From the Holocaust to Maine: Testimonies of the Survivors

by Jack Montgomery, Walter Ziffer PhD (Contributor), Aaron Rosen PhD

300 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2025

Reviews

[Geve_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i know its the publisher who does this, but i didn't appreciate the author's name being on every other page of this, rather than having the name of the person whose statement was being presented. feels like that would have been a much more respectful thing to do. this thought made me check into this author and i almost posted a shitty takedown of him, but it seems goodreads has him confused with a different writer, from the uk, who happens to also be named jack montgomery and who has a blog that includes bitching about bad reviews of his books. anyways.

this book was very informative, although it is simply a compilation of statements or writings (including autobiographies) put together into this book. i suppose this is in part an oral history, padded with additional writings from the survivors. the testimonies were very informative, and i was glad to read some diversity in them, including people who were in soviet and nazi territory, and not only at the major camps but also at many different satellite labor camps. it would have been interesting to include non-jews who were sent to camps who later relocated here as well, but i suppose that wasn't really the point of the project.

there is an index with simple descriptions of some things directly related to the holocaust or war, but which the standard reader may not already know about, as well as brief descriptions of where the survivors ended up. there is otherwise no additional information or analysis in this. in addition, this was poorly edited. there were numerous typos, occasionally in the testimonies themselves, but more regularly in the blurbs. there was a point where i started to wonder if this was just compiled by ai to get it published. it wasn't, it was published by the holocaust and human rights center of maine, but it's unfortunate that i even considered that while reading.

anyways, quick read, brief summaries of experiences, almost no graphic violence and doesn't linger on the suffering. very glad these testimonies were gathered before these people were gone. extremely important testimony, sufficient detail to get an idea of the impact the events had on people, but not particularly deep and lacking in any analysis. useful starting point for looking at the events on a local level.

[Glady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found From the Holocaust to Maine at my local Ogunquit Memorial Library. I almost didn't borrow it since I already had a stack but the title just called to me. Eighteen brief primary source accounts represent the true gamut of evil, kindness, and determination. All of these survivors eventually ended up in Maine and then shared their devastating stories with the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. Most of these brave men and women are now deceased, but this book reminds readers of their courage and strength of character.

In the foreword, Jack Montgomery issues a call to action, one that didn't occur in the early years of Nazism.

There is evil in the world, and it is often directed at Jews, among others. You don't laugh at "those" jokes. You don't play along. You say something or do something, however small, to let your disapproval be known. Ignoring it or playing along is cowardly and ultimately hurtful...Antisemitism, racial hatred, and authoritarianism are closely related viruses...and the wave of illness is growing.

The survivors who shared their stories were ordinary kids, some of whom were very religious while others were not. Their incredible survival was one part luck and two parts grit. They came to America filled with hope, determined to become educated and work hard. It was an honor to read their stories.

[Casidy Tims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, I learned so MUCH! Living in Maine, some of these stories really hit close to home. Excellent research from the author.