The Tailors of Tomaszow: A Memoir of Polish Jews

Modern Jewish History

by Rena Margulies Chernoff, Allan Chernoff

Preserving the collective memory of a community that is no more
 
Seven decades after the Nazis annihilated the Jewish community of Tomaszow-Mazowiecki, Poland, comes a gripping eyewitness narrative told by one of the youngest survivors of the Holocaust, as well as through first-hand accounts of other Tomaszow survivors. This unique communal memoir presents a rare view of Eastern European Jewry, before, during, and after World War II. It is both the memoir of a child and of a lost Jewish community, an unvarnished story in which disputes, controversy, and scandal all play a role in capturing the true flavor of life in this time and place.
            Nearly 14,000 Jews, one-third of the town’s population, lived in Tomaszow-Mazowiecki before World War II, many making their living as tailors and seamstresses. Only 250 of them survived the Holocaust, in part because of their skill with a needle and thread.
            Engaging and highly accessible, The Tailors of Tomaszow is a powerful resource for educators and a compelling read for anyone wishing to gain a deeper, more personal understanding of Eastern European Jewry and the Holocaust.

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2014

Reviews

[Declan L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going to be thinking about this one for a while

[Adam Rabiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tailors of Tomaszw is an excellent, if sobering, account of the plight of the Jews of this Polish town. I appreciated the account of Rena Margulies's community and family life in Poland before the war, which made the horrors of its destruction later on by the Nazis all the more poignant. She lays out the atrocities very matter of factly, though not without emotion; these dreadful crimes require no embellishment.

I have read some wonderful fictional accounts of the Holocaust, with the exception of some of Primo Levi's non-fictional essays, and though these novels or short stories were surely informed by personal experiences, it is good to read this "memoir of Polish Jews" with its direct quotes and lived experiences and feelings.

Rena's account of a Polish ghetto, labor and concentration camps; brutal and heartless treatment at the hands of the Nazis; the inhumanity, losses, struggles she and others endured; and her ultimate survival, is a great addition to the canon of Holocaust literature.

[Sergio · Rating 4 out of 5]

No matter how many times one has read about the Holocaust, it is always very impressive and terrifying to read again. To me the story of this book was especially impressive, since Tomaszow is the city of my paternal grandfather, and several people with my own last name are mentioned, probably relatives. The story begins before the Holocaust, and how life there was pretty normal, pleasant despite the bad economic situation, and how sudden the war started, as well as the antisemitism. Then the horrors of the concentration camps and the cruelty of the Nazis, how difficult it was when they were released to go back to Tomaszow and the antisemitic attacks even after they were released, and finally the new life in the US. The tremendous suffering through ten years of the life of a girl. The story is nicely told, quoting from the testimonies of many people, fascinating story.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well written and edited true story. It is easy to read however difficult the topic is to emotionally accept. The suffering is tremendous.
The author is able to take short personal narratives and weave them together into a cohesive story that is easy to follow.