Author: Leon Kahn as told to Marjorie Morris

ISBN: 1553800117

There have been thousands of books written about the Holocaust but few describe the plight of the Jewish partisans who escaped to the forests bravely defending themselves against their Nazi hunters. Unfortunately, the majority of these Jewish partisans never survived to recount the horrid experiences they endured at the hands of the Germans and their collaborators.

It is estimated that there were approximately twenty-five thousand Jews that escaped to the forests during the Holocaust. One was Leon Kahn, who was born Leibke Kaganowicz and prior to his death on June 8^th, 2003 in Vancouver, Canada he recounted his experiences to Marjorie Morris, who for more than two years worked on the manuscript of No Time To Mourn: The True Story of a Jewish Partisan Fighter.

Historian Allan Levine in the introduction to No Time To Mourn: The True Story of a Jewish Partisan Fighter states that many historians dismiss the plight of Jewish partisan resistance as inconsequential due to the fact that there were small numbers who survived as compared to the millions who were murdered in the Holocaust. However, as Levine rightfully states, these historians fail to understand the enormity of their struggle. As he most appropriately asserts: “The question should not be, why did more Jews not resist, but rather, how, under the circumstances, was any resistance possible at all?” 

Kahn was born in the shtetl of Eisikes in a part of middle Europe that was passed back and forth between Poland, Lithuania and Russia over many centuries. The Eisikes Jews, although they had lived here since the twelfth century, were continuously subjected to special and discriminatory laws that made their lives very difficult, however, very few believed that one day there would be a massacre on such a grand scale that would practically decimate the entire Jewish population of their shtetl.

At the age of sixteen Kahn was torn with guilt and anguish when he had to choose between escaping to the forest with his father and sister while at the same time leaving behind his mother and grandmother, who chose not follow them. As he quotes Golda Meir, who once said to a group of survivors, “you can get used to anything if you have to, even to feeling perpetually guilty.” Kahn relates to his readers that after escaping to the forests he once again felt strong and proud again as a Jew, as he tore the yellow star from his shirt, grinding it into the dirt. Moreover, in the place of German oppression, he was revitalized with a new feeling of confidence coupled with an overwhelming desire for revenge for the massacre of his fellow Jews including members of his own family. 

No Time To Mourn: The True Story of a Jewish Partisan Fighter succeeds admirably as a captivating and riveting memoir combining historical facts with a personal narrative that will no doubt have a profound effect on its readers. Kahn’s passionate chronicle puts a human face to the forgotten Jewish partisans as he vividly captures their fears, perpetual torment and frustrations as they battled against overwhelming odds. This is a book that definitely should be included in the reading list of history courses pertaining to the Holocaust and the Second World War.

  The above review was contributed by: NORM GOLDMAN:  Retired Title Attorney: Editor & Publisher of Bookpleasures. Here are  Norm Goldman's Reviews