Jacob's Rescue
A Holocaust Story
Characters
Alex & Mela Roslan take an 8 year-old boy, Jacob, after he escaped from a near by ghetto with his aunt. Alex was brave taking in this jewish child, as being caught would result in exile. Mela was hesitant, always thinking that they could'nt over come obsitcales and letting the fear get the best of her most of the time. As for Jacob, he was was your average boy. He was scared at times, but he never complained.
Plot
Jacob's Rescue takes place during the 1940's, and is an historical reference to the Holocaust.
Jacob escapes from a near by ghetto with his aunt, Hannah, and is taken to the Roslans home. There for the the next 3-4 years he is surronded by fear, death, sickness, while trying to hide and survive for his life. Alex & Mela Roslan do whatever they can to help young Jacob, even taking in two of his family members and moving to keep him hidden. After the war is over, and everything seems great again, the Roslans must give up Jacob and his little brother David ( Sholom dies of sickness ). After 16+ years, the Roslans and Jacob Reunite.
Connections
Over the course of this story, Alex and Mela performed many acts to give them the Righteous Among Nations Award. One act was when they moved TWICE to knew locations because they thought it wasnt safe for the family, and more importantly jacobs safety. The 2nd act they performed was taking in Jacob, Sholom, and David, and hiding them in their home. Their last act was basically adopting these childern as their own. They cared for these kids day and night, always giving them their all. Just like their own childern, Yeyrek and Mariska.
Quote/Citation
" Remember last week when i was gone everynight? I wasnt bringing food or money into the ghetto, i was bringing weapons." What this quote shows me is that even though he's risking his life hiding jacob.. he's still putting his life on the line to help other Jews gain some pride during these hard times. " They are fighting for honor, not for their lives "
Reflection
Overall i really liked this book, and i'm not the biggest reader in the worldy. It really opened my eyes at times to see how brave and generous the Roslans were.. It's something you rarely see anymore these days. The importance behind reading this book to me is that if you put your mind to something, be kind, and treat people like you want to be treated, Karma will show you the brighter side of life. Alex and Mela desevred their award 150%.