Whiteman presents a compelling story of survival. Through the story of one boy -- Eliott 'Lonek' Jaroslawicz -- she conveys the tale of the dramatic escape of thousands of Polish Jews from the encroaching Nazi menace. With the crack of a Nazi whip on his father's head; the world that Lonek knows is gone forever. Lonek and his family are forced to join the tide of refugees fleeing eastward. In the course of their flight they are imprisoned in a Siberian labour camp. A short-lived treaty between the Polish Government-in-Exile and the Soviet Government allows for the miraculous release of approximately one hundred thousand Polish citizens; including Lonek's family. They make their way to Tashkent; only to find that life there is harsh-hunger and sickness abound. When his father falls ill; Lonek's mother is driven to despair and leaves her ten-year-old son on the doorstep of an orphanage. Lonek is then swept up in another miraculous rescue. He joins the more than 900 Jewish children known as the "Teheran Children;" who depart on the only kindertransport that emanates from Russia. After an arduous journey; the children are stranded in Iran due to the vagaries of war and failed diplomacy. Their plight is championed by Henrietta Szold while the leadership of Hadassah relentlessly pressures the American and British governments to assure the children's safe passage. Finally; eight months after they leave Tashkent and after a route that takes them through India and Egypt; Lonek and the other children safely reach Palestine. In ESCAPE VIA SIBERIA; Whiteman has crafted an elegy to the human spirit while emphasizing the tremendous international forces which affected the Polish Jewish escapees' lives and their persistent; heroic struggle in the face of tremendous odds.
#106110 in Books InterVarsity Press 2017-02-07Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.25 x .60 x 5.50l; .55 #File Name: 0830841342208 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. I recommend this book as a fresh voice into the topic ...By KristaDavid Leong provides clear insight into understanding how the context of neighborhoods and cities connects to our social fabric and understanding of ourselves. Our neighborhoods will only increase in diversity and its vital that we press into issues of diversity as a church. I recommend this book as a fresh voice into the topic of racially driven issues in the church.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An excellent guide through a complex issue.By Steve DancauseDr. Leong has taken a complicated issue with so much loaded history and presented both the problem as well as the solution through both theological and sociological lenses. I found Race and Place to be passionate without being preachy; academic without being condescending; and hopeful without relying on cliche or overly simplistic solutions. Leong is a thorough yet engaging guide; and I left Race and Place with a much better understanding of both the history as well as the complexity of contemporary racial issues.This book is not full of blame or shame; yet neither did it let me off the hook just for having good intentions. After discussing the goodness of the universal human desire to belong to a community of like minded people in one place; he asks "could it also be true that our desire for belonging can be distorted by fear; pride; or self deception? Is it possible that our longing to be safe; known; or comfortable could lead us to places of isolation or even idolatry?" (pg. 35). Leong makes the case that it can and it does.Leong explains the complexities of race issues simply and clearly; using geography; history; and his own personal stories to illustrate his arguments. I left with a much better understanding of the systemic nature of the problem; which no simple solution can adequately address. The call of his book seems to be for Christians like himself (and I) of all races to work against patterns of exclusion; rather than reinforcing them. In as much as Christianity in America often absentmindedly can reinforce them; this book provides an excellent roadmap forward.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Both insightful and challengingBy Nancy SugikawaIn “Race and Place;†Dr. Leong invites us to reflect on the places we live—or want to live—and ask ourselves how our geography has shaped our theology and mission as followers of Jesus Christ. He states that too many of us are “functionally segregated by race and class;†often relocating as part of our upward mobility. We forget that in our pursuit of more comfortable places; we take our financial and relational resources with us. But what and who do we leave behind?Dr. Leong assures us that we all need “healthy forms of cultural familiarity and shared values that nurture our identity in important ways†but this often leads us to gravitate to places filled predominantly with people just like us--those who think like we think; eat what we eat; vote like we vote and worship who we worship. In contrast; we tend to run away from places of unfamiliarity; discomfort and even hostility. Without being aware of it; the geography of where we do life shapes our “unconscious biases;†influencing what we value and how we think about those not like us.If we are to engage our neighborhoods in ways that point to a God who loves; a God of both justice and mercy; Dr. Leong invites us to listen closely to the deep wounds of those who have been “left behind;†“left without†or “kept outside†the gates of power and resources. He asks if the church of Jesus Christ will follow patterns of exclusion or disrupt them. Will the church move as it once did from an ethnocentric group called out by God; to become an unexpected; loving community of diverse races; classes; politics and gender?Dr. Leong reminds us that Jesus himself continually moved outside the boundaries of his own social networks; going into places he didn’t belong; welcoming outcasts into his inner circle; and eating dinner in the homes of his “enemies.†God took people who didn’t “belong†and adopted them into the new family he was creating so that everyone could receive the same benefits and blessings of God no matter what their zip code was.
