We Are Witnesses

by Zvi Asaria, Hermann Helfgott

This is a unique account of the Holocaust and its aftermath by a Jewish Yugoslav army chaplain, based on his wartime diary. The author, PhD, rabbi and Yugoslav Army officer in World War II, spent four years in Germany among Yugoslavian Jewish officers who were prisoners of war. With distinct literary skill, the author paints a broad scene of those days and delineates fine-tooled descriptions of the atmosphere engulfing the captive Jewish officers, Bergen-Belsen after the liberation and the dreams and struggles of the camp survivors. At every station of his wanderings, he offered encouragement and consolation, celebrated the Jewish holidays, fostered the study of Hebrew and Jewish history and reinforced the survivors' faith in the destiny of the Jewish People. After liberation, he devoted great effort in the Displaced Persons camps, provided spiritual support and organized survivors for their immigration to the Land of Israel.

356 pages, Hardcover

Published November 8, 2022