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On Sunny Days We Sang: A Holocaust Story of Survival and Resilience (Holocaust Survivor True Stories) Hardcover – March 14, 2022

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 208 ratings
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When the Germans march into their little Polish shtetl at the start of World War II, the Jews of Wlodawa see their lives abruptly torn apart. For Hil and Alexandra it marks the beginning of a struggle to survive during which they will experience ghettos, roundups, hiding places, and false identities, a struggle where the line between life and death will depend on small decisions made along the way.


With the story of the destruction of Polish Jewry as a backdrop, Jeannette Grunhaus de Gelman tells us the remarkable tale of her parents' journey, which will take them from the dark years in a Europe at war to safety and a new life in Venezuela.

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  1. Part of series
    Holocaust Survivor True Stories
  2. Print length
    208 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Amsterdam Publishers
  5. Publication date
    March 14, 2022
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 0.63 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    9493276198
  8. ISBN-13
    978-9493276192
  9. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Jeannette Gelman writes with great clarity and passion her personal story of the Holocaust, which is also the story of her parents Alexandra and Hil. As my family's genealogist, I was especially interested in Ms. Gelman's genealogy of her family, which is very different from mine. Yet the people in the book and the story are highly relatable today, as these were ordinary people, and what happened to them could happen to any of us. Ms. Gelman's family had the misfortune to be swept up in the tide of the worst of human history. Her parents did manage to survive but also paid a heavy price, in terms of mental health, for their survival. How this price was ultimately resolved is a fascinating story. - Leigh Hallingby



This book is not only a Holocaust story, it's a testament to the life of a survivor. This is the story of the author's parents. The book describes how both of them lost their families in the war and no one else left except them. It reflects their struggle to survive, how they finally got away from the dark years of the war, and how they started a new life in Venezuela (South America). - Christine Harnist

About the Author

Jeannette Grunhaus de Gelman is a Venezuelan teacher, researcher, and writer. She was born in Szczecin, Poland in 1946, the daughter of Polish survivors who came from Wlodawa. That same year, her family emigrated to Venezuela, settling in Maracaibo. Gelman received her undergraduate degree in French from Wellesley College. She went on to receive an MA in Spanish Literature from New York University (Madrid) in 1970 and in 1976 was awarded her MA in the Teaching of French from the Université de Paris III. She was a professor of French Language and Literature at the Universidad del Zulia in Maracaibo from 1971 to 1996. In 2013 she moved to Miami, Florida. From 2013 to 2018 she was a Research Scholar at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, focusing on Holocaust studies. On Sunny Days We Sang was first published in Spanish in 2018 under the title, En los días claros cantábamos. It is the author's first full-length work, telling the story of her parents' survival in Nazi-occupied Poland during the Second World War.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amsterdam Publishers (March 14, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9493276198
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9493276192
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.63 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 208 ratings

About the author

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Jeannette Grunhaus de Gelman

Jeannette Grunhaus de Gelman

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Jeannette Grunhaus de Gelman is a Venezuelan professor, researcher, and writer. She was born in Szczecin. Poland in 1946, to Polish Holocaust survivors who came from Wlodawa. Her family emigrated to Venezuela, settling in Maracaibo. Gelman received her undergraduate degree in French from Wellesley College. In 1970, she went on to receive an MA in Spanish Literature from New York University via their extension program in Madrid and in 1976 was awarded her MA in the teaching of French from the Université de Paris III. She was a professor of French Language and Literature at the Universidad del Zulia in Maracaibo from 1971 to 1996.

Travelling was one of her passions but finally in 2013 she moved to Miami, Florida with a purpose in mind. As Second-Generation Holocaust Survivor, her parents' trauma was always present in her life and she felt the need to understand what happened to the family she never had. From 2013 to 2018 she was accepted as a Research Scholar at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, focusing on Holocaust studies.

As a result, she wrote On Sunny Days We Sang that was first published in Spanish in 2018 under the title En los días claros cantábamos. It is the author's first full length work, telling the story of her parents' survival in Nazi-occupied Poland during the Second World War.

Before the Covid pandemic, Gelman had the opportunity to lecture-high school seniors and college students on the events that lead to the destruction of Polish Jewish life. She expects to continue with these activities in the future.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
208 global ratings
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5 Stars
A Must read
Highly recommend On Sunny Days We Sang! This book was a gift from a dear friend and I must tell you you shouldn't miss the opportunity to read it. This is a heartfelt written book and every reader can sense that throughout every page. Thank you to the author for sharing this story with the world
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Top reviews from the United States

V.E.
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Read
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2024
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The Holocaust's horrors echo through the compelling yet distressing narratives of On Sunny Days We Sang. Alexandra and Hil's harrowing tale of survival against the Nazis, filled with tension and courage, underscores the importance of remembrance. Jeanette Gelman's memoir illuminates her parents' resilience amidst the turmoil in Poland and their subsequent resettlement in Venezuela. These stories serve as poignant reminders, urging us to confront the past and safeguard against its recurrence, ensuring the Holocaust's enduring legacy. A tough but worthwhile read.
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julian forero
5.0 out of 5 stars A deep understanding of the tails on the Holocaust.
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2024
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Jeannette Grunhaus is given a power-full memoir that offers a deep account of survival and resilience during one of the darkest periods in the history. “On Sunny Days We Sang: A Holocaust Story of Survival and Resilience" takes the readers on a journey through the agonizing experiences of the Holocaust, where Grunhaus recounts her own personal story of courage and strength.
What sets up this memoir is Grunhaus's ability to bring hope and humanity among the horrors of the Holocaust. Despite the darkness she witnesses and the loss she experiences, Grunhaus finds consolation in such as small acts of kindness and moments of solidarity with the prisoners thar were with her. Her intense determination to survive and her refusal to quit hope serve as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
The narrative is fascinating from the very beginning, as Grunhaus describes her childhood in the Europe on the nazi deepest stage and the gradual escalation of anti-semitic persecution. Her family struggle for survival against the scenery of hate and violence is both heartbreaking and inspiring, highlighting the invincible human spirit in the face of impossible adversity.
Furthermore, Grunhaus's writing is absorbed with a sense of authenticity and sincerity that makes her story all the more fascinating. Her speech is clear, transporting readers to the heart of her experiences and eliciting a range of emotions from empathy to admiration.
As a conclusion, "On Sunny Days We Sang" is a completely moving memoir that displays light on a dark chapter in history while celebrating the power of hope, resilience, and the human spirit. Jeannette Grunhaus's story serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of bearing witness to the past and honoring the stories of those who had to face an unimaginable suffering. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in Holocaust literature and the immortal legacy of survival against all odds. This is the book for those readers that encounter fascination on layers where the historical path is the main character.
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Amy K.
5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional Read!
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2024
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"On Sunny Days We Sang: A Holocaust Story of Survival and Resilience" by Jeannette Grunhaus de Gelman is a poignant and gripping account of the Holocaust. Set in a small Polish shtetl at the start of World War II, the lives of the Jews in Włodawa are abruptly torn apart by the German invasion. Hil and Alexandra embark on a harrowing struggle for survival, navigating through ghettos, roundups, hiding places, and false identities. Against the backdrop of the destruction of Polish Jewry, the author recounts the remarkable journey of her parents through the dark years of war in Europe, ultimately finding safety and a new life in Venezuela. Grunhaus de Gelman's narrative beautifully captures the resilience and determination of individuals facing unimaginable challenges during one of history's darkest periods.
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Robin Surface
4.0 out of 5 stars Family and history equal compelling reading
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2024
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This book was a detailed history lesson that was made all the more real due to the personal accounts of those who lived through it. History is often something we view as far removed from the reality of our lives, but the author brought it to life and showed readers a perspectives not often dealt with in these types of books - Nazi's impact on Poland's Jews and the guilt the survivors were forced to with once the war was over.

The author shows the reader how insidious the Nazis in Poland were, and how the horrors crept up little by little on the people who had to suffer them. The story makes this all too real in its skillful telling. What is also highlighted is the amazing resilience of the people in the face of unbelievable atrocities.

In conclusion, the story is a remarkable portrait of a family (and a people's) survival against nearly insurmountable odds. The author has contributed a book that will help to keep the past alive in the future.
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Steven Max Finkelstein
5.0 out of 5 stars A Harrowing Tale of the Holocaust
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
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Reading about the Holocaust is always pretty harrowing. It’s hard to believe that something so grotesque took place, but it did. There’s seemingly no limit to the number of personal stories, both horrific and inspiring, that continue to come out of it, even so many years later.

On Sunny Days We Sang is by turns compelling, heartbreaking, and uplifting. It tells the story of Alexandra and Hil, whose courage and dogged determination to survive the Nazis at all costs is the stuff of Hollywood movies. Their real-life struggle was full of pulse-pounding moments where their very lives hung in the balance.

This won’t be an easy read for many, but these are stories that absolutely must be told. They must stand as a bulwark against the horrors of the Nazi occupation every happening again. Tales like that of Hil and Alexandra should remind us of what the Jewish people have endured, and the shadow that the Holocaust still casts over their collective consciousness.
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Top reviews from other countries

Jo Sorochinsky
5.0 out of 5 stars Hope and decency triumph over unspeakable horrors
Reviewed in Canada on November 27, 2022
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Jeannette Grunhaus de Gelaman's On Sunny Days We Sang is a meticulously researched account of her parents' remarkable survival during the brutal Nazi regime in Poland. Even as it details each of the five roundups of Jews in Wlodawa in all their brutality, it intersperses the account with people helping one another at the risk of death - other Jews and non-Jews, leaving one with a feeling of hope. But above all this is the story of the author's remarkable parents, how they survived and overcame their immense losses, their own survivor's guilt and a moving trip back to Poland where the author and her mother confront the past. I was horrified by the hatred Polish gentiles demonstrated toward returning Jews, who had survived the murders in towns, ghettos and camps, how they pretended they didn't know what was happening to Jewish neighbours literally under their noses! - the eventual arrests some of the perpetrators brought a sense of retribution - even if the sentences were a shocking demonstration of their country's on-going denial of its deeply rooted antisemitism. This is a scholarly, well-written and moving account which will deepen the reader's understanding of Poland's Nazi period; of survival in Latin America and Israel and the coming to terms with even the most painful of pasts. Highly recommended!
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Catherine K
5.0 out of 5 stars Survival and Resilience Indeed!
Reviewed in France on May 11, 2022
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We think we know the big picture of the Shoah, but it's made up of millions of little pictures as well that often give us a real understanding of what happened and how it happened. This book tells a survivors' tale told alongside a sadder one of the family and friends who were not as fortunate. We come to the dramatic ups and downs of the survivors after a slower, prosaic start that evokes and commemorates those who were lost. The book fulfills an important fuction keeping the memory of terrible times alive with a story that does have a sort of happy ending.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars incredible recount of history tragedies and the heroic, lucky and blessed survival
Reviewed in Canada on April 5, 2023
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The written format was very compelling
How each protagonist endured on their own. How they met and and how they survived together
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Sonia Case
4.0 out of 5 stars A powerful memoir of a terrible time
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2023
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This memoir opens the lid on the terrible impact Nazi Germany had on ordinary Polish Jews. Hundreds of small but terrible incidents, perpetrated against children as well as adults are described in this impeccably researched account of the author’s family history, in particularly on her mother and father’s stories. Grunhaus de Gelman was only a baby when she journeyed to Venezuela to start a new life after the war's end. The fact that her parents survived the atrocities heaped upon Polish Jews helps to provide light within the darkness.
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