion as it happens. This book really tugged on my heart strings. When I started reading I couldn't stop. I love it when you get an inside look at war, something we rarely get a view of. I as a bystander find it all unnecessary, But after reading this, I have a new found respect for everyone on the inside of war. Great read!

I received this product in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion/review/feedback.

[Aahamsing41 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Life of a Heroine

Zona is a person who gave her life to a cause to which she was totally devoted. She is larger than life and so it is difficult for me to comprehend such a life as hers. Today, we cannot see such a life, such a condemnation of our failure to be so devoted to a cause as she was. The writing was comprehensive to a fault, revealing who Zosha really was.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like the way this story was written. It jumped from the past to the present in the story and I would get lost because sometimes she would have the past and present together! And the first half of the book was boring but was needed if you wanted to understand why she did what she did.

[Ann Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page-turner from one of my favorite periods of history. Admittedly, Zosha did a lot of morally questionable things in order to keep living; however, she felt regret and did not hide them.

[Maureen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book... not a fan of this style.