Europa, Europa: A Memoir of World War II

by Solomon Perel and Margot Bettauer Dembo

Book Overview

The Inspiration Behind The Golden Globe-Winning Film
The wrenching memoir of a young man who survived the Holocaust by concealing his Jewish identity and finding unexpected refuge as a member of the Hitler Youth.

International acclaim for Solomon Perel's Europa Europa
"The sheer emotion of telling the tale is palpable. The whole is moving, and strange beyond belief." -The Times (London)
"It is a Holocaust...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471283649
• ISBN13: 9780471283645
• Release Date: February 1999
• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Amazing story

It was very interesting to read this story about a survivor of the persecution of the Jews. It was an inside look of what really went on under Hitler's regime. It was also very informative of the depth of hatred that Hitler had of the Jews and how he fooled so many German people. Shlomo Perel's story should be read by everyone who studies the history of this tragic time.

Talking with the author

I traveled to Israel on business in 1995. En route at Heathrow, Israel bound passengers went through intensive security screening 3 hours before flight time and were kept in a large room to await the flight. No shopping for me and I hadn't brought a decent book to read. An older gentleman was sitting next to me playing chess on a small computer. After about a half hour, we began to chat. His name was Solomon Perel and he told me the story of his life. Europa, Europa (the film) had recently come out, but the book had not yet been translated to English. He had been on a lecture tour of the United States. Even if you read the book or see the movie, no one can begin to fathom what it was like to sit next to that amazing man for 3 hours hearing about his life. His is a story of desperate acts of courage and survival. It is both heartbreaking and uplifting. He asked me to see the movie and to write to him - telling him what I thought. He gave me his address. As I worked in Israel I told my Israeli business associates about this chance meeting. By their response, you would have thought that I had met King Solomon himself. I began to doubt that this guy really was the very famous and deeply respected Solomon Perel. I figured he was a bored old man wanting to strike up a conversation with the young woman sitting next to him to pass 3 long hours. When I got home, I rented the movie. It followed the old man's tale very closely - but I figured that the old guy had read the book in Hebrew or already saw the movie - that's how he knew the story. But then, at the end of the movie, there is short clip of Solomon Perel in Israel. It was him - it was the man I had met in Heathrow. I regret to say that I never wrote to Solomon Perel. Every time I started a letter, I found it impossible to say anything meaningful. From a young age, this man had suffered an unimaginable horror and came out of it undoubtedly wounded, but also incredibly strong. I, in turn, had been raised by a loving family in a peaceful and prosperous country. I was blessed with a great job, wonderful friends, a loving husband, and a beautiful 1 year old boy. I couldn't think of anything to say to this man that didn't seem trite. Perhaps I'll try again to write to him. If you read this book, it will break your heart. If you are smart, you will realize what I did - just how blessed we are ..... well, so far.I was a European history buff, but knew little about the Middle East conflict. After meeting Mr. Perel, I started reading history books on the area and since September 11th I've read every relevant book I can find (check out my review of Howard Sachar's A History of Israel). I expected to feel great solidarity with the Israeli cause. But the more I studied, the more I felt that the Israeli policies of occupation, settlement, repression and retaliation are morally flawed. I feel this in spite of my deep respect and regard for Mr. Perel. So I was somewhat reluctant to

Fate and luck

Book review: Europa Europa?Europa Europa? is an extraordinary story experienced by quite a normal fellow. The story is about the Jewish boy Solomon Perel who was born in Germany in 1925 and lived there for some years but as the Nazi society developed in Germany he and his family were forced to move eastward. To avoid humiliation and persecution by the Germans they settled in Poland. He got separated from most of his family in Poland and with his brother he fled to Russia. There he lived until Germany invaded Russia and suddenly he was forced into using his basic instincts for staying alive. A German military group captured the Jews they found and started questioning them and if they were Jews they shot them in the nearby forest. Solomon Perel obviously spoke German and he miraculously managed to convince the German soldiers that he wasn?t a Jew but a normal ethnic German and that this was a mistake. From that day on and until the end of the war he lived with the Nazis as if he was one of them. He even entered the Hitler Jugend after returning to Germany, and he had to sing along to the songs about spilling the blood of the Jews.The story, which is authentic, is so special because there naturally were so many encounters were one wrong move would definitely have lead to his dead but he survived. Throughout the whole book you wonder about Luck and Fate. It is filled with situations where you think that either this is just pure luck or maybe it is meant for him to stay alive. But maybe in the end it was his only his own willpower that made him do exactly what his mother had told him in her last words before the separated, ?you must stay alive?.The book is great and very interesting. Not so much because of the way it is written since the best thing isn?t the quality of the writing but more the story that brings you so close to a human, which lived through the greatest fears. Matthias Petersen

Great Memoir

This was an exciting book. It went well but differed from the movie. I enjoyed reading the trials and tribuations that this young man endured. It was nice to a read a book that was from a different point of view. His struggles in life made him an interesting individual. I really enjoyed this book and I hope you do too. This was a sad story of course but I truely enjoyed the book.

An Amazing Saga of Duplicitous Existence

Solomon Perel's story is unique. His acceptance by the Nazis as an "ethnic German" leads to a double existence - a jingoistic Hitler Youth on the outside, and a pensive tortured Jew on the inside. It is this battle between "Jupp" and "Solly" that captures the reader; and it is quite clear that even Mr. Perel himself has yet to integrate these two contradicting personalities. Europa, Europa admirably describes the experiences of Solly Perel, and continually amazes with its remarkable developments and stunning coincidences. In the end, the story best illustrates the irrationality of racial hatred. While his Nazi acquaintances held Jupp in great esteem, the same individuals would have surely killed Solly without much thought