A tale of two journeys...On May 13; 1939; the luxury liner SS St. Louis sailed away from Hamburg; Germany; bound for Havana; Cuba. On board were more than 900 Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in Nazi Germany. But an indifferent world conspired against them. After being denied landing rights in Havana; the refugees were turned away by the United States and Canada and forced to sail back to Europe; where the gathering storm of the Holocaust awaited them.Two of those refugees were Alex Goldschmidt; a sixty-year-old veteran of World War I; and his seventeen-year-old son Klaus Helmut Goldschmidt. After their trans-Atlantic voyage; they landed in France. They would spend the next three years in one French camp after another before being shipped to Auschwitz in 1942.Sixty-nine years later; Martin Goldsmith; Alex's grandson and Helmut's nephew; retraced their sad journey. Beginning in lower Saxony where Alex was born; Martin spent six weeks on the road and covered more than 5;700 miles; setting foot on the earth Alex and Helmut trod during their final days. Alex's Wake is Martin's eyewitness report.The book offers a compelling history of the voyage of the St. Louis; including testimony from those on board; a tale of espionage; and the brave resolve of Captain Gustav Schroeder. It also offers a harrowing chronicle of the vast network of camps in France; many of which were organized by the French themselves with little or no encouragement from the Germans.But Alex's Wake is also a contemporary travelogue and a heartfelt memoir of a second-generation American Jew trying to make sense of his heritage and to escape the burden of guilt and fear he long thought was his sole inheritance. Setting forth with the irrational; impossible desire to save two members of his family who were murdered ten years before he was born; Goldsmith concludes his journey by coming home to a moving symbol of remembrance at one of the scenes of the crime.
#55887 in Books Alex Kershaw 2004-05-12 2004-05-12Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.00 x 6.00l; .88 #File Name: 0306813556328 pagesThe Bedford Boys One American Town s Ultimate D Day Sacrifice
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Bedford Native RemembersBy Dale S.I purchased this book when it was first published. I am native of Bedford; Virginia. I am part of the infamous "Mud Alley Gang"; the neighborhood where many of those "Bedford Boys" written about were raised and some families still live there. We have an annual dinner for members of the old neighborhood. It is held the Friday before Thanksgiving each year; and last year we had a discussion about those old days and Alex Kershaw's book. I think it is the most definitive story of our situation. It rates an excellent 5 stars for those of us who lived this story. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Kershaw last year when he was the Speaker for the Memorial Day Ceremonies at the National D- Day Memorial there in Bedford. I had Mr. Kershaw to autograph my copy and I hope to have it signed by all who attend our dinner this year. I have purchased several others over the years to give to my children and grandchildren; as this story should never be forgotten. ... I will again in a couple weeks urge others who have not yet read the book to please do so. It is indeed "our story" too. .Respectfully SubmittedDale Wilson; Sr.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Worth the readBy Shan's Awesome ManTwo of my uncles stormed the beach at Normandy. One was a medic and the other in infantry. They spoke of the Bedford boys and I always wondered what they went through and what happened during that day. This book gave a glimpse of their sacrifice.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. This should be required reading in school. These men ...By Robert M. MillerThis should be required reading in school. These men gave their lives for my freedom. They are gone; no life; Their families lost them; the children and grandchildren they would have had. We must never forget or it can all happen again.
