Maskerado: Dancing and Death in Nazi Hungary [ペーパーバック]

This book should be in every American school library! Of all the 'Holocaust' books, this, for me, is the most moving.

For me to get to Tivadar Soros, I had to find his son, George. Hearing the name George Soros over the years, I had a mental picture of someone either ruthless and dictatorial (Right Wing Talk Shows) or a kindly, benevolent, brilliant man. (Left Wing journalists) Finally, in 2010, I made up my mind to find out who George Soros was!

(THIS IS ABOUT KAUFMAN'S BOOK) The late author, Michael T. Kaufman's bio of George Soros, Soros: The Life & Times Of A Messianic Billionaire, gives you a very fair description of his family's struggles in Hungary under the German Occupation in the 1940s. I turned to the photo section of Kaufman's book, and saw a very young, adorable child who looked like a little Hungarian prince. That little boy was George Soros. Tears came to my eyes and I sat for a very long time in silence as I realized the George Soros I was reading about was this little boy of long ago. This precious child, shyly looking into the camera, could not begin to comprehend the pain and fear that would soon engulf his life. I highly recommend Kaufman's book to anyone who wants to learn what makes George Soros tick. Not that anyone can, but Kaufman tried to capture him in the book.

After finishing Kaufman's story, I wanted to know more about this family from Hungary. Searching amazon.com I learned that his father, Tivadar Soros, had written a book about the family's life in wartime Hungary. MASQUERADE: DANCING AROUND DEATH IN NAZI OCCUPIED HUNGARY. I read it from cover-to-cover the minute it arrived.

He (Tivadar)not only saved his wife and two young sons, but saved many of his neighbors through bribes, steel will and help from his Christian neighbors and friends. Non-Jewish friends would supply him with identification and papers that would ensure his family and many friends would survive another day when the German and Hungarian authorities came to call. Constantly on the move, his wife moved to the country, his sons to other homes. I kept thinking as I read his vivid memories, "Why doesn't someone make a film about his life?" Hopefully, someone will.

He weaves a tapestry of love, courage, daring, horror, constant sacrifice and deep concern for his wife and sons in his stories. The father everyone wishes they had. A role model for all time, not just World War II. When I began to understand Christians helped save the Soros family in Hungary, I couldn't help but ask myself the question: If I had been born in 1930, not 1942, born in Hungary and not Savannah, Georgia, would my family have helped this family if we were neighbors? I believe this is the question all the readers of this wonderful book should ask themselves. What would we have done to help our Jewish neighbors?

Tivadar Soros had no idea in the 1940s that his young son, George, would not only live through the holocaust but would become one of the most brilliant minds in the world. Tivadar and his wife, Elizabeth, would move to New York and see, first hand, how successful their shy little boy would become. Now, decades after their passing, George Soros honors his parents memories by giving tirelessly to people in need throughout the world through his many foundations.

I have not read the financial books George Soros has written because I am not bright enough to understand what he is talking about. In my 48 years of working I never worked for a financial firm. Avoided them, actually. I did recently attend a seminar his foundation (Open Society)gave on the plight of the Roma people of Europe. Again, I found myself in tears. I felt truly angry that I, an 'informed' American, knew nothing of the truly hellish times they are going through in France and other countries. One of the women told us, "Mr. Soros is in Hungary as we speak, trying to help any way he can, remedy this tragic situation." I now attend seminars at Open Society on a weekly basis here in NYC.

That adorable little five year old Hungarian prince in the photo is now 80 years old. Still fighting for the rights of his fellow man. How many times a day does he have flashbacks of the Nazi occupation and what his father and mother did to save him and his older brother, Paul?

After I finished Tivadar Soros' book I cried for some time. If I had met Tivadar in 1967 when I first came to NYC, I would have had the mentor I always prayed for but never found. We could have spent hours together as he told me, in person, about his life and his adventures. I could have learned so much from him. Alas, it was not meant to be. I am so happy I found this book! It is transformational.

When the new school being built 30 feet from my window opens in two years, I am going to present their library with copies of this book for the young teens to read. Even though they are Dominican, Mexican, African-American, Colombian, and West Indian, I know they will learn as much as I did by reading this incredible story.

Even if you have read other war-themed, holocaust books, you must read Tivadar Soros' book. I am sure I will re-read this book a hundred times before I die. It is so special. Just like the man who wrote it.