3rd Coast Books’ novel receives accolade

July 10, 2023

Upon hearing the news, lead authors Max Gutreiman Goldberg and Chana Gutreiman Goldberg were overcome with emotion. She said, “We are so very thankful for this wonderful recognition of our father’s story. It came at a time of deep sorrow for our family as our mother, Frieda, passed away only two weeks ago, so this news touched us a lot.”

The Gutreiman family wishes to share their father’s story with the English-speaking world in the hope that it will reinforce people’s understanding of the effects of bigotry, racism, and hatred — issues that still afflict our world today. 3rd Coast Books is proud to work with the family in this quest and has distributed complimentary copies to the many Holocaust Museums across the USA and Canada.

As Chana explains, “When our father turned 90 years of age, we asked Mr. Jaime Tishler that he, with his professional video camera, help us eternalize his story. We were conscious that his health was starting to deteriorate, and we did not want his experiences to disappear without being fixed in the memory of our family. Mr. Tishler fulfilled our request with great professionalism and love.”

Abraham’s story beings with his earliest memories as a young Orthodox Jewish boy living in Parysow, Poland. His family was poor but hard-working. Looking to secure a better future for his family, Abraham’s father had made a down payment on a house in the nearby town of Garwolin, an act that led to his betrayal and death at the hands of a supposed friend.

Stunned by this tragic loss, the family was forced to recover through the endeavors of the children until September 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the western half of Poland, which included Parysow. A Judenrat and Ghetto were established, leading to the eventual deportation of the region’s Jews to the Treblinka death camp in 1942.

On his journey to certain death, a fellow deportee used a smuggled hacksaw to cut through the iron bars in the window of the cattle car. People were pushed out of the small opening, many dying from the fall, but Abraham survived and made his way to a house owned by a sympathetic Polish gentile known to the family. After an anxious 9-day wait, his elder brother Yankel (Jacobo) arrived at the house after which the two brothers spent the remainder of the war on the run.

Surviving the war and its immediate aftermath, Abraham met and married Frieda, who understood Yankel would remain with them for some time. The three refugees made their way through Germany, Italy, and Brazil to settle for some years in Bolivia before finally reaching Costa Rica. Abraham and Frieda built a family, which included Yankel until his death at the age of 101.

Oy Mame! Oy Mame! explores Abraham’s battles with poverty, evil, adversity, and his relationship with God.

The original Spanish language version of the book has received many accolades in Costa Rica and, it is currently under consideration for use in the country’s education system.

Oy Mame! Oy Mame! is available from:

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