Enia Feld lived in Borek, Poland with her parents, Chaya and Reuven, her older brothers Moishe, Shia and Minashe, and her older sister Sonjia. In 1939, life for four-year-old Enia was carefree. Her family lived next door to her mother's brother and his wife (the Lambics) and her Aunt Hinda and Uncle Jozef Reiss and her cousin Mala Reiss. Enia's days were filled with learning to cook from her mother, who was a wonderful cook. Enia would attempt to learn how to make matzah before Passover.
In 1939, Enia listens as her family discusses Hitler and his spreading of hatred for Jews in Germany over dinner. But Shia believes this hatred has spread even to Poland as he has been called a "dirty Jew" and has had rocks thrown at him at school. Jozef points out that Hitler has already invaded Czechoslovakia and that Poland might be next. Rueven however, is not as concerned: he believes God will protect them.
Enia loved Passover with the house full of people and the wonderful smells. Her father was a farmer and although her mother helped out by cooking for the villagers weddings, they were poor. Pudlina, a Gentile, often helped Enia's mother if she had a lot of cooking to do.
Sabbath preparations were a special time. Because they didn't have a shower at home, Enia and her mother would visit the public showers bathe in preparation for the Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath). On Saturday, Enia's father and brothers would attend synagogue while Enia waited outside. To pass the time she would sing. Afterwards, their cousins would come over to eat lunch. Seventeen-year-old Sonjia and Dovid were sweethearts and everyone thought they would get married some day.
But this happiness did not last forever. On September 1, 1939, the Germans invaded Poland. It wasn't long before the Germans arrived in Borek. Soon Russia invaded Poland from the east, dividing the country into two parts with the west occupied by the Germans. With these events, Shia questions his father if they should cross to the Russian side to be safe, as many Jewish men were doing. But Rueven continues to believe God will protect them and that this trouble will pass. By November 1939, Enia's mother began sewing the Jewish star on their clothing and told Enia she must always were the star when outside. Enia didn't know to be scared at this point. In December 1939, eleven-year-old Minashe and twelve-year-old Shai could no longer attend school because they were Jewish. Enia turned five and was taught how to read some Yiddish at home by her mother.
Gradually things worsened over the next two years. Reuven and Sonjia were assigned to work at the refinery in Jedlicze as was Jozef Reiss. Minashe, Shia and Sonjia were forced to work where the Germans assigned them. Sonjia tried to be on friendly terms with the German soldiers in the hopes it would keep their family safe. In July 1942, at a meeting held at the Feld's home, they discussed Hitler's struggles in Russia and the ghettos where hundreds of Jews were crowded together and not able to leave. They wondered if the purpose of the ghettos was a prison or something much worse.
Then one night Enia is awakened by German soldiers coming to their house, searching for valuables. Afterwards, Chaya tells her family they are stealing from the Jews because they can. Two weeks later, in August, 1942, Sonjia arrives at her parents home, frantically warning them to leave immediately and hide in the fields. She tells them that the refinery has been surrounded by the Gestapo. Instead of hiding with her family, Sonjia tells her mother she is returning there as Father and her uncle as well as their cousins are still there. Sonjia is convinced she will be safe because the Germans like her. Chaya orders Shia to run and tell Tante Hinda and the Lambics to hide in the fields.
As night falls, Chaya asks Minashe to check to see if it is safe to return to their home. When Minashe returns, he tells his mother that everything has been ransacked. Chaya decides to run leaving Reuven, Sonjia, Moishe and their cousins behind, in the hopes they can find safety. They would never see them again. They meet up with Aunt Hinda and Mala and Chaya tells them to go to Maria Kurwoska's home as she has offered to help if needed. Eventually, Chaya and Enia, Minashe and Shia are hidden in the attic of Pudlina's home. Because Pudlina is very poor, Chaya must go out every day to find food for her family.
She learns that Hinda and Mala are hidden in Maria Kurwoska's barn and that Uncle Reiss and their cousins are in the ghetto at Krosno. A few days later, Shia goes to the ghetto to find Uncle Reiss and when he returns to Enia and their family he tells them the awful truth: Father and Sonjia have been killed. Moishe has also been killed. Enia would learn years later about what really happened to them. As the month's go by, Enia must learn to survive, through many difficult circumstances both during the war and afterwards in America.
Discussion
The Girl Who Sang is one Holocaust survivor's story of resiliency and courage. The novel itself is divided into five parts: Part 1 Innocence 1939 - 1942 in which Enia's carefree early childhood is portrayed. The arrival of the Nazis in Poland quickly changes everything. Part 2 Hidden 1942 -1944 describes the loss of her family and Enia and her brothers Minashe and Shia efforts to hide from the Nazis with the help of Pudlina and the Kurwoski family. Part 3 Liberation 1944 - 1947 beings with the liberation of Borek by the Soviets, the reuniting of Enia and Shia with Minashe, their return to their family home in Borek, and their travels across Europe to Austria and eventually to America. Part 4 A New Beginning 1947 - 1951 focuses on Estelle (Enia) and Steve's (Shia) journey to America, and Estelle and her brothers' early lives there including her adoption by the Nadels. Part 5 The Girl Who Sang is short and sweet but portrays Estelle's life that she built in California.
Enia whose name changed to Estelle when she arrived in America had to face many challenging situations. She did so with a maturity far beyond her years and with much courage. When Enia and Shia arrived in New York City, they were met by Minashe who had a job at a factory and could not live with them, something that upset Estelle. She was often left alone for long periods of time as her brothers had to work so to pass the time Estelle went to the movie theatre. This was how she learned to speak English. Estelle began attending school for the first time when she was thirteen-years-old, a challenge because she struggled to read. Eventually, Estelle was placed first in a foster home and then adopted by Minnie and Nienman Nadel. The adoption meant that Estelle's dream of living with her brothers as a family would never be realized. She was further separated from her only family, her brothers when Estelle and Minnie moved to California.
Despite this, Estelle made a life for herself in California, demonstrating her resiliency in overcoming adversity and adapting to the difficult changes life sometimes presents. During the war, Estelle had shown a great deal of courage in escaping the jail, hiding from the Nazis and travelling across Europe to safety. That same courage, resiliency and adaptability helped her face the new challenges living in America presented.
All of this is captured beautifully in Nadel's poignant retelling of her experiences. It is a story told with dignity and graciousness. Estelle touches on the many times she felt deep hurt and abandonment when her brother Shia didn't live up to her expectations or made difficult decisions that led to separation and loneliness for Estelle. Over the years, Estelle came to forgive her brothers, especially Shia, recognizing that he had to made hard decisions while still a child himself.
Illustrator Sammy Savos effectively portrays the intense emotions Enia experiences: the desolation and grief that young Enia experiences over the death of her beloved mother, the terror when their village is bombed by the Russians, and the deep sense of loss when she reunites with Dovid, the young man her sister Sonjia intended on marrying and who is now married to someone else, the deep grief and sense of abandonment she felt when she was placed for adoption to the Nadels - forever ending her hope of being together with her brothers. Panels portraying her experiences during the war are dark and ominous, while those of life in America have a brighter, hopeful palette.
The title of the memoir comes from Estelle's love of singing. It was her singing that brought her to the attention of someone at the Displaced Persons camp in Austria, and led to her and her brothers emigrating to America. On the boat over to America, Estelle sang her heart out and became known as "the girl who sang". Estelle would continue to sing all her life, at many Jewish temples throughout America.
Nadel has included a list of members of the Feld and Reiss families, and their rescuers at the front of the novel for easy reference. In the Afterword, Nadel tells her readers what happened to others in the story: Emilia Wilusz and her parents Jan and Maria Kurowski, Pudlina, Mala and Wujek Reiss, Mel (Minashe), Steve (Shia), and Estelle. There is an interesting Behind The Scenes which describes how Sammy Savoy crafted the graphic panels as well as some photographs of Estelle and her family.
The Girl Who Sang is a beautifully crafted and poignant memoir of a family who survived the Holocaust and who went on to live their best lives.
Book Details:
The Girl Who Sang by Estelle Nadel
New York: Roaring Book Press 2024
New York: Roaring Book Press 2024
245 pp.
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