The Umbrella Maker's Son: A Novel of WWII

“a brilliant, gut-wrenching story of love and family in war-torn Poland. A good producer could make it into a riveting movie.”

“The night before everything changed, I had a vision . . . Zelda gripped my hand, leading me through a pitch-dark forest with no path.”

Then his alarm clock woke him. Reuven dressed and headed downstairs. A thunderous blast caught his attention. Next, he heard another blast but much closer. It was September 1, 1939. The Nazis invaded Poland. 

Soon after the Nazis occupied Krakow, Zelda, his beloved, and her family fled the city. They went to a relative’s farm in the countryside. She and her family seemed to disappear into the unknown.

Reuven and his family chose to remain in Krakow. Reuven and his father continued working at their famous custom umbrella business. Sometime later a Nazi SS officer came into their shop and ordered a custom-made umbrella. Upon receiving it he commented on how beautiful it was.

Not long thereafter their world turned into a nightmare thanks to that same SS officer.

First, they lost their business to a Pole from Warsaw. Next, they were kicked out of their home. Then they were forced to leave that apartment as well. Finally, Reuven and his father decided to escape from the Jewish Section and go to the Russian portion of occupied Poland.

Unfortunately, while trying to escape to Przemysl, they were held up by the river. The promised boat never arrived. Suddenly, the Nazis were upon them shooting at and killing everyone they saw. Reuven watched as his entire family was slaughtered by the Nazis at that cursed river.

They came after him. His only avenue of escape was into the cold river. As he swam, shots rang out. He made it to the other side. Exhausted, he collapsed on a tiny dirt road. Rescued by Stanislaw, a farmer, he was taken to a farm. Reuven was still focused on finding Zelda.

The author emotionally details all of Reuven’s efforts. While on the farm, he learned how to cunningly exist during the Holocaustic. There he also gained weight and strength. Nightly he stealthily snuck into Przemysl to search for Zelda—whom he could not find.

Then in the late summer of 1941 the Nazis invaded the Soviet sections of occupied Poland. Soon the Germans established a Jewish zone, Przemysl. It became a Jewish ghetto.

Not having found his beloved, Reuven sneaked out of the Premysl Ghetto. He recrossed that cursed river and went back into the Krakow ghetto. There he began his search again.

He found Zelda. He tried to encourage her to escape to Sweden with him. She continued to refuse even though her parents urged her to go. The Nazis tried to round up all the Jews so as to send them to various death camps. She finally agreed to escape.

They did. But . . .

The author’s sensational depiction of all the situations, emotions, and gut-wrenching events included in this saga are well done. The Umbrella Maker’s Son is a brilliant, gut-wrenching story of love and family in war-torn Poland. A good producer could make it into a riveting movie.