Write Your Story series - publisher  
First known date: 1999- Issue Details: First known date: 1999-... 1999- Write Your Story
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Notes

  • 'Write Your Story' is a cultural activity of Makor Jewish Community Library (q.v.). It is facilitated by Julie Meadows.

Includes

y separately published work icon A Patchwork Life Eva Marks , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002 Z1013514 2002 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Echoes from the Past : The Rifka Norman Story Rae Mandelbaum , Julie Meadows (editor), Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 1999 Z1049450 1999 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon A Look Back Over My Shoulder Garry Fabian , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002 Z1049734 2002 single work autobiography

'Born Gerhard Fabian in Stuttgart, Germany on 11th January 1934, Garry's early years of life were spent travelling between countries to avoid persecution by the Nazis. In 1935 his family moved to Bodenback, Czechoslovakia, to avoid the ramifications of the Nuremberg Laws. With news of Germany's annexation of Czechoslovakia, Garry and his mother travelled to Trenchin in Slovakia, then to Brno in Moravia to meet his father, then finally travelled to Prague by the end of 1938. Life in Prague was difficult for his family and they were forced to live under false documents. A steady income was generated by Garry's father's 'illegal' employment as a chauffeur, and the sale of his mother's hand-made items. During this time, Garry did not attend school but received private tuition. Life was difficult, however worse was to come.

'In November 1942, Garry and his family were deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto, established a year earlier in order to house those considered 'undesirables' by the Nazi regime. There the Fabian family were confronted with filthy living quarters, disease infested conditions and a diet that resulted in malnutrition. Garry endured, in succession, the measles, chicken pox and whooping cough. Initially Garry wandered the camp aimlessly, but was later put to work in the tailoring shop. In time, he came to understand the culture that had developed in the camp and even gained an invaluable education provided by an elderly teacher. In May 1945, the ghetto was liberated by the Russian Army. Out of 15,000 children that entered the ghetto only 150 survived, including Garry. His parents also survived. Although luck played a large part in their survival, Garry's father was in charge of the medical supply store and was classified as 'essential'.

'After liberation, Garry and his family emigrated to Australia in 1947. Garry attended school and later obtained a junior technical certificate that provided him with an electrical apprenticeship for five years until 1955. In 1956, Garry enlisted in the Australian Navy for a compulsory six months. In 1958 he became engaged to Evelyn Schlesinger and took over his father's business, as his father had died that year. Over the years Garry has held many jobs whilst supporting his wife and two daughters.

'Fabian's autobiography details life in the Theresienstadt ghetto and his 'new life' in Australia post-war. Garry's description of a child's life in the ghetto opens an unknown world to the reader. Fabian's responsibilities and actions as an 8-11 year old in the ghetto are poignant and revealing, demonstrating how a child's life was shaped by the Nazi regime. Written in a clear and direct style, and in chronological order, this narrative presents an important account of a life deeply affected by the Holocaust, but not defeated by it.' (Publication summary)

y separately published work icon Empty Corners : A Memoir Lucy Gould , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2000 Z1050646 2000 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon There Will Be Tomorrow Guta Goldstein , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 1999 Z1050962 1999 single work autobiography

'August, 1944, Auschwitz. The skinny little girl with dark eyes looks nine rather than her real age of fourteen. Flanked on either side by her older cousins, Inka and Carmella, she has survived yet another selection for the gas chambers. Inka maintains that when the SS man passes in front of Guta, an angel’s hand covers his eyes so that he cannot choose her. And so it seems. All the horrors and cruelty, miraculously, do not crush this remarkable child. We are left in awe at her resilient, life-affirming spirit.' (Lamm Jewish Library of Australia)

y separately published work icon A Spoonful of Soup and Other Stories Gary Gray , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2003 Z1056995 2003 selected work short story autobiography
y separately published work icon The Champions of My Childhood Naomi Goldrei , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2003 Z1079566 2003 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Hania's War Hania Ajzner , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2003 Z1086988 2003 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Choose Life Arnold Erlanger , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2003 Z1093380 2003 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Hero and Patriarch : Nachum Zalman Gurewicz: A Life Ian Grinblat , Shmuel Gurewicz , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2003 Z1093385 2003 single work biography
y separately published work icon My Stamp on Life Max Stern , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2003 Z1093391 2003 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Recurring Dreams Lenke Arnstein , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002 Z1094105 2002 single work biography
y separately published work icon The Five Books of Boas: The Autobiography of Bernard A. Boas Bernard Boas , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002 Z1094111 2002 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Cossacks, Cockneys and Colonials Myra Fisher , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002 Z1094120 2002 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Just Think It Never Happened Paulette Goldberg-Szabason , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002 Z1094140 2002 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Lauferin : The Runner of Birkenau Lusia Haberfeld , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002 Z1094815 2002 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon My Dear Andrea and Andris Teri Korda , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002 Z1094826 2002 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon The Bell Tolls for Thee and Other Short Stories Maurie Rosner , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002 Z1094855 2002 selected work short story
y separately published work icon My Mother's Child Helen Gardner , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2001 Z1094895 2001 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Memoirs and Reflection Helen Leperere , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002 Z1094908 2002 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Baghdad, I Remember Sabiha Jawary , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2001 Z1094917 2001 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Searching for Yesterday : A Photographic Essay about My Mother, a Holocaust Survivor Helen Max , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2001 Z1094927 2001 single work biography
y separately published work icon Serry and Me : A Story of the Kindertransport and Beyond Elfie Rosenberg , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2001 Z1094937 2001 single work biography
y separately published work icon Swimming under Water Halina Zylberman , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2001 Z1094947 2001 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Memory Guide My Hand : An Anthology of Autobiographical Writing by Members of the Melbourne Jewish Community Julie Meadows (editor), Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 1998-2007 Z1094984 1998-2007 anthology autobiography An anthology of life stories by members of the Melbourne Jewish community from the former Soviet Union.
y separately published work icon A Full House : The Fascinating Autobiography Sydney A. B. Benjamin , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2000 Z1094994 2000 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Letters to My Mother Maria Censor , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2000 Z1095119 2000 single work autobiography

'Born in Warsaw in the 1920s, Maria Censor had a happy childhood, indulged by her adoring family. When she was fourteen, war broke out and she was faced with the disappearance of her father, the loss of her siblings and finally, the loss of her mother. Through all this, in order to survive, Maria was forced to change her identity, living a life of hardship and danger and working for the Polish underground. With its spare and beautiful prose, this book is a deeply felt account of Maria’s life up to the end of the war.' (Lamm Jewish Library of Australia)

y separately published work icon The Porcelain Doll Vera Schreiber , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2000 Z1095140 2000 single work autobiography

'The author calls Bergen-Belsen her kindergarten, since when she was only three, she and her mother were transported to that infamous death camp. They were released after a number of months as a result of a deal with the Germans. The Romanian Jewish leader, Renö Kastner, traded "blood for goods" – the rightness of which action is still hotly debated today – but which saved thousands of lives. Vera has lived in Paris, London, Sao Paulo and Melbourne. She has a family and a full life, but will always carry a deep sadness for the little girl she was.' (Lamm Jewish Library of Australia)

y separately published work icon Memory's Wings and Apron Strings Freda Searle , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2000 Z1095150 2000 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon My Story Lily Skall , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2000 Z1095159 2000 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon An Intricate Collage Marianne Roth , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2000 Z1095169 2000 single work biography
y separately published work icon Second Exodus : An Autobiography of Mayer Harari Mayer Harari , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 1999 Z1095174 1999 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Keeping the Promise : Memoirs of a War Bride from Israel Mena Kozminsky-Meyerowitz , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2003 Z1095181 2003 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon A Will to Live : A Story about Hope and Strength of the Human Spirit George Ginzburg , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2003 Z1102634 2003 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Full Circle : The Story of a Chained Woman Doreen Beckwith , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2004 Z1125205 2004 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Saviours : The Story of a Jewish Altar Boy Henri Korn , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2004 Z1129528 2004 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Chinese Exile : My Years in Shanghai and Nanking Horst Peter Eisfelder , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2004 Z1197808 2004 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon Memories of Ordinary People : for Those Who Have No One to Remember Them Kitia Altman , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2003 Z1221079 2003 single work biography
y separately published work icon Pola's Story Marilyn Schimmel , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2005 Z1229200 2005 single work biography
y separately published work icon Run Henry Run : Chemist, Legionaire, Scout Henry Barclay , Melbourne : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2008 Z1517571 2008 single work autobiography

'Born in Lvov, Poland, at the beginning of World War I, Henry Barclay’s youth was happily spent in the warmth of his Jewish family. When increasing anti-Semitism threatened their happy life, Henry was excited at being accepted to study in France, although sad at leaving his family behind. Storm clouds were gathering when his father visited him in Paris in 1937, but neither knew it would be the last time they would see each other. Henry’s beloved parents were later shot in the street in Cracow.

The war years saw Henry join the French Foreign Legion, train in Sidi bel Abbes, venture to Casablanca, and eventually leave the Legion to return to France. Fearing the arm of the Vichy Government’s anti-Semitism, he fled from Marseille across the border to Spain, was incarcerated for a time and finally shipped to Britain.

In London, despite the blitz, he was finally able to live and work as a free man. The promise of a better life brought him and his new bride to Melbourne, where he continues to live as one of the true quiet achievers.' (Publisher's description)

y separately published work icon Growing Up With the Trees : A Shepparton Story Aaron Feiglin , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2008 Z1530176 2008 single work autobiography
y separately published work icon More Than Nine Lives Kathy Reisman , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002 Z1094838 2002 single work autobiography Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002
y separately published work icon Unter Roite Himlen Shmuel Shvarts , Melbourne : Shmuel Shvarts , 1981 Z1094870 1981 single work autobiography Under Red Skies : Dreams and Realities Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2002
y separately published work icon No Locked Doors : Jewish Life in Shepparton Shirley Randles , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2004 Z1129496 2004 single work autobiography Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2004
y separately published work icon A Ballad by Johannes Brahms : A Journey to Understand a Childhood in Vienna Shattered by Nazism Susanne Wright , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2006 Z1294674 2006 single work autobiography Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2006
y separately published work icon Memories from a Foreign Country : Growing up in Poland 1936-1958 Danny Kahan , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2009 Z1639868 2009 single work autobiography Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2009
y separately published work icon Tell It To the Squirrels Judy Kolt , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2009 Z1654132 2009 single work autobiography Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2009
y separately published work icon People and Places in War and Peace Halina Wagowska , Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2009 Z1785452 2009 single work autobiography Caulfield South : Makor Jewish Community Library , 2009

Works about this Work

A Survivor's Homage to Her Floating Angels Barney Zwartz , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 11 January 2010; (p. 6)
Tales of Survival in Anthologies of Russian Jewish Life Tali Borowski , 2006 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian Jewish News , 14 July vol. 72 no. 41 2006; (p. 10)

— Review of Write Your Story 1999- series - publisher
Makor Library's successful Write Your Story program turns its focus to the local Russian community to help bring its history to life
History from Memories Deborah Stone , 2005 single work column
— Appears in: The Australian Jewish News , 1 July vol. 71 no. 41 2005; (p. 19)
Memories Writ Large Leon Gettler , 2004 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 3 April 2004; (p. 2)
For the Memory Stan Marks , 2003 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Author , December vol. 35 no. 3 2003; (p. 26-28)

— Review of Write Your Story 1999- series - publisher
For the Memory Stan Marks , 2003 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Author , December vol. 35 no. 3 2003; (p. 26-28)

— Review of Write Your Story 1999- series - publisher
Tales of Survival in Anthologies of Russian Jewish Life Tali Borowski , 2006 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian Jewish News , 14 July vol. 72 no. 41 2006; (p. 10)

— Review of Write Your Story 1999- series - publisher
Makor Library's successful Write Your Story program turns its focus to the local Russian community to help bring its history to life
Memories Writ Large Leon Gettler , 2004 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 3 April 2004; (p. 2)
History from Memories Deborah Stone , 2005 single work column
— Appears in: The Australian Jewish News , 1 July vol. 71 no. 41 2005; (p. 19)
A Survivor's Homage to Her Floating Angels Barney Zwartz , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 11 January 2010; (p. 6)
Last amended 12 Jan 2010 13:46:50
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