The Dentist of Auschwitz: A Memoir
by Benjamin Jacobs
Finished: March 31, 2015
My Goodreads rating: 4 stars ****
This book was, as should be expected, very difficult to read. As all memoirs of Holocaust survivors are, it’s painful to imagine and understand that such treatment of humans by other humans happened the way it did during the Holocaust.
This book is the life story of Benjamin Jacobs, who was a young dentist in his early twenties when he and his family were shipped off to the ghettos and concentration camps for the elimination of Jews in Germany.
Though it may not be quite as well-written and moving as other memoirs I’ve read about the Holocaust (such as Alicia: My Story, for example), it was nonetheless interesting to read about this young man, whose profession as a dentist ultimately saved his life and kept him from perishing in terrible conditions in the famous concentration/death camp of Auschwitz.
I’m not really sure what my fascination is with reading memoirs from Holocaust survivors, but I do know that each time I complete one, I feel as though I’m contributing further to the myriad of people who listen to these stories and vow never to let something like the Holocaust happen again.
It also feels respectful to the author and survivor to read their stories, and seems to ensure that their stories will live on, even after they are long gone. That way, nothing like the horrors of World War II and the genocide of the Holocaust will ever be forgotten. It’s just one more step to preventing a similar occurrence in the future.
An Infinite Library 