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“Elegant yet shattering… Rendered in plainspoken yet devastating prose, Masson’s historical narrative is intercut with startling present-day moments… This is haunting.” — Publishers Weekly
“This heart-wrenching recollection views the traumatic events and close calls that punctuate the author’s memories… A brief, rare, and powerful testimony.” — Library Journal
This short, beautifully-written memoir is a rare first-hand account of a child’s life in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. The author weaves together memories from her wartime childhood, reflections on the burdens and damages she carried into her adult life, and accounts of her travel to contemporary Warsaw seeking to find traces of the past. Written vividly and honestly, this unique tapestry of time and perspective not only stands out in the vast literature that discusses the Holocaust, but also appeals to anyone interested in the lasting impact of childhood trauma, as well as the human potential for resiliency.
“This slim volume is a memorial to what was lost in the Holocaust. … Born Klara Alter, Thérèse (Terri) Masson composed her own Kaddish, at once prayer of mourning for her family and her testimony as a survivor. … Her daughter has edited it and filled in numerous missing pieces… all of which enhance the story of a remarkable woman who survived a genocide and, late in life, summoned the courage to recount everything she had faced.”
— Gila Wertheimer, Jewish Book Council
“Within the vast, ever-increasing Holocaust literature, Thérèse C. Masson’s childhood memoir stands out. My Kaddish is a compelling, intriguing testimony. … [It] is a ‘lighthouse’ that provides guidance for Holocaust research, education, and remembrance. … My Kaddish depicts the landscapes of [Thérèse’s] early childhood, transforming them into memorial sites. Visual images and sensory triggers link the past and present… What finally emerges is a striking self-analysis which not only illustrates how this childhood memoir has been constructed but also reveals the psychological burdens and damage of a child survivor. My Kaddish is an important and challenging autobiographical account of the trauma, the wounds, Thérèse experienced as a child during the Holocaust—wounds which never healed and that shaped her postwar life.”
— Emeritus Professor Dr. Konrad Kwiet, Sydney Jewish Museum, from the preface
Foreword, by Simone Masson
Preface, by Konrad Kwiet
Historical Timeline
1. The Beginning
2. The Warsaw Ghetto
3. Umschlagplatz
4. The Aryan Side
5. Powązki
6. The Bunker
7. Escape
8. Return
Epilogue: Life after the War
Photo Gallery
Afterword. “Her Kaddish: Contextualizing Thérèse C. Masson’s A Child Speaks from the Warsaw Ghetto: My Kaddish,” by Elżbieta Janicka
“Recollections of Terri,” by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
About the Author