A Child of the Ghetto: A Memoir

When Benjamin Garber arrived in the United States in 1949 at the age of ten, he had already lived a life most of us could never imagine having to endure. When he was a young child of three or four, Ben recalls leaving the doctor's office with his mother: German airplanes appeared suddenly, and it began to rain bombs. All he remembers was running down the street with his mother and nanny, surrounded by the sounds of explosions and mayhem. It was a beautiful summer day, which suddenly turned gray and foreboding. As the Germans set up the Wilno Ghetto, forcing much of the city's Jewish population into one small and older part of the city with narrow cobblestone streets, Ben and his mother learned to adapt-and survive. Being able to be quiet and hidden was often the difference between surviving the Holocaust and perishing in it.A Child of the Ghetto is the remarkable story of survival and triumph. After escaping the Wilno Ghetto, Ben and his mother survived for eleven months by hiding out with a group of Jews in a cellar that was cold, damp, and dark. How they survived those months is a testament to the human spirit and resilience. Emotions ran high and tempers flared. Boredom and anxiety were constant threats, and thirst and hunger were ever-present. German troops, fighting directly above their shelter, eventually discovered the group, but they managed to co-exist with the enemy after a quick-thinking member of their group convinced the soldiers they were Polish citizens hiding from the Russians. After being liberated in the summer of 1944 when he was just eight years old, Ben had already lived a lifetime. He was old enough to know that he and his mother had survived some experiences the rest of us will never know-but he also knew that he could now think about the future: going to school, running around with other kids, riding bikes and reading books, something he had never done before. Ben knew then and there that this was not the end, but instead the beginning of a new journey.That journey led Ben, his mother, and stepfather to a new country. Without knowing a word of English, Ben arrived in the United States in 1949 where he set out to explore his new home and newly found freedom, eventually graduating from medical school, marrying, and enjoying a family of his own.