Judy Batalion

Judy Batalion grew up with a mother who was a hoarder and suffered from paranoia. Her father chose to accept her mother the way she was and did almost nothing about the growing accumulation of canned tuna, furniture and clothing. Nonetheless, he was a positive presence in Judy's young life, spending time with her and helping her with her education. This autobiography looks at how her home life affected Judy's choices as a young adult, and how it influenced her behaviour and feelings after show more she became a mother herself.

This book made me think about how to support people who have mental health issues, as well as how to best support their family members who, themselves, face challenges. It was touching and (I'm somewhat ashamed to admit) surprising to see how much Judy's father loved her mother, despite her hoarding and other compulsions. It was interesting to see how Judy and her husband, Jon, reacted so differently to living with hoarders.

Judy had an interesting life with her parents and grandparents in Montreal, attending Harvard University, moving to work and study in London, England, dating various disasters and great guys, even working as a stand-up comedian. Through it all, her mother exerts an influence on her...sometimes powerfully, other times more subtly. The book is well written, often funny, and very honest. show less

An amazing, well written and incredibly absorbing volume about the Jewish heroines who resisted the Nazis in the ghettos. I’ve read many books about the Holocaust, but this one fills an important spot in telling the stories of these women who histories have been in the shadows for all these years. Well done.

Judy Batalion, in "The Light of Days," pays tribute to "Jewish women of Poland who resisted the Nazi regime." Most of their names have been forgotten. Their views and activities may not have jibed with the political outlook of those who wrote the history books; because the combatants were young women, they may have been considered less significant than their male counterparts; and these women did not seek aggrandizement. Instead, they let their actions speak for themselves. When the Nazis show more took over Poland, Renia and Sarah Kukielka, Zivia Lubetkin, Fruma and Hantze Plotnicka, and Chasia Bielicka, among others, joined various resistance organizations, served as couriers, engaged in sabotage, assumed leadership roles, and assisted starving fellow Jews.

The author came upon this subject by happenstance. In 2007, Batalion lived in London and was conscious of being treated differently because she is Jewish. She came across "Freuen in di Ghettos," "Women in the Ghettos," a 186-page anthology published in New York in 1946. It tells the true story of "dozens of 'ghetto girls' who paid off Gestapo guards, hid revolvers in loaves of bread, and help build systems of underground bunkers." In addition, "they carried out espionage missions for Moscow, distributed fake IDs and underground flyers, and were bearers of the truth about what was happening to the Jews."

This is a long-overdue, thoroughly researched (using many primary sources), and fascinating account of a little know aspect of Jewish resistance during the Second World War. Some of these women could have left Europe to live in Israel. However, they chose to remain in Poland and take part in a courageous stand against the Germans. The story of those who sacrificed so much should be more widely known, and Batalion deserves credit for shedding light on the actions of these heroic individuals. show less

Five stars to the brave women who are the focus of this book, and all the Jews who suffered in myriad unspeakable ways under Nazi cruelty and the cruelty of their own countrymen as well as other Jews. To hear that other Jews in Palestine referred to Holocaust survivors as “soaps” because of Nazi soap factories using human remains for the product broke my heart even more, in a way, than the thousand other heart breaking cruelties in this book. The book itself has some narrative / show more organizational issues (among others) yet this is an absolute must read. We must bear witness, now more than ever. Don’t expect it to be easy. show less