Joy Runs Deeper

by Bronia Beker, Joseph Beker

Bronia and Josio (Joseph) grew up in Kozowa, a shtetl filled with lively culture, eccentric characters and extended family. When Bronia met Josio, she was charmed by his confidence and fearlessness. Separated when Josio was drafted into the army, reunited amid the chaos of war, their connection endured as their persecution intensified. When everything they held dear was lost, together they built a future.

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2014

Reviews

[Valerie Caraotta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of strength, perseverance, and the grace of God

This intense memoir reveals the losses, trauma, and grace of God with Holocaust survivors/authors Bronia and Joseph Beker. The Azrieli Foundations' Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Programs helps sustain the memory of those who perished. In this work each of the authors will share their insight into a vanished Jewish civilization. Beginning before the Holocaust, a radical shift of living would be replaced with surviving – many of whom lost that fight.

Bronia and Joseph would meet and later marry but not until each of them survived the 1941 war between the Germans and Soviets and their later hiding and close call, near death escapes. Grandma's farmhouse, cheese and cinnamon buns and fruit trees would rapidly diminish when airstrikes, bombing, and several family members would never be seen again. "The Germans pursued us, bombing the main road, there airplanes flying low in order to shoot at Polish soldiers. I[Joseph] saw soldiers dropping like flies". Because they were Jewish the Nazis often came in town to randomly shoot any Jew in sight. Some men taken into the forest and shot while other Jews were discovered from hiding places, or walked to the cemetery, shot and kicked in graves previously dug by peasants.

Bronia would lose her entire family with only then boyfriend Josio[Joseph] left. Some may call it fate; others God, but their meeting prior to the war/imprisonment would forever unite them in a common bond of love and survival. Each of their stories will touch your heart and allow one to get an up close account of the dangers and multiple deaths they were fortunate to overcome.

This is more than a memoir but can also be classified as historical nonfiction. It will keep you captivated with each page turning depiction of the realities of war and prejudice. Though Joseph Beker has since passed away his daughter Marilyn would fill in information on his behalf. I recommend this book for the detailed content from a first person perspective.

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s kinda of sad reading this book and seeing how fond of Joseph, Bronia was. She used majority of her portion to talk about Joseph and their struggles together meanwhile Joseph used his portion of the memoir to talk about himself and his struggle, not even naming her once. My judgment might be inaccurate if he was able to finish his part, but just based off of what was written, it seems like she loved him way more and he was such a big part of that time in her life but she didn’t have as much significance in his story.

[Enikő · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was in enteresting memoir, being in fact two memoirs, the first written by Bronia Beker, and the second, unfinished before his death, written by her husband Josio (Joseph). It is heartbreaking to read that they both lost their whole family, but there is hope in that they were able to survive and preserve the memory of the inhabitants of the Jewish community of Kozowa, a small town in Poland. They also got married and had children, whom they raised in Canada.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick but thought provoking read. I think it's important to never lose sight of these terrible events in our history and strive to read a couple of these memoirs each year.