Based on the never-before-told, true story of Hinda Mondlak’s mind-boggling survival during the Holocaust and her daring escape from Auschwitz with her younger sister.
Synopsis: Hinda Mondlak was eighteen years old when an axe crashed through the front door of her home in Zielun, Poland.
Nazi soldiers swarmed inside. Their guns cocked at Hinda and her family, they commanded the Mondlaks to leave their rightful home... the soldiers herded the family into the open-air bed of an army truck. Hinda, her parents, and two sisters were hauled, as if they were subhuman pariahs, to the Mlawa ghetto, where they were forced to live in squalor for one lone reason: They were Jews.
After almost three years of subsisting on a starvation diet and sleeping on a wooden floor in the ghetto, Hinda was imprisoned at Auschwitz concentration camp. When incarcerated there for an additional two and one-half years, Hinda endured rabid hunger, slave labor, and barbarous brutalities while clinging to her father’s promise—I know for certain that you will live, and you will tell. These twelve words—a powerful presage written by her father, Tatae, in a letter to Hinda mere hours before the Gestapo murdered him—fueled her will to persevere.
Incredibly, at the age of twenty-three, Hinda devised a daring plot to escape the exhaustively guarded gates of Auschwitz with her younger sister, Rachel. Hinda brilliantly executed the plan only to find the two of them running for their lives—from both Germans and Russians.
Two subplots, featuring pivotal characters Wolf Yoskowitz and Dr. Walter Zeilhofen, intertwine with Hinda’s life in surprising ways. Wolf, a strapping, young Jewish man, struggles to endure the horrors of Buchenwald concentration camp. Walter, a young German doctor, reluctantly works at Auschwitz under the thumb of the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele.
According to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, there are less than two hundred (200) documented, successful “prisoner escapes” from Auschwitz-Birkenau. Most of that number were men. Hinda and Rachel’s victorious escape was truly remarkable.
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Tatae's Promise tells the heartbreaking, brutal, and ultimately triumphant tale of Hinda Mondlak, an Auschwitz inmate and eventual escapee tasked by her beloved father to keep the promise: "You will live, and you will tell."
Prose: Goldman and Maysonave's prose is precise, detailed, and doesn't shy from conveying horrific realities. Tatae's Promise is well-told and brings the reader into the ghetto, camp, and refugee camps with Hinda, her sister, Rachel, and their cousin Aizik.
Originality: While there are many books about brave and resourceful Jews surviving the Nazis, Tatae's Promise stands out with its attention to detail and rich characters. And unlike many books about surviving the Holocaust, Tatae's Promise doesn't end with Germany's surrender, instead following the characters for several years afterward as they rebuild their shattered lives.
Character/Execution: Hinda Mondlak and her loving family are brave, resourceful, and root-able. They allow the realities of the Holocaust to fully and painfully resonate with readers.
Date Submitted: August 02, 2024
"This moving and suspenseful book tells the story of Hinda Mondlak, who escaped from Auschwitz with her sister. Based on hours of her taped testimony, it describes in rich detail every phase of the persecutions she endured—Nazi occupation, the village ghetto, the death journey to Auschwitz, beatings, illness, starvation, escape, and then a harrowing flight from Russian troops. Saved occasionally through the unexpected kindness of others and always by her own courage, Hinda is vividly alive in this reweaving of her memories. A memorable story of resilience and enduring love."
─Betty Sue Flowers, former director, Johnson Presidential Library, Editor, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth
This book is nothing short of a masterpiece. It's a heartwarming love story, a gripping story of survival, an informative textbook of facts, and a powerful testament to the human spirit.
The author is a brilliant writer with exceptional attention to detail. Her sharp narrative draws you in - - and you fall in love with the characters - - while visualizing a time that is impossible to comprehend. There are bouts of historical novelization peppered throughout the book, but the author so expertly weaves fiction with fact together that the fictitious embellishments do not disturb the facts - - they serve only to enhance each of the stories.
You effectively get three stories in one: Hinda's and Rachel's, Wolf's, and Walter's, and every one is riveting. Initially, you can't see the connection, and I got a little impatient guessing - - but keep reading - - because they all come together brilliantly.
The sections at the end citing statistics, the afterwords, acknowledgements, and author's explanation of fact vs fiction were extremely helpful in adding perspective to the book. The only drawback to the book is that you can't put it down -- and you end up getting nothing done until you finish it! :D
This should be required reading for everyone! I’ve never left a review of anything before, but this is a must!
This true story of one woman’s life has changed mine because of who she was. Facing against the worst circumstances a human could ever endure, she never gave up. Even when everything pointed to letting go and giving in she never did and created a beautiful life and left an amazing legacy. Evil will always exist and persist but God is greater, and with him we have the tools to survive any evil that comes our way.
This book had me experience the full range of emotions, laughter, heartbreak, anger, fear, love, etc. No matter where you are in life you will absolutely find courage and strength through Hindas harrowing life story. If I could afford it I would buy this book for every person!
Must read for anyone in any circumstances! I found hope, courage and a renewed sense of purpose in my own life after finishing this book. Order now! Don’t wait.
This book is long, but every bit of it kept me in suspense. This true story of perseverance, grit and the power of family kept me enthralled. This story would be perfect as a mini-series! And I can't wait for the audio version to come out!
There were parts of it that were definitely difficult to read. It is hard to accept that human beings can be so cruel. It serves as a stark reminder of our planet's dark history and why we do not ever want to repeat the mistakes of our past. I found it to be incredibly inspirational and a book everyone should read!
"With its added value of emotional and atmospheric richness, Tatae's Promise is a 'must have' acquisition for any library looking at high-quality fiction and nonfiction accounts of Polish Jewish history, concentration camp experience, and the power of survival. These explorations will also attract book clubs interested in selecting and contrasting a few quality titles on all these subjects, powered by an oral history that comes to life through solid literary excellence and collaborative determination.
From kindness that arrives in unexpected forms to struggles that embrace Hinda and her family, few other memoirs and historical accounts capture so powerfully the atmosphere and experiences of Polish Jewish people.
“Tatae’s Promise grips your soul from page one… as my recent visit to Rwanda’s genocide museum makes poignantly clear, it’s relevance today is more than historical.”
—John E. Shephard, Jr., Retired Senior Executive, Northrop Grumman and ITT-Exelis, U.S. Army Gulf War Veteran
Newly published book about Moises Goldman's mother tells a story the world must never forget.
"Nothing compares to Hinda’s testimony in this book.”
— Victor Yagoda, Deputy Dir Gen (ret), United Israel Appeal of Canada
AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES, October 11, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Just a few weeks ago, Moises Goldman was finally holding it in his hands - the important new book Tatae’s Promise - an incredible and impactful tale of survival about his mother, Hinda Mondlak, who suffered family members being murdered and lived through years of heinous abuse at the Auschwitz concentration camp before escaping to her freedom. She died in Moises's arms on May 5, 1985. “My mother’s last wish was for me to tell her horrific and triumphant story in a public way."
Moises teamed up with Award winning Austin-based author Sherry Maysonave, who was honored to write his mother’s story because, in her words, "It must be told. Such atrocities upon the Jews must never happen again.”
But then came the events of Oct 7, which saw “the most Jews slaughtered in a single day since the Holocaust” (Lazar Berman, Times of Israel). For Moises and Sherry, the terrorist attacks devastatingly display “the panoptic perils of hate, of anti-Semitism, of racism, of genocide, and of apathy toward humankind,” that are referenced in the book.
Gordon McClellan, Publisher of DartFrog Books which brought Tatae’s Promise to market, said the message of the book is, sadly, more relevant than ever. “As we watch the events in Israel unfold, we must be reminded that the stated objective of Hamas is not only to wipe Israel off the map, but to exterminate the Jewish people from existence. This terrifying truth is something we all must be aware of. The telling of Hinda Mondlak's story is one way to remind people of what happens when anti-semitism takes hold, and to make clear that there can be allowed no room for such hate in our world ever again."
