Architecture of Survival: Holocaust Diaries

by Israel Stein

In 1939, when the Second World War broke out, the Stein family escaped Poland. Paula, a polyglot architect, and Meir, a textile industrialist, fled with their only child, Israel, to Vilnius, Lithuania, and later to Bialystok, attempting to save themselves from certain death in the extermination camps. In August 1943, the Bialystok Ghetto was emptied by the Nazis and all its occupants were sent to extermination. The Steins had managed to remain hidden in the Ghetto for five more weeks, before escaping to their new hideout—the home of a Polish family, backed by a German official, that gave them refuge. They remained hidden there for nearly a year, until the war ended, with the daily danger of being discovered and sent to death. They lived to see Bialystok liberated by the Russian Red Army, and eventually settled in the new state of Israel. Architecture of Survival brings forward the diaries Paula and Meir Stein wrote while in hideout during the Second World War, accompanied by the vivid visual memories of their son, Israel Stein, who witnessed the horrors as a child. It is a rare historical documentation, read in bated breath.

Genres: Polish Literature, History, Memoir, World War II, Holocaust

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 6, 2017

Reviews

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing you guys should know: these are not true diaries, in the sense that they're not written with dated entries, in real time, as events were happening. The books are the editor's father and mother's Holocaust memoirs, written at some indeterminate period after the events occurred. The memoirs are about the parents' Holocaust experiences in the Vilna, Bialystok and Warsaw Ghettos. The mother's memoir, which comes first, is much longer than the father's. The son was a small child during the war.

I really liked these memoirs, and aside from a few typos, thought they were very well-written. However, the book could have really used some further annotation by the son. Mom's memoir describes her experience in the Vilna Ghetto with her husband and son, the husband's escape to Warsaw, her and her son's escape to Bialystok and their experiences there. It ends abruptly after a description of the liquidation of the Bialystok Ghetto. At the time, her husband was still in Warsaw, and his memoir describes the liquidation of the ghetto there. I'm not sure where their son was during this period; the mom had written about placing him in hiding but I'm not sure if he was with her, or in a hiding place being cared for by others.

I finished the book feeling frustrated because I had no idea where, how and when the family reunited and how they all survived the war. It would have been really nice if the son had written a postscript or something to the book that would have explained those details.

[P.L. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to be amazed (and haunted) by the atrocities and the horrors that took place during World War II. How can ANY person, let alone complete nations, treat others with such disregard, disrespect, and disgust? It is beyond my comprehension and is absolutely shameful. I am horrified at what I continue to learn from authors such as Israel Stein. I thank people like him for sharing the truth of these dark times and opening the eyes of readers to the reality countless millions experienced. It is something that should never be forgotten, and as more time passes, the events become less "horrific" to people because it is not something they heard news of, knew people touched by, or experienced personally. It is through the retelling of personal stories, of eye witnesses and firsthand accounts, that we remember and continue to learn.

I was extremely impressed by Stein's work. I can't even begin to imagine how hard it was to write. How can you live through something, then later revisit it and share it with others without it opening old wounds? And to read the words of your parents as they tried to be strong, tried to keep you safe, yet lived every minute of every day and night in constant fear.... It breaks my heart to think of the pain involved. Yet, Stein does just that, and does it with amazing grace and artistic writing that grips your heart and leaves you with a new, deeper, more meaningful understanding of the events that took place.

His writing style is excellent. He writes in a style that is easy to read and draws you in, emotionally connecting you to the people and events he shares. I was not distracted by grammatical or mechanics errors and found each sentence written with a cadence and timbre that read smoothly and moved from one thought to the next without leaving you with questions or jumping around. It flowed and engaged me, though it was not an easy read due to the context and subject matter.

If you are a fan of World War II history, this is a must read. If you have read other books on the Holocaust and survivors, this is a must read. If you question whether the Holocaust really happened (which amazes me that people even have that thought given all of the evidence), you have to read this to see it from primary sources. It is a great way to teach youth about the horrors of the Holocaust, though it is definitely hard to read and you may want to have more mature youth read it, saving Diary of Anne Franke for the younger ones. This is an excellent historical account of a horrible time in our history and something that should NEVER be forgotten.

[Romuald Dzemo · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the day I first read Mans Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, I have developed a keen interest in holocaust literature and memoirs. Architecture of Survival: Holocaust Diaries WW2 by Israel Stein is book one in the WW II Memoirs series, a compelling account of what it was like to survive the concentration camp.

Read about a family's struggle to avoid extermination and ultimate extinction in the concentration camp. Read about their survival, hidden in a ghetto for five weeks, and the role of a German official in helping them survive, away from the prying eyes of the enemy.

The story of the Steins family is a heart wrenching one, a quintessential example of what Jewish families went through. What is very striking is to discover their lingering hope, their determination, and their resourcefulness. One reads about what it means to face suffering as a family and there is more bonds are strengthened, life has a new meaning as each member of this family survives each new day, and the power of friendship comes through very eloquently in this beautiful narrative.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stein begins his remembrances with stories from Warsaw, Vilius (Vilna) and Bialystok. He talked about beatings, narrow escapes from death, and the desperation he and others felt from deportations to death camps. The author also uses his parent’s diaries to show how their viewpoint differed from that of young child. His memories really illustrate how the Nazis controlled people and methodically decimated the Jewish population in Europe.

LibraryThing Member Giveaway randomly chose me to receive this book. Although encouraged, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Wendyann Boston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of Late books of memoirs of this time period have been finding me. This story ... a forensic story of a sort relays not only the profound trauma and horrific lives and ends that became of the Jews but also how the surviving generations carry the burden. Make no mistake. Genocide happens to humanity.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read and always remember

I loved the writing in this desperately sad and authentic book about one family's fight to survive atrocities of the Holocaust. I recommend this book to everyone so we always honor those souls who have suffered fascism and that we continue to fight for freedom.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart wrenching

Difficult to read about such horrific happenings!
How humans can be so cruel to other humans! We are of one race...HUMANITY

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a DNF for me. I didn't like the writing style at all.

[Mags · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have used better editing.

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited but actually won it through librarything and he let me know free day so would be easier to load {cloud reader vs kindle for pc}, but would have gotten it at some point anyway, because as can see from my name, I have German heritage...and every time I see what they, as politicians etcetera, were capable of, it is beyond sad or regrettable, more in line with atrocious as in atrocities. To know, however, that there are those who survive, physically and mentally, to carry on, to carry the story forward, so that it is much more than just a story but a heartbeat of words is sometimes almost enough to make one forget what actions brought the spirit out was so despicable.

[Мария Райкова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Architecture of Survival: Holocaust Diaries is a story that will shake even the most strong minds with the extremely realistic details given by the author. When you open the very first page of the book you'll find yourself in the middle of one the most terrifying periods in human's history.
The story is based on a true events. The author Israel Stein shares his family's story saying things with their real names with all the impartiality you would ever be able to see and understand. To see the effect of World War II through the eyes of a child is really scary and dramatic. And it’s definitely even more horrifying to be the child itself – unable to understand why all these scary things are happening and when they will end.
Israel Stein presents us all the emotions and all the facts side by side. It’s a strong writing that will make you understand the horror and the pain of a family not so different of your own. It will make you part of their own life.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am fascinated by accounts of the Holocaust and was looking forward to reading Architecture of Survival. Israel Stein gives his first person account of what he went through during the Holocaust as a child in one section. His parents Paula Stein and Meir Stein wrote in diaries during their time and those have been translated and provided in other sections. The pictures and other information included in the memoir make this account a definite must read of the Holocaust.

I like the cover depicting Israel’s family and the countryside. The formatting is perfect. There were no issues in reading this on a Kindle. Grammar, editing issues: the story was adequately edited. There were no glaring typos or unclear sentences. Translation of the language sometimes threw off the flow of words, but not to the point where you couldn’t understand it. His mother spoke Polish and his dad German.

From the memoir, while in Russia, family and neighbors would go missing and never come back. Israel and his family were then taken away to the Lukishki prison. They escaped being sent further on because his mother was an architect. The rest of the memoir is Israel, his mother’s, and then his father’s recollections of that time period.

The author brings to life the ongoing struggles to stay alive and not be caught. I felt like I was there, hiding from the police, afraid for my life. Escaping to Bialystok, Israel and his family experienced a paradise of sorts, until he was intentionally separated from his family and hiding in a small space of a Polish family. Architecture of Survival is Israel Stein’s recollection of the holocaust and I recommend this memoir to all who are interested in this time period of history. At times graphic, at times very sad, at times incomprehensible, this memoir will touch your heart.

[Crystal Toller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holocaust Survival

This was a hard book to read because of the descriptions lot the coldblooded murder committed by the Germans. It is 3 parts with the son Israel describing his memories in the first part, the second part contains diaries written by his mother and the third part contains diaries written by his father. With the current rise of nationalist movements worldwide this is a timely book and we should all remember how a madman convinced people to murder six million of Gods chosen people. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

[Shannon83 · Rating 5 out of 5]

After watching so many documentaries about War World 2 and holocaust on Netflix, I was really intrigued by this book. I absolutely loved this book and how the author write this inspirational story. This book is about a family surviving the holocaust.

The first part starts from the little boys point of view, about the five years that the Germans had of been hunting the Jews and how there family found their way of surviving the Nazis. The family survived many ghettos and paid a family to hide them. The other half of the book includes the authors parent own diaries from there time in the war. The one bit I found fascinating was that many Jewish survivors wouldnt talk about there time in the war because of the quilt they felt. It wasnt until there children started asking questions when they were older.

I would highly recommended this book to anyone, especially anyone that would love a personal story about Jewish family in World War 2.

[Brooke Kinsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This time period has always intrigued me, and I have read all types of books about it. However, while reading this book, I found myself in disbelief. Not that I thought it didn't happen. Not that I thought it wasn't true. But how did people allow this to happen? How did we survive and move past it? I have never before read a better account - one that transported me to the time, that hurt my heart as I was reading. Hearing from all family members, seeing this in the individual lenses...wow. It just took me to a place I didn't want to be, but that we need to understand. My family is from Poland and escaped during the First World War. This book hit very close to home, and is a book that should be in the collection of every history buff, every person who enjoys first person narratives, and honestly, every person. Read it!

[Jeana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for my honest review. This book was an in-depth account of what the Holocaust was like for each of the members of this family of three. While each account is similar to the others, each person places greater emphasis on different things. It is very interesting to me to read about their incredible lives and the ingenious, brave, daring and often desperate things they did to survive. The difficult choices they had to make should not be set before anyone.

For those of you that are interested in first-person Holocaust accounts this is one that should not be missed. It provides you with a three-for-one experience.