Welcome to a deep dive into a story about the Holocaust in Czechoslovakia, a story that’s heartbreaking, but also really inspiring.

We’re diving into My Name is Alice, a memoir by Holocaust survivor Alice Muller.

So we’re really trying to get inside Alice’s world, right?

See it through her eyes.

A Message from Alice Muller

When I was six, my teacher wore a Hlinka Garda pin on his lapel. I wondered how he would be to me, it gave me a bad feeling, so I was always on the alert and I made sure not to sit in front. He was nice to the children during class, but I made sure to do the homework well so that he should not start up with me.

But at that time, I came home to my father and in the morning I was sent off by my father, and I felt ok. But this situation did not last. You can read more about me in MY NAME IS ALICE, a book I recommend to adults and older high school children.

I hope that I will hear from other survivors here, as well as from anyone else who has a question on the Holocaust, like children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, and American students of history.

I am writing an update now on my book, but in the meantime, I have written AL TISHKACH VAL TISLACH: A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR’S STUDY GUIDE TO THE HOLOCAUST AS RELAYED BY THE JEWISH CALENDAR, and two books for children, My Name is Yisroel Yosef, about my husband Joseph, and Malka and the Holocaust Survivors, about the importance of offering help to living survivors.

I thank you for your interest about what I went through. I wish a Happy New Year to those who read my words who are Jewish, and good wishes for all.

My Name is Alice Paperback –

Chapters One and Two along with photos of Alice Muller

by Alice Muller (Author), Dr. Tzipporah Bat-Ami (Author)

Getting the historical context is important, but those little personal details, that’s what makes it real.

So Alice’s story, it starts in the 1930s, Czechoslovakia, in this town, Michalovce.

She describes it as pretty charming, you know, cobblestone streets, that kind of thing.

But before we get too far, her name, Alice, has a whole story behind it.Oh, is this about those rules they had in Czechoslovakia then?

Like the restrictions on Jewish names?

See, her dad, Herman, he wanted to name her Rachel.

Totally normal, right?

But biblical names. Not allowed for Jewish families.

Like, can you imagine having that choice taken away?
Even something as basic as your child’s name.

Search and Unite | Czech Property and Looted Art in Austria

It’s just shows how deep the anti-Semitism ran, you know.

It was in everything.

Makes you think about all the other compromises people had to make just to exist.

So the clerk, he suggests Rosalie because it starts with R, you see.

But Alice’s mom, she puts her foot down.

My daughter, she says, her name is Alica.

Alica. It’s a fashionable name then.

Maybe a little act of defiance, but also, a mother’s love,
wanting the best for her kid, even with all that’s going on.

And speaking of her childhood, Alice’s memoir really goes into detail about her home, like describing the rooms, the furniture.

She even mentioned this one thing that struck me, a vanity mirror.
Her father bought it for her mother.

A vanity mirror seems like such a, everyday object, especially with everything else going on.

Why do you think that detail stands out?

On the surface, it seems almost insignificant, you know.

But I think it speaks to this desire for normalcy, wanting to hold on to beauty even when everything’s getting darker.

Imagine that.

Fear, uncertainty everywhere, and this mirror, it’s a symbol of their love, of their life.

And it still means something.

It reminds us that even in the darkest times, those little joys, those connections, they offer hope.

And, well, that hope, it becomes even more important as Alice’s story goes on.

And before we get to those tougher times, you mentioned how Czechoslovakia in the 1930s had all these rules about Jewish names.

Can you tell us a bit more about that?

Like, what was it actually like to be a Jewish family living there then?

Before we jump into those tougher times with the Nazi occupation and all,
it’s important to understand what life was like before.

You mentioned timelines, maps, that kind of thing from the Amazon page.

Can you paint us a picture of Jewish life in 1930s Czechoslovakia?

So Czechoslovakia back then, it was considered more tolerant than a lot of Europe, but anti-Semitism was there, definitely growing.

And it showed up in different ways, you know, social stuff, economic restrictions.

It all cast a shadow over these communities.

Imagine that constant pressure, feeling like an outsider in your own country just because of your faith.

And those name restrictions, that was part of it, right?

A very real example of how it was seeping into every part of life.

Yeah, like this slow erosion of freedom.

A slow tightening of the noose.

But even with all that, you see families like Alice’s trying to live their lives, to create that loving home for their kids.

Remember that vanity mirror?

It’s not just a mirror, right?

It’s the symbol of resilience.

Like even when things are falling apart around you, the human spirit, it looks for beauty, looks for hope.

You know, that’s what gets me.

It wasn’t some big grand gesture, just this ordinary thing.

But because of what’s happening around them, it takes on this whole other meaning.

It’s like even small acts of kindness.

They have so much power, especially in times of turmoil.

You cling to those little bits of light.

And that’s something you see a lot in Holocaust stories.

It’s not always the big heroic acts.

It’s those everyday moments, the human connection that helps people get through those horrors.

And as Alice’s story goes on, I’m sure we’ll see more of that.

Now, you mentioned that excerpt from Remember.org.

It kind of ends abruptly.

What does the full book tell us based on that Amazon page?

So the Amazon page, it mentions My Name is Alice, includes those timelines you like, historical context.

But it also like hints at things getting worse, you know, as the Nazis take over.

That’s where those reviews you sent come in, reading them.
It’s like we’re getting all these different takes on Alice’s story.

Everyone’s coming to it with their own experiences.

Some people, they were focused on the history.

Others, it was Alice’s strength that got to them.

There’s this one review, though. By Declan Dunn.

He’s the founder of Remember.org, right?

He’s dedicated his life to sharing these stories.

He called Alice’s book a special work.

Said it touched his heart.

And coming from him, someone who’s heard so many survivor stories.

It carries weight, definitely.

It makes you realize that even within all the Holocaust literature out there,
each story, it’s unique.

It really is.

And it’s through those personal stories that we start to grasp what prejudice, what hate really does, how it destroys individuals, families, whole communities.

It’s easy to forget that sometimes when you’re looking at the bigger picture.

You mentioned a review that praised the historical detail, how those timelines, those maps, they help make it real.

For someone like you who values that accuracy.

It makes all the difference.

I mean, reading about history in a textbook, it’s one thing.

But experiencing it, even indirectly, through someone who lived it, those little details, those glimpses into daily life when everything’s falling apart, that’s how we understand the human cost.

And speaking of those human experiences, another review, it focused on Alice’s resilience.

Even with all that darkness, her spirit, it shines through.

It’s incredible, isn’t it, that even in those moments, the will to survive,
to hold on to hope, it can endure.

Resilience.

It’s a common thread in these stories.

But it never fails to amaze me, that strength, that hope, in the face of such horror.

It reminds you of what we’re capable of.

And that’s what makes Alice’s story and all these stories so important to hear, right?

They remind us of the terrible things we can do to each other, but also the strength we have, the importance of empathy, of understanding.

It makes you think about your own life, how you face your challenges, how you learn, how you treat other people.

It’d be easy to despair after hearing a story like Alice’s, but I think there’s a call to action in there, too.

To be better, kinder, to see the humanity in everyone, no matter what.

Alice’s story, it comes from a dark place in history, sure.

Memories of My Childhood in the Holocaust by Judith Jagermann | Theresienstadt ghetto

But ultimately, it’s about resilience, about hope, about understanding different perspectives.

So as you go about your day, let Alice’s story stay with you, not just as a memory, but as a reminder of that strength we all have, the importance of empathy and building a better world together.

All materials, words, and photos from:

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