Refugee Turned Patriot
NZ$35.00
Paperback | English
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This is the story of a man, his family, and his determination to survive the Holocaust by fleeing Nazi-controlled Austria and Czechoslovakia. It’s all the more compelling for having been told without malice by a man who was both a grateful refugee and an essentially private person. It reveals how refugees were received in New Zealand in the late 1930s and 1940s, and prevailing attitudes at the time, based on formerly secret government documents. It explores Austria’s belated but growing commitment to atone for past failures concerning its treatment of Jews. Far from being forgotten, what happened in World War II continues to hold global interest.
Additional information
ISBN
9780473693336
Dimensions
165 × 244 mm
Format
Paperback | 216 pages
Language
English
Printed by
The CopyPress
Publication Date
October 2023
Publisher
Karen M Brown
Regional Interest
Wellington
1 review for Refugee Turned Patriot
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Annemette Sorensen –
This is an extremely well-researched book, that simultaneously tells the story of Hans Stern and provides fascinating historical context of his life in two different worlds: Nazi-ruled Europe and safe haven far-away New Zealand. Spanning the length of his life from 1912 until the end of the 20th century.
The book gives a poignant account of Hans’ life. Initially born into middle-class peace and comfort, then – with the rise of the Nazi regime and WWII – he was subjected to the humiliation, dangers and tragic losses of family members from which no jews were safe. Hans was focused, hardworking and enterprising and, at the very last moment was able to escape to New Zealand, where he was taken in as a refugee. New Zealand at that time, in the late 1930s and the 1940s, had its own set of biased ideas about ‘aliens’ coming to its shores. Hans, in his quietly determined way, and through his strong work ethic, perseverance and patience, worked his way through these obstacles. He found love and belonging and a good life in New Zealand, but one can guess at the stoically hidden inner pain from life’s cruel losses that he would have carried in his heart.