Preface
know Aharon Golub might not be aware that throughout his life, he has had to endure constant pain and limitations on his lifestyle due to the injuries he sustained during the War. By the dictionary definition, he is severely crippled. But other than to state some of the facts surrounding what happened to him, his narrative is silent of any sense that he sees himself as different from others. I believe that this speaks to the fact that despite his damaged feet, my fa- ther never assimilated into his psyche the concept that he was less worthy or able than anyone else, or that he needed or deserved sympathy. What is also missing from this book, and not as a result of zeal- ous editing, are expressions of anger, rage, or hatred. One would not begrudge a person a fair amount of anger for having lived through the kind of suffering he did, seeing his own mother shot as she tried to save his life. Even sixty years later, such anger would be understandable. Instead, we hear clearly the positive conclusion my father has reached: that the Jewish people need to be a normal people with their own state, Israel, and have the power to protect Jewish interests across the world. This story, I believe, matters. Clearly, it matters to all family members and friends of Aharon Golub. But also, since it describes in a very human way a world that no longer exists, a series of pur- poseless horrors, and a sense of what personal rebirth is all about, the story of his life and times may be of importance to many others. For example, catching a glimpse of Ludvipol raises some intrigu- ing questions. The strong pull of Zionism in places like Ludvipol makes us consider an alternative history, one in which the re- turn of the Jews to Zion might have occurred, had the Holocaust not intervened. The desire and energies of the people of Eastern Europe were greater than the stereotypes often evoked of Tevye or of sheep being led to the slaughter. Tragically, we will, of course, never know. Through these pages, visit, through the eyes of a young boy, a world that is no more. Admire those few people who lived through
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