For 28 days

A novel by the German writer David Safier , published in 2014, is 28 days long . The main character of the novel is Mira, a Jewish girl who lives in the Warsaw ghetto . David Safier himself lost his grandparents in Buchenwald or in the Łódź ghetto . At 28 days he would like to remember her, but also illustrate the time of the Holocaust for the younger generation: The book is not only about our past, but also about us. How far would we go to survive? What sacrifices would we make? And above all, what kind of person we want to be.

action

At the beginning of the story, Mira is in the Warsaw market. This is outside the ghetto. Life in the ghetto means deprivation, illness, hunger and unbearable crampedness. Above all, it means to live in constant uncertainty. What are the Germans up to? What are you doing next? Mira's father was a doctor, but when he realized that he could no longer protect and support his family, he chose suicide. As a result, Mira's mother continues to withdraw into herself and it is up to Mira to feed the family with smuggling. For this reason, she regularly breaks out of the ghetto. When two Schmalzowniks become aware of her and speak to her, she fears that she will not come back to her family. But a supposed student helps her in her need. He pretends to be her friend who has been looking for her in the market for a long time. Since they don't know each other's name, they call each other Lenka and Stefan.

After this encounter, Mira goes back to the ghetto. There she tries to sell her smuggled goods to Jurek, a shopkeeper, and to buy groceries for her family. After the transaction she meets Rubinstein on the street, a man who looks crazy. He keeps calling "All the same!" But above all he says to Mira "The question is, little Mira, what kind of person do you want to be?" This question will accompany the book over.

After this meeting, she went home to her mother and sister Hannah at 70 Miła Street. She reports that she kissed Ben "Redhead". Then she goes to see her boyfriend in Janusz Korczak's orphanage . There she meets little Rebecca. Like every other child who grew up and lives with Daniel in the orphanage, she is like a sister to Daniel.

In order to increase your profit from smuggling, Mira goes to her friend Ruth, who is in contact with the boss of the smugglers' gang Chompe, Schmul Ascher. Mira now joins his gang.

Whenever she has time, she goes to the book flea market. There she meets Stefan again and follows him to a house. When she enters it, she is attacked by Zacharia, who believes that she is spying for the Germans. Stefan joins them and wants to know from her what she is doing there. After she explains to him that she followed him to see him again, he helps her. He explains to her that the printing press for her underground magazine is in this building, that they belong to the Hashomer Hatzair and that his real name is Amos. The goal of the resistance group is to educate the ghetto residents about what the Germans intend to do with them, the annihilation of the people in the ghetto.

On her first assignment for the Chompe, she looks over the ghetto wall with the help of a ladder. Hundreds of Germans stand in front of the ghetto wall, who are about to surround the ghetto. The next morning it is announced that all Jews will be relocated to the east. There are few exceptions to this announcement. Mira, her mother and Hannah are not among them. Her last hope is her brother Simon, who works for the Jewish Police . He got her mother a forged certificate of employment. This is how Mira, her mother and Hannah avoid resettlement. That same night soldiers come into your house and drive out anyone who does not have a certificate of employment.

A few days later the next measure will be announced. This is the call of July 29, 1942 for voluntary deportation . On the street she learns that the orphanages are now also to be relocated. She is now going straight to Korczak's orphanage. To talk to Daniel again, she goes with him to the roof and asks him to come with her. When a truck pulls up, Daniel wants to see the children in the orphanage. But Mira can't let that happen and knocks him down. Mira now watches from the roof as the children walk hand in hand to the truck, singing.

When Mira arrives back home, her brother is at the door. He reports that the houses are now being searched and is helping them to build a hiding place. After a few days, Ruth shows up at Mira's family's apartment. Mira decides to take her into her hiding place. Ruth reports disturbed about the camp in Treblinka , from which she was able to escape. After weeks in hiding your brother reports that Józef Szeryński, head of the Jewish police, was seriously injured by a Jew. This is the first sign of Jewish resistance that comes to Mira.

On September 6, 1942, the order now follows that all Jews have to gather on the streets. All Jews who do not have a stamp are deported. This brand is distributed by employers, but they are not enough for all workers. So her brother and mother don't get any. Mira decides to hide her family and to face herself. So she hopes to protect her family. All those who do not have a brand are brought to the transhipment point . From there, people are forced into trains and taken to the east.

Mira is already resigned to her fate when she discovers Amos and goes to him. He is wearing a Jewish police uniform and has a badge around his neck. Amos is looking for Zacharia and wants to buy him out, but he does not find him. Mira begs him to save her instead of Zacharia, which Amos does too. When Amos saved her life, he hopes that she will join the resistance. But Mira would like to see her family. When she arrives at the apartment, she sees the open hiding place and the bodies of her mother, Ruth and Hannah.

Since she has now lost everything and she does not want her sister's death to be in vain, she joins the resistance. She lives with the other resistance fighters in one of the many bunkers that the Germans have not yet discovered.

On January 18, 1943, the Germans arrive to finally destroy the ghetto. But the resistance opposes them and stops them.

To get new weapons and support, Mira and Amos are smuggled out of the ghetto. You are now Gabriela and Robert Szalach, a happy couple. Outside the ghetto they made contact with Captain Iwanski of the state army. This promises them pistols, but not strong support. The Poles want to wait with their own uprising until there is a real chance of liberation. This only happens when the Russian army is close to Warsaw.

After the successful deal, Amos and Mira go back to the ghetto. Ben "Rothaar" is among the resistance fighters and Daniel and Rebecca find Mira again. Among other things, through the leadership of Mordechai Anielewicz , leader of the ŻOB , they face the Germans for 28 days with pistols, rifles and Molotov cocktails . They even destroy a German tank.

In the end, some of the last resistance fighters flee the ghetto through the sewer system. You resisted the Germans for 28 days. Amos, Rebecca and Mira flee together into the woods. They choose not to join the Polish resistance, but to stay in the woods until the war is over. Mira is now sure how her answer to the question "What kind of person do you want to be?" reads: For the rest of her life she wants to be a person who lives.

characters

Mira: Jewish girl who lives in the Warsaw ghetto

Lenka: Mira's name, which Amos will give her on the market

Gabriela Szalach: Mira's name on the Polish side of Warsaw

Mother: mother of Mira

Simon: Brother of Mira

Hannah: sister of Mira

Ben "Redhead": friend of Hannah

Amos: Resistance fighters of the Hashomer Halzair

Stefan: Amo's name, which Mira gave him on the market

Robert Szalach: Amos name on the Polish side of Warsaw

Daniel: Friend of Mira

Rebecca: little girl and foster sister of Daniel

Ruth: Friend of Mira

Jurek: Ghetto shopkeeper and buyer of Mira's contraband goods

Rubinstein: madman and clown of the ghetto

Janusz Korczak : head of the orphanage and famous author

Schmul Ascher: leader of the thief and smuggler gang Chompe

Zacharia: Member of the Hashomer Hatzair underground group

Mordechai Anioelewicz : leader ŻOB

Captain Iwanski: Captain of the state army and supporter of the resistance

Adam Czerniaków : Chairman of the Jewish Council

Józef Szeryński: Chief of the Jewish Police

Historical background

From April 19, 1943, insurgents in the Warsaw ghetto offered resistance to the German occupation forces for several weeks. This resistance was led by the Jewish Combat Organization (ŻOB) under Mordechaj Anielewicz and the Jewish Military Association (ŻZW) .

On September 1, 1939, the Second World War began with the invasion of Poland. Warsaw capitulated on September 28, 1939. From October 1939, Jewish shops were marked, Jews were mistreated and the Jewish star was introduced. In the same year a Judenrat was set up, which was headed by Adam Czerniaków . The Warsaw Ghetto was established on October 15, 1940. It covered about 2.4% of the area of ​​Warsaw. From now on around 30% of the Warsaw population should live together on 2.4% of the area of ​​Warsaw. 300,000 ghetto residents were deported to extermination camps by the end of 1942 .

From July 22, 1942, the ghetto was gradually dissolved. More than 6,000 people were transported to extermination camps, especially to Treblinka , every day .

In March 1942 the first non-partisan resistance unit called the Antifascist Front was founded. It was formed from the Zionist youth groups and the Polish Labor Party (PPR). The big deportations began in July, with the result that the resistance groups lost almost their entire base. The Jewish fighting organization (ŻOB for Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa) was founded by the end of October 1942 . Hashomer Hazair played a major role in this , because it ensured that anti-communist and anti-Bundist groups work together. Hashomer Hazair, Dror, Gordonia, Akiba, Poale Zion, Bund and the PRR were united in the ŻOB and thus formed the anti-fascist bloc. The OOB received few weapons from the Home Army and the Communist People's Guard. They had to buy guns from the black market. They also set up factories for Molotov cocktails , which quickly became their main weapon.

On January 18, 1943, at least 1,000 German men marched into the ghetto. At the time, the ŻOB had 1250, mostly young fighters. After four days the resistance fighters were able to drive the soldiers out of the ghetto, but lost around 80% of their fighters. The deportations came to a standstill four days later. Many residents of the ghetto now bought weapons and formed "wild groups". The Home Army delivered 50 much-needed pistols and rifles to the ghetto.

On April 19, 1943, the Germans surrounded the ghetto and 850 men of the SS marched into the ghetto. There they were shot at immediately and had to withdraw. The accompanying tank was set on fire by Molotov cocktails. The resistance fighters had connected the houses to one another in order to offer a smaller area for attack. The same evening the Germans withdrew from the ghetto.

They also received support from outside the ghetto. On April 20, 1943, a German machine gun nest was destroyed from the outside. As a result, part of the ghetto was set on fire with flamethrowers and an air force operation destroyed almost all of the houses.

In the days that followed, flamethrowers were repeatedly used against pockets of resistance. The brush maker district, which was destroyed by flamethrowers and an air raid on April 20, 1943, was evacuated by the ŻOB. After just four days, most of the fighters were injured or dead. 20 of those who remained fled the ghetto through the tunnels. The headquarters of the resistance fighters were captured and 80 fighters were executed.

On April 23, 1943, 18 Miła Street became the new headquarters of ŻOB. This also meant a change of strategy. Instead of fighting in houses and ambushing the Germans, the resistance fighters now went to around 600 underground bunkers and only launched targeted attacks. The Germans responded by forming small groups to track down the bunkers.

One of the last major skirmishes took place on April 27, 1943. Now the Home Army helped with a group under Commander Iwański. Nevertheless, the ŻOB decided to flee the ghetto at the end of April. The first 40 resistance fighters left the ghetto that same day. Since the Germans had discovered all the larger bunkers except those at 18 Miła Street, 500 people now lived there. But the Germans discovered this too on May 7, 1943 and attacked him a day later. Many of the fighters took their own lives or died from the gas the Germans fed into the bunker. The ŻOB lost about 80% of its remaining fighters.

On May 10, 1943, a group of insurgents who managed to flee the ghetto drove away in a truck. The insurgents were hidden in apartments or went into the woods.

When the Great Synagogue was blown up on May 16, 1943, the uprising against the deportation was declared to have ended on the German side. But one unit continued to fight until July 1943 and kept in contact with those who escaped. One year after the end of the ghetto uprising, Germans died in an ambush. Some Jews survived in the ruins of the ghetto until the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.

After the fighting ended, some fighters became partisans , went to Warsaw or to the woods. Others were betrayed or killed.

The fighting claimed a total of 12,000 victims. 30,000 more were shot after the fighting and 7,000 were transported to extermination camps, where many were murdered.

Truth and Fiction - Interview with the Author

In 1992 David Safier was asked to give a speech on the anniversary of the ghetto uprising. For this he dealt more closely with the topic. He was quickly fascinated by the story of human size and cowardice and he wondered if and how he could publish this story in a book.

The special thing about the story is that the victims resisted. The image that the Jews would have gone defenseless to the concentration and extermination camps is torn open. 1200 Jews fought in Warsaw, most of them between 13 and 29 years of age. They organized the uprising and defied odds for 28 days. This is unique in history.

When asked why the Jews did not fight back for so long, David Safier replied: "Hope was always kept alive a little." There were always exceptions to the regulations and a few days later there were new regulations and exceptions. Each time, people hoped they were one of those exceptions and some got lucky. It should not be forgotten that the actions of the Germans exceeded any imagination.

Of the 450,000 Jews initially, 400,000 were deported. Only then did it become clear to everyone that the goal is to kill the inhabitants of the ghetto. Now many of those who remained took up arms. Where there were previously different parties in the ghetto, the only goal now was not to be led to the slaughter without defenselessness.

The Germans created a community of suffering through the Racial Law. This can also be seen in the example of a mafia boss in the ghetto. He did not see himself as a Jew, the Germans did. He had several bunkers in the ghetto, which he named after camps (for example Treblinka , Auschwitz ...). He too became a resistance fighter and took other fighters into his bunkers.

The extreme situation changed people. They became selfless, helped others, sacrificed their lives for others. One night, resistance fighters went to a bakery and baked bread, which they then distributed to the hungry in the ghetto. Other people, in turn, showed their underhandedness. The Jewish police had the stipulation that each police officer should bring five people a day to the Umschlagplatz so that they could be deported. Those who did not reach this number were deported themselves. So it came about that some even betrayed their own families just to be able to live a few days longer.

28 Days is not a fictional novel, it is based on real events. Mira, however, did not exist. David Safier decided on a fictional main character because he is tied to their experiences and portrayals in the case of historical personalities. Many tell very objectively and distantly about this time, because this is the only way they can report about it. It would have been difficult to describe and clarify your emotions and, above all, the novel would lose a lot of depth. With Mira these problems could be avoided. Your problems and experiences have all happened. But David Safier did not only take artistic freedom with Mira. So he also merged days of fighting and pushed one forward.

Safier's father was born in 1915 and was persecuted by the National Socialists. His grandfather died in Buchenwald and his grandmother in the Lodz ghetto. On his mother's side, he has German ancestors, which allowed him to get to know both sides.

Whether the uprising was right or wrong is not discussed in the book. It was an option that people chose. Marek Edelmann, a survivor, later reported that at first they despised the people who were voluntarily deported. But now he knew that it took a lot more courage than taking up arms and fighting. In the face of death, the young people decided to fight and defend themselves. Mira should make it clear that many were not born with this will to fight or immediately joined the resistance, but came to resistance through the traumatic events.

It was important to David Safier not only to show that the young people resisted, but also to discuss what happens to you when you kill. The leitmotifs of the novel are: "What kind of person do you want to be, how would you behave in such a situation? Would you kill, would you save lives, would you give your own life for others?" This last leitmotif can be found in the novel especially in the deportation. What do you do when you are an exception yourself but your own children are not? Do you go to death with them or do you sacrifice them for your own life? Janusz Korczak runs an orphanage and is a well-known author. Several times he was given an offer that he could save, but the children do not. He decides for the children and against his life.

Teaching materials

For 28 days, its authentic and dominant main character offers the younger generation access to the Holocaust and illustrates the subject. The novel picks up the youngsters where they stand. Through the style of a suspense novel, the students are involved in what is happening and deal with the Holocaust , mostly without direct defense or disinterest.

Mira's problems also form points of contact with the lives of young people. The book complements the school material in such a way that it illuminates a little-known aspect of history, the uprising in the Warsaw ghetto . This goes against the existing picture that the Jews allowed themselves to be deported to concentration and extermination camps without resistance .

The young people also learn why many ghetto residents hoped to the end that nothing would happen to them in the East, and why the resistance fighters fought, even though it seemed hopeless.

With its complex plot, the novel in the subjects of German, religion / ethics, social studies / politics and history can be used as an accompaniment to lessons. There are four modules in this regard. The first module "Mira - a heroine?" addresses Mira's personality, decisions and her environment. In module two, "Surviving in the Ghetto", the students deal with life in the Warsaw Ghetto. Module three "28 days" should bring the motives of the resistance and the implementation of the resistance closer. "What kind of person do you want to be?" is module four - in which Mira's changes due to resistance and what is actually important for a life are to be discussed. An important part of the teaching material is the issue of whether survival is guilty.

Awards

• 2015: Buxtehuder Bulle (for 2014)

Text output

• David Safier: For 28 days . Kindler, Reinbek 2014. ISBN 978-3-463-40640-4 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ David Safier: For 28 days . 1st edition. Rowohlt Verlag GmbH, Reinbek near Hamburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-463-40640-4 , p. 45 .
2. ↑ David Safier: For 28 days . 1st edition. Rowohlt Verlag GmbH, Reinbek near Hamburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-463-40640-4 , p. 408 .
3. ↑ David Safier: For 28 days . 1st edition. Rowohlt Verlag GmbH, Reinbek near Hamburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-463-40640-4 , p. 412 .
4. ↑ David Safier: For 28 days . 1st edition. Rowohlt Verlag GmbH, Reinbek near Hamburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-463-40640-4 , p. 407-413 .
5. ↑ << 28 DAYS >> - A MOVING NOVEL ABOUT THE WARSAW GHETTO. Rowohlt Verlag GmbH, accessed on April 9, 2020 .