The Tale of the Ring: A Kaddish

by Frank Stiffel

In 1939, Frank Stiffel was a young Jewish student who held a medical degree and had hopes of a promising literary career. A poet and a dreamer, he hardly seemed cut out for the role of fighter. Yet as the Nazis closed in on him and his family, Stiffel discovered within himself resources that would mean the difference between life and death.

Drawn from the secret diary he protected throughout his harrowing existence in the Warsaw Ghetto, Treblinka and Auschwitz, Frank Stiffel recreates the horror and miracle of that life - with unprecedented honesty.

For Stiffel had a mystical Ring, a cameo with the face of a beautiful girl who appeared in his dreams to warn him of danger. With the ring and his simple unbendable rule - keep your dignity or die - he became one of a tiny minority to survive.

During his final flight to freedom in the back of a chestnut wagon, Frank Stiffel woke once again to the exquisite face on the ring. Only this time she was real. Her name was Ione. She and Stiffel were soon married, and the promise of the ring was fulfilled at last.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

348 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1984

Reviews

[Lewis Weinstein]

Didn't read this yet, but it promises to be incredibly moving. Based on diaries written in the Warsaw Ghetto, Treblinka, and Auschwitz, repeatedly destroyed by the Nazis, just as often re-written, finally smuggled out, and kept in a drawer for 3 decades.

[Lenore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and very detailed account by the author of his life during WWII while being sent to various extermination camps and surviving the horrors there.

[Kimberly Fleming · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a unique and personal account of the Holocaust from an incredibly intelligent and insightful man. His memory of names and dates is amazing; and his story is incredible. At times the vast amounts of information causes confusion & mixups for the average reader such as myself (I found myself flipping back to previous pages thinking "now who is that he's talking about again?"). However, you can not read this book without developing incredible admiration and respect for Mr. Frank Stiffel. As in most holocaust accounts, you must be forwarned that there will be tears involved, as well as questions of humanity and doubt in mankind. The overall message is clear though; humans have the incredible ability to not only survive the worst horrors imaginable, but to survive with their intelligence, humor, and most importantly, love for others!

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a longtime member of the N.C. Council on the Holocaust, I have read many Holocaust memoirs. This remains one of the most moving, unsettling, unforgettable Holocaust memoirs I've ever read. [2022 note]

Review for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, 1995.
This compelling Holocaust memoir tells the full story of a Polish Jew from Nazi invasion to postwar survival, including ghettoization, escape and "Aryan" disguise, and imprisonment and torture in both Treblinka and Auschwitz. Well-written, riveting, and very accessible, Stewart's book is important for gaining insight into how people survived the Holocaust both psychologically as well as physically.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in the late 80s, I spent over a year informally researching the Nazi Holocaust. This was my favorite book on the subject. A survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto, as well as several German camps including Auschwitz and Treblinka, where he participated in the prisoner's revolt, this author tells his illuminating and informative personal tale with rare objectivity, humor and hope. In fact, until I read Stiffel's book, I hadn't realized not every camp used gas ovens and sadistic medical experiments. And I had already visited Auschwitz! Highly recommended.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

You think you understand the horror that millions experienced as victims of the Nazi Holocaust until you read this account by Frank Stiffel.

Stiffel provides such incredibly rich details of those years, describing not just the beatings and suffering, but how he and others coped one day at a time.

After living through four years in hell to be able to make the additional sacrifice to remember and record his daily experience demonstrates his unique courage and character.

A Kaddish indeed.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional opportunity to look over the shoulder of the writer and gain an almost first hand experience, if that were possible, of life during the holocaust and the suffering in the camps.