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A Race Against Death: Peter Bergson, America, and the Holocaust
In his landmark bestseller, The Abandonment of the Jews , David Wyman exhaustively detailed America's failure to help rescue the victims of Nazi genocide. But one man, Peter Bergson, led a tireless battle against that tide of indifference, making it impossible for American leaders to plead ignorance of the German atrocities. Now, Wyman, along with Rafael Medoff, tells for the first time the story of the man who led America's most effective campaign to rescue victims of the Holocaust.
A Race Against Death utilizes extensive firsthand interviews to present Peter Bergson's own account of his remarkable life and struggles. Facing deportation from America and threats on his life, Bergson employed every conceivable method to influence policy and public he personally hounded Congressmen to support a rescue; placed controversial full-page ads in major newspapers demanding action; and drew a record crowd of 40,000 to a rally and memorial pageant at Madison Square Garden.
Award-winning historian David Wyman is the definitive authority on America's action―and inaction―during the Holocaust. In A Race Against Death , he and Rafael Medoff return to this tragic era in American history and chronicle one of its few heroes.
A Race Against Death utilizes extensive firsthand interviews to present Peter Bergson's own account of his remarkable life and struggles. Facing deportation from America and threats on his life, Bergson employed every conceivable method to influence policy and public he personally hounded Congressmen to support a rescue; placed controversial full-page ads in major newspapers demanding action; and drew a record crowd of 40,000 to a rally and memorial pageant at Madison Square Garden.
Award-winning historian David Wyman is the definitive authority on America's action―and inaction―during the Holocaust. In A Race Against Death , he and Rafael Medoff return to this tragic era in American history and chronicle one of its few heroes.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2002
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May 13, 2017
Interesting book but often a difficult read. I knew that the Roosevelt administration hadn't done much, if anything, to save the Jews in Europe during WWII but this really brought the vacillations and refusals to do anything to the forefront. I've lost a great deal of respect for both Roosevelt and Churchill, since the reason often given for the US not doing anything about the Jews was that the British didn't want them to.
I actually liked the long introduction the best. It was informative and easy to read. The rest of the book was excerpts of interviews between Wyman and Peter Bergson. The interview format was sometimes difficult to read but still informative and gave the reader a different perspective on the subject matter.
I would recommend this book for WWII lovers and for those interested in the beginnings of the state of Israel.
I actually liked the long introduction the best. It was informative and easy to read. The rest of the book was excerpts of interviews between Wyman and Peter Bergson. The interview format was sometimes difficult to read but still informative and gave the reader a different perspective on the subject matter.
I would recommend this book for WWII lovers and for those interested in the beginnings of the state of Israel.
Displaying 1 of 1 review