| Title | : | The Riddle Of Babi Yar: The True Story Told by a Survivor of the Mass Murders in Kiev, 1941-1943 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 381 |
| Publication | : | First published June 10, 2013 |
A dreamlike story, but a true one.
Some say, Ziama never existed and the story is a fiction. To contradict this statement and to prove the authenticity of the described events, I found transcripts of the KGB interrogations of the witnesses and of those guilty of the crimes committed in Babi Yar, Kiev, in 1941-1943.
This is the truth the world needs to know. The further in time we are from the Holocaust, the more denial and more lies we encounter.
So that no Jew would ever have to hide under a Gentile name, so that no Jew would ever have his life threatened for the mere fact that he is a Jew – read and spread Ziama’s message to the world. And if the worst happens and History repeats itself – let Ziama’s heroism be an example to all of us how to fight back and not allow anything to destroy us.
Here at last, after 70 years, the final truth about Babi Yar.
The Riddle Of Babi Yar: The True Story Told by a Survivor of the Mass Murders in Kiev, 1941-1943 Reviews
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It's amazing what we choose to see and what we choose not to see, regardless of its proximity.
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This is a very difficult book to read. Even I, who have read many holocaust books, found this one horrifying and I had to take breaks while reading it. It is the story of Ziama Trubakov, a Russian Jew who ended up at Babi Yar to destroy all evidence of the Nazi massacre. All bodies were to be exhumed and burned. What a horror it was for him, but he continues to think positively and plan his escape. He knew that someone had to live to tell this story, The part I loved was when he was asleep and awoke with something crawling on his neck. he grabbed it and it turned out to be a wee field mouse. Rather than eat her, he talked to her and petted her and then released her saying, "I pray you will bring hope to another." A highly recommended book.
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Humbling and Sad
For those of you who can't read enough regarding the atrocities of the Holocaust, you must read this. What man can become is indeed horrific and this account reminds me of the very brutal slaughter of many Jews and Christians going on in our world today. -
The Riddle of Babi Yar by Reyzl Yitkin (narrator) and Ziama Trubakov is an interesting saga into the events surrounding the occupation of Kiev and the horrifying incident at Babi Yar during World War II
Ziama was an eyewitness to the atrocities in Kiev and Babi Yar. When they called for all Jews to assemble in Kiev, Ziama did not go and persuaded others not to go either. Thus neither he nor some of his friends were among the 33,771 Jews who were ruthlessly shot on September 29-20, 1941 and buried in mass graves at Babi Yar. Ziama lived openly as a Ukrainian with false papers and tried his best to help others. He would travel outside the city to the countryside and bring back supplies and food for those who were starving. Eventually he was denounced, arrested and sent to Syrets concentration camp. Here he endured the horrors of a concentration camp with a ruthless commandant. He does not spare the details of these horrors in his book. When possible, he names the perpetrators and the victims. He was extremely lucky to have survived. He was chosen to go to Babi Yar and dig up and burn the bodies of those who were killed there. He and 327 others staged an escape at the end of the war. He lived to tell his story and to live a good life. His Ukrainian wife stayed by his side the entire time.
Documentation from the KGB files show the incidents did indeed happen as he stated. There is plenty of documentation and not only his. It is an interesting book to read. -
Very well written, the horrors that people were subject to because of being born into a religion and the perpetrators fawning to the massive ego of one individual. This period in history should never be forgotten the cruelty of Hitlers Germany still astounds me and how ordinary people can become killers
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Heartbreaking
This story is a true heartbreaking account of what took place during the holocaust. The things the victims went throughout unimaginable and the fact that some of the victims survived is truly amazing. -
Powerful book about the inmates in Kiev that escaped Babi Yar the night before they were to be executed. The last quarter of the book were translations from KGB interviews with the former prisoners, telling their stories so the perpetrators could be charged with their war crimes. Powerful eye-witness accounts.
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Very Interesting Non-fiction Book
I chose this high rating because I feel that this book was very well written with an unbelievable degree of difficulty in its completion. I read it because my father was one of the first Americans to liberate a death camp and he told us never to believe that the tales of the camps were not genuine. -
A must read
a first person account of Baba Yar that all should read. and, hopefully, never to be repeated. what toll it probably took on the author to recall, recalling and writing of these events, is horrifying to think about. I hope he found some peace in his life. wow! -
Must-be-Known History
I marvel how quickly as humans we want to forget (or worse, hide or deny) the ugliest atrocities and crimes toward the Jewish people and other oppressed groups. -
A Different Version
It seems odd to have a favorite version of this terrible story, but for me, Kuznetsov's (sp?) remains it. All the same, this story is moving. Better still, Trubakov supplements it with numerous official transcripts and photographs. -
Of the over 400 books I've read on the Holocaust, this one didn't move me like others have. I would have preferred more information leading up the actual killings, then proceed with after.
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This book is especially significant for WWII/Holocaust buffs....it was a heart wrenching read I will not forget.