Endure, Defy and Remember: Memoir of a Holocaust Survivor

by Joachim Nachbar, Ann Nachbar (Editor)

Endure, Defy and Remember is an intimate account of Joachim Nachbar’s unusual Holocaust survival In the first part of the book, the author meticulously chronicles how, step by step, the Germans and their Ukrainian collaborators closed in on him, his family and the 25,000 other Jews in Stanisɫawów ghetto. The second part of the book details the perils he confronted, as a circumcised Jew, while attempting to “pass” as a Polish Catholic in occupied Lwów. Nachbar recounts his terrifying encounters with Ukrainian militiamen combing the Polish streets, movie theaters, train stations, rooming houses, municipal offices, etc. for Jews hiding-in-plain-sight. At the same time, the author describes his first-hand experiences of the pressures to which the Germans subjected the Poles and his observations of how the Poles viewed the ongoing annihilation of their Jewish neighbors. The book includes copies of almost all of the false identity and employment documents that the author forged or otherwise acquired in order to stay one step ahead of the hunters. In the final segment of the book, Joachim Nachbar offers his insights into why so few Jews survived the War Against the Jews.

261 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 16, 2020

Reviews

[Nancy A · Rating 5 out of 5]

First hand account of Joachim's survival during the Holocaust. Must be read. Must be heard. Must learn.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a difficult read

The accounts of the holocaust survivor Joachim Nachbar were both chilling and depressing. So timely to be read with all of the ugly antisemitism brought out by Trump and the Maga crowd. This book shows all too clearly how easily we can slip into this kind of ugliness again. It makes you wonder how easily this country has often slipped into complacency while minorities are systematically removed from our realm. With the religious and political right trying to scrub the records of these atrocities along with slavery, and Jim Crow era discrimination one has to wonder if we are doomed to repeat this all again. Mr. Nachbar was so clever, and I’m so glad he was able to share his experiences with us.

[Sarah Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible book. From the introduction, I expected that it might be dull, as it's qualified by the author as told without too many emotional anecdotes to preserve its authenticity. This is because after so many years, the author cannot necessarily remember how he felt about some of the events as they were happening. I have read hundreds of books in this genre and this is truly one of the best. It's a page-turner. Anyone who survived the holocaust has an incredible story that defied odds, but this one is extra special in the level of detail and storytelling. This was a very special individual and I am so grateful that his story was made available to those beyond is family. Thank you.