Southeastern States - Regional Biography, General & Miscellaneous Military Biography, General & Miscellaneous Jewish Biography, European Jews - Biography, Refugees - Jewish Biography, American Jews - Biography, Refugees - General & Miscellaneous
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Overview
In this book, prominent Atlanta businessman and architect Benjamin Hirsch recounts his awakening identity as an observant Jew. While serving in the United States Army during the Korean War, Hirsch faced the ridiculousness of army life as well as the horror of war from a unique perspective, that of a child survivor of the Holocaust. He also found that as a Jew he was regarded as alien and as a man he must cope with being a soldier in the United States Army during the Korean War. Memories of the Shoah are brought back by wartime experiences in Korea. Hirsch also used his position in the Army to get back to Germany and search for lost relatives. Amazingly, he is able to relate amusing experiences, showing how he and others coped with the difficulties of living amidst horror.In the course of his research, Hirsch found evidence supporting the claim of many survivors that the Nazis made soap from the bodies of some Jews. This is presented in hope of reopening discussion of this horrific and controversial topic that has divided survivors and historians.
Editorials
Jim Galloway
It is possible to chase your nightmare half-way across the globe, only to discover that it won't be cornered—and that another fearsome creature sits in its place. Benjamin Hirsch, an orphan of the Holocaust, was a young architectural student in Atlanta who signed up for a hitch as a private in the US Army during the first icy breaths of the Cold War. His object: to get to Germany and trace the last days of his mother, father, and two siblings, all of whom perished in concentration camps. But once there, Hirsch uncovers a world of dead ends.And instead of facing down the horrors of his childhood, Hirsch finds himself in an often absurd struggle to survive in a military universe. If you've ever been a private in someone else's army—or felt like one—you'll identify with Hearing a Different Drummer. This is a memoir of a different sort, bound to have a distinguished place in the histories of Atlanta and its people.
—(The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Book Details
Published
May 1, 2000
Publisher
Mercer University Press
Pages
235
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780865546882