The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos
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- Create Date：2021-06-12 06:51:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Judy Batalion
- ISBN：0062874217
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Summary
One of the most important stories of World War II， already optioned by Steven Spielberg for a major motion picture: a spectacular， searing history that brings to light the extraordinary accomplishments of brave Jewish women who became resistance fighters—a group of unknown heroes whose exploits have never been chronicled in full， until now。
Witnesses to the brutal murder of their families and neighbors and the violent destruction of their communities， a cadre of Jewish women in Poland—some still in their teens—helped transform the Jewish youth groups into resistance cells to fight the Nazis。 With courage， guile， and nerves of steel， these “ghetto girls” paid off Gestapo guards， hid revolvers in loaves of bread and jars of marmalade， and helped build systems of underground bunkers。 They flirted with German soldiers， bribed them with wine， whiskey， and home cooking， used their Aryan looks to seduce them， and shot and killed them。 They bombed German train lines and blew up a town’s water supply。 They also nursed the sick and taught children。
Yet the exploits of these courageous resistance fighters have remained virtually unknown。
As propulsive and thrilling as Hidden Figures， In the Garden of Beasts， Band of Brothers， and A Train in Winter， The Light of Days at last tells the true story of these incredible women whose courageous yet little-known feats have been eclipsed by time。 Judy Batalion—the granddaughter of Polish Holocaust survivors—takes us back to 1939 and introduces us to Renia Kukielka， a weapons smuggler and messenger who risked death traveling across occupied Poland on foot and by train。 Joining Renia are other women who served as couriers， armed fighters， intelligence agents， and saboteurs， all who put their lives in mortal danger to carry out their missions。 Batalion follows these women through the savage destruction of the ghettos， arrest and internment in Gestapo prisons and concentration camps， and for a lucky few—like Renia， who orchestrated her own audacious escape from a brutal Nazi jail—into the late 20th century and beyond。
Powerful and inspiring， featuring twenty black-and-white photographs， The Light of Days is an unforgettable true tale of war， the fight for freedom， exceptional bravery， female friendship， and survival in the face of staggering odds。
Witnesses to the brutal murder of their families and neighbors and the violent destruction of their communities， a cadre of Jewish women in Poland—some still in their teens—helped transform the Jewish youth groups into resistance cells to fight the Nazis。 With courage， guile， and nerves of steel， these “ghetto girls” paid off Gestapo guards， hid revolvers in loaves of bread and jars of marmalade， and helped build systems of underground bunkers。 They flirted with German soldiers， bribed them with wine， whiskey， and home cooking， used their Aryan looks to seduce them， and shot and killed them。 They bombed German train lines and blew up a town’s water supply。 They also nursed the sick and taught children。
Yet the exploits of these courageous resistance fighters have remained virtually unknown。
As propulsive and thrilling as Hidden Figures， In the Garden of Beasts， Band of Brothers， and A Train in Winter， The Light of Days at last tells the true story of these incredible women whose courageous yet little-known feats have been eclipsed by time。 Judy Batalion—the granddaughter of Polish Holocaust survivors—takes us back to 1939 and introduces us to Renia Kukielka， a weapons smuggler and messenger who risked death traveling across occupied Poland on foot and by train。 Joining Renia are other women who served as couriers， armed fighters， intelligence agents， and saboteurs， all who put their lives in mortal danger to carry out their missions。 Batalion follows these women through the savage destruction of the ghettos， arrest and internment in Gestapo prisons and concentration camps， and for a lucky few—like Renia， who orchestrated her own audacious escape from a brutal Nazi jail—into the late 20th century and beyond。
Powerful and inspiring， featuring twenty black-and-white photographs， The Light of Days is an unforgettable true tale of war， the fight for freedom， exceptional bravery， female friendship， and survival in the face of staggering odds。
Reviews
Marlee Pinsker
，
This book is a detailed， comprehensive dive into a frightening topic。 I held it in my hands and thought how very difficult it would be to read it， but how necessary。 I pushed myself to read it， finding it fascinating and terrifying。 The author did an incredible job with this， and opened up a whole new field of research into women's roles as couriers， leaders， planners and saviours during the war。 I very much appreciated the extensive footnotes detailing how Judy Batalion found the information sh This book is a detailed， comprehensive dive into a frightening topic。 I held it in my hands and thought how very difficult it would be to read it， but how necessary。 I pushed myself to read it， finding it fascinating and terrifying。 The author did an incredible job with this， and opened up a whole new field of research into women's roles as couriers， leaders， planners and saviours during the war。 I very much appreciated the extensive footnotes detailing how Judy Batalion found the information she included， and I very much appreciated the stories about the lives of the very few survivors after the war。 The book tells in detail the story of a woman named Renia who is an amazing person whose work helped many people。 The fact that she survived and went on to use her energies to create decent lives for her family members is wonderful。 Even people who approach the subject of the Holocaust with trepidation will find that this book is well worth reading。 I am glad I did read it and applaud Judy Batalion for writing it。 。。。more
VALERIE Richardson
，
I needed this book when I was younger and not understanding what appeared to be massive Jewish passiveness-it just didn't make sense to me， and no adult was helpful。 I am so glad that Batalion researched and then wrote this book。 I needed this book when I was younger and not understanding what appeared to be massive Jewish passiveness-it just didn't make sense to me， and no adult was helpful。 I am so glad that Batalion researched and then wrote this book。 。。。more
Jon Higgins
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Spans the entire， uneven continuum of humanity - from the unthinkably horrific to unfathomable honor and courage。
Joanna Velazco
，
The stories of these fighters and the circumstances that led them to fight for what "family" they had， left me both saddened and amazed by what they endured。 Filled with insightful connections of women who struggled for years to survive the war while helping those less fortunate escape or survive another day。 A definite read for those interested in women's history。 The stories of these fighters and the circumstances that led them to fight for what "family" they had， left me both saddened and amazed by what they endured。 Filled with insightful connections of women who struggled for years to survive the war while helping those less fortunate escape or survive another day。 A definite read for those interested in women's history。 。。。more
Elke
，
What a book？？！！！What heroic and horrible storiesDefinitely needs a second， even more thorough， reading because of the many main characters， the many names， many places。So little is known about these women， or was at least to me。This is the sort of book I have wanted to read for years
Alisa
，
Such a well-written and researched book。 It truly portrays a role model and version of the Holocaust that isn't spoken about or celebrated。 I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an example of a text written in a research-based method without being dry or boring （quite the opposite， to be exact）。 With so many text to choose from on the topic of the Holocaust， I admire how this one brings new information and a new perspective to the tragedy。 Such a well-written and researched book。 It truly portrays a role model and version of the Holocaust that isn't spoken about or celebrated。 I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an example of a text written in a research-based method without being dry or boring （quite the opposite， to be exact）。 With so many text to choose from on the topic of the Holocaust， I admire how this one brings new information and a new perspective to the tragedy。 。。。more
Chantelle
，
This is right up there with the gulag archipelago， as must reads from ww2。 Gritty honest true stories that will break your heart at the depths of human depravity， while at the same time make it soar with the resilience of the human spirit in the darkest of times。
Jbarth
，
This book was hard to read; not due to the writing， but because of the stories it told。 Absolutely recommend to everyone
Deena Lipomi
，
The granddaughter of Polish Holocaust survivors tells the little known story of the young women who fought the Nazis， saved Jews， smuggled weapons， took on Christian personas， and made bombs。 With words from their memoirs and surviving children and grandchildren， Renia Kukielka's and Zivia Lubetkin's stories are particularly fleshed out， from the atrocities they witnessed， heroic acts they took on， torture they endured， and escapes they made。 This important book not only reminds readers of the h The granddaughter of Polish Holocaust survivors tells the little known story of the young women who fought the Nazis， saved Jews， smuggled weapons， took on Christian personas， and made bombs。 With words from their memoirs and surviving children and grandchildren， Renia Kukielka's and Zivia Lubetkin's stories are particularly fleshed out， from the atrocities they witnessed， heroic acts they took on， torture they endured， and escapes they made。 This important book not only reminds readers of the horrors of the Holocaust， but also tells them that Jewish teen girls played a large -- and overlooked -- role in resisting what was being done to their people。 An amazing story of courage。 。。。more
Joy Schmidt
，
This non fiction book tells the stories of many Jewish women in Poland during World War 2。 The horrific things they witnessed and endured。 The courage they demonstrated as they fought back。 The lives that were cut short。 It is easy to get caught up in the lives of these women。 The last chapter filled us in on the rest of the lives of the survivors after the war。 Then the epilogue was also interesting， as the author told us a bit about her own journey of researching and writing the book。
Diane
，
The writing in The Light of Days isn't very elegant and or organized， but the stories and the incredible research the author did in order to tell those stories， more than makes up for those shortfalls。 The writing in The Light of Days isn't very elegant and or organized， but the stories and the incredible research the author did in order to tell those stories， more than makes up for those shortfalls。 。。。more
Patricia
，
The one who survives will be like a leaf cast about by a gale， a leaf that doesn’t belong to anyone and has lost its mother tree， which has died。 。 。 。 The leaf will fly with the wind and won’t find a place for itself， neither finding the old leaves it used to know， nor a patch of the old sky。 It’s impossible to accrete to a new tree。 And the poor leaf will wander， recalling the old， though very sad， days， and ever longing to return， but it won’t find its place。 —Chajka Klinger， I Am Writing The The one who survives will be like a leaf cast about by a gale， a leaf that doesn’t belong to anyone and has lost its mother tree， which has died。 。 。 。 The leaf will fly with the wind and won’t find a place for itself， neither finding the old leaves it used to know， nor a patch of the old sky。 It’s impossible to accrete to a new tree。 And the poor leaf will wander， recalling the old， though very sad， days， and ever longing to return， but it won’t find its place。 —Chajka Klinger， I Am Writing These Words to You 。。。more
sheryl
，
UPDATE:（。。。i thot i had already written a review mid reading but can't find it for an update。 i think i gave it a lower rating。。。i chose this rating even before my chance at reading hard copy）。。。。first。 i listened。 i don't recommend this。 i worked in kitchen while listening。 。。。second。 i commented on difficulty in keeping names and dates straight。 i THINK she went back and forth in the timeline of events。。。but only remember bits and pieces。 。。。third。 the narrator， to my mind， did read pretty qui UPDATE:（。。。i thot i had already written a review mid reading but can't find it for an update。 i think i gave it a lower rating。。。i chose this rating even before my chance at reading hard copy）。。。。first。 i listened。 i don't recommend this。 i worked in kitchen while listening。 。。。second。 i commented on difficulty in keeping names and dates straight。 i THINK she went back and forth in the timeline of events。。。but only remember bits and pieces。 。。。third。 the narrator， to my mind， did read pretty quickly。 （it is 12 discs so big job？） hard to register so many details。 however， that may just be me and my attention issues as well as age。 （i will now obtain hard copy） 。so。。。for myself at least， this would be best read。 what changed my mind was listening to the epilogue in which she explains her difficulties in researching。。。an overwhelming task。 and my now ability to place names better AND follow w/ interest her travel to as many survivor's families in numerous countries/languages as she did and her experiences in doing this。 。。。so based on this i do recommend this book and look forward to reading her footnotes。 。。。more
Kerry
，
A work of incredible research that delves into a topic that needed to finally see the light of day。 I am inspired by these women。 However， their stories are hard to read， especially told in this unflinching way。I appreciate this book 110%。 I could have wished for a more coherent narrative--the book is a series of episodes split between several main figures， which sometimes made it difficult to keep track of what was going on。 However， the historical and geographical context and the background de A work of incredible research that delves into a topic that needed to finally see the light of day。 I am inspired by these women。 However， their stories are hard to read， especially told in this unflinching way。I appreciate this book 110%。 I could have wished for a more coherent narrative--the book is a series of episodes split between several main figures， which sometimes made it difficult to keep track of what was going on。 However， the historical and geographical context and the background details are invaluable for understanding just what was happening in that part of the world in WWII。 。。。more
Dave
，
It's kind of hard to ignore the fact that half of the people in here label themselves as Zionists and that nothing about Zionism is ever criticized in a 400 page book。 I know that's a whole other subject in itself but to not even acknowledge the atrocities committed against Palestinians in a book that spends so much time talking about genocide and the establishment of modern Israel is definitely a problem。 It wouldn't exactly have been a stretch to include that。 There were actually a bunch of ti It's kind of hard to ignore the fact that half of the people in here label themselves as Zionists and that nothing about Zionism is ever criticized in a 400 page book。 I know that's a whole other subject in itself but to not even acknowledge the atrocities committed against Palestinians in a book that spends so much time talking about genocide and the establishment of modern Israel is definitely a problem。 It wouldn't exactly have been a stretch to include that。 There were actually a bunch of times that it felt weird that it wasn't mentioned。 My rating isn't really based too much on that though。 I probably should be a little less forgiving for that but even just focusing on the stories of resistance， there's not really much here that's "untold。" There are already thousands of books describing life in concentration camps and struggles against Nazis。 The important additions that are made here， which are certainly worth reading， could probably be summarized in less than 50 pages。 It focuses mainly on a handful of specific women and most people reading this aren't going to be that interested in the exact chronology of what they went through。 In my opinion it would have been a lot better if it was either shorter or just included more history and philosophy。 Reading a repetitious book is annoying enough if you've never read anything on its subject before。 Who hasn't already read a ton on the Holocaust？ 。。。more
Julie
，
It’s incredible how these Jewish women survived the tortures they received at the hands of Hitler’s henchmen in the concentration camps。
Harriet Rabunski
，
Such heroic women， and their stories of bravery were fascinating， this book was so well researched。 Highly recommend it。
Carrie Esler
，
3。4 appreciated a female perspective， but maybe I’ve read several of these lately because I’m not sure I learned anything new 。 Interesting， but not mind blowing
Ira Smith
，
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。
Leahbh
，
Very glad that Judy Batalion took on this project to bring us the history。 As others have noted， it is difficult to keep track of all the individuals， some of whom are present briefly， others have more fully fleshed-out stories。 Loved that she was able to tie in the later lives of some of the women and show us how their post-war lives evolved。 Briefly included was Faye Schulman， who passed only a week ago。 Anyway， amazing history - I feel like I needed a drawn out timeline and map to help keep a Very glad that Judy Batalion took on this project to bring us the history。 As others have noted， it is difficult to keep track of all the individuals， some of whom are present briefly， others have more fully fleshed-out stories。 Loved that she was able to tie in the later lives of some of the women and show us how their post-war lives evolved。 Briefly included was Faye Schulman， who passed only a week ago。 Anyway， amazing history - I feel like I needed a drawn out timeline and map to help keep all these histories from blending together in my mind。 5 stars for effort/concept; 3。5 for execution。 。。。more
A。 West
，
A remarkable story， poorly told。 The shocking and amazing facts speak for themselves。 Or should be allowed to。 Instead the author employees an off putting melodramatic style better suited to Young Adult fiction than history。 Very disappointing。
Jeri Gabrielson
，
The story of many female Jews who fought in the resistance in Eastern Europe。
Gwyn
，
Difficult book to follow on audio。 Stories jump around and too many people to track。 Descriptive， powerful content which is valuable to read。 Wanted to like the book more and would have with better editing。
Leah Rubin
，
It was completely amazing and so thoroughly researched that I hate to say anything less than superlative， but。。。 I did find some of it confusing， as time frames and settings jumped around a bit。 I also found it difficult to keep the characters straight in my mind。 All of this may be my failing， not the author's。 It was intense and difficult to 'live in' these experiences with these heroic and brave women （and some men）， but I learned so much。 I'm very glad that I read it。 It was completely amazing and so thoroughly researched that I hate to say anything less than superlative， but。。。 I did find some of it confusing， as time frames and settings jumped around a bit。 I also found it difficult to keep the characters straight in my mind。 All of this may be my failing， not the author's。 It was intense and difficult to 'live in' these experiences with these heroic and brave women （and some men）， but I learned so much。 I'm very glad that I read it。 。。。more
smalltownbookmom
，
A collection of real life stories of Jewish resistance by Polish women during WWII。 Canadian Judy Batalion has compiled a number of Jewish women's stories that have largely been lost to history and does a great job celebrating their courage and bravery in this book。 Some of these stories are hard to listen to but the actions of these women are incredible and deserve remembrance！ I really enjoyed learning about how hard it was for the Jewish people who simply tried to pass as non-Jewish and the s A collection of real life stories of Jewish resistance by Polish women during WWII。 Canadian Judy Batalion has compiled a number of Jewish women's stories that have largely been lost to history and does a great job celebrating their courage and bravery in this book。 Some of these stories are hard to listen to but the actions of these women are incredible and deserve remembrance！ I really enjoyed learning about how hard it was for the Jewish people who simply tried to pass as non-Jewish and the stress and depression and anxiety involved in constantly being terrified of being discovered。 It's impossible to really understand what these women went through but Judy does a great job sharing a wide variety of their experiences！Favorite quote:"This cohort of young women were homeless， twenty-something adults that had lost their childhoods， that had not had the chance to study or train for a career。 Who do not have normal family networks and whose sexual development had often been skipped over， traumatized or deeply intensified。 Many of these women， especially those who did not ascribe to strong political philosophies simply did not know where to go， what to do， who to be， how to love。" 。。。more
Becky
，
This is an important read because it tells of the heroic acts of the Jewish women who were some of the resistance fighters during the Holocaust。 For various reasons these are stories that were not shared with us until recently。 We need to know their stories
Elaine
，
This is an amazing history of the women -- couriers and partisans -- who were in a web of Resistance to the Nazis in Poland， Germany， and other parts of occupied Eastern Europe。 Their creativity， chutzpah， commitment and absolute courage is really astounding。 Many were only teenagers， and though they had little training they took up tasks as spies， medics， forgers， smugglers， anything that was needed。Why haven't we heard much about them before？ At the end of the book， author Judy Batalion muses This is an amazing history of the women -- couriers and partisans -- who were in a web of Resistance to the Nazis in Poland， Germany， and other parts of occupied Eastern Europe。 Their creativity， chutzpah， commitment and absolute courage is really astounding。 Many were only teenagers， and though they had little training they took up tasks as spies， medics， forgers， smugglers， anything that was needed。Why haven't we heard much about them before？ At the end of the book， author Judy Batalion muses on that question with some answers that made this readers just want to know more。 She also spends a few （too few， in my opinion） pages talking about her own research -- through archives， interviews and travel to many ghetto sites， museums， shtetls， and remains of concentration camps， where many of the women endured their last days。This is an inspiring， haunting book。 I recommend it to all readers。 。。。more
Pat Jorgenson Waterchilde
，
I must give this nonfiction read 5 stars for its depth of story， depth of research and depth of humanity。 This is a independent view of the women resistance fighters in the ghettos， towns and fields of Poland and other countries invaded by Hilter's armies in WWII。 Courageously they battled， smuggled and weaponized many during the war years。 Remarkable in courage， defiance and unstoppable bravery。 A truly fascinating read about women who would not stop nor be stopped。 I must give this nonfiction read 5 stars for its depth of story， depth of research and depth of humanity。 This is a independent view of the women resistance fighters in the ghettos， towns and fields of Poland and other countries invaded by Hilter's armies in WWII。 Courageously they battled， smuggled and weaponized many during the war years。 Remarkable in courage， defiance and unstoppable bravery。 A truly fascinating read about women who would not stop nor be stopped。 。。。more
Laura
，
A wonderfully written book about these women's stories with vivid portrayals and perspectives A wonderfully written book about these women's stories with vivid portrayals and perspectives 。。。more
Judi
，