The Price of Survival: Marcus Levin, Norwegian Holocaust Humanitarian

by Irene Levin Berman

Overview

In The Price of Survival: Marcus Levin, Norwegian Holocaust Humanitarian, Irene Levin Berman tells the story of her father’s heroic attempts to save the Jews of Norway, as well as hundreds of stateless refugees who had escaped other European countries in the 1930s, from deportation to Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Marcus Levin worked tirelessly to help Jews before and after the Nazis invaded Norway, and after the war he worked with the American Joint Distribution Committee and organizations in Norway such as the Jewish Social Unit to help find homes and jobs for the few Norwegian Jews who survived the concentration camps as well as about 600 stateless Displaced Persons. In 1962 Marcus Levin was awarded a gold Medal of Honor by King Olav of Norway in recognition of his efforts during World War II.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761871309
Publisher:	Hamilton Books
Publication date:	03/07/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Irene Levin Berman is author of “We Are Going to Pick Potatoes”: Norway and the Holocaust, the Untold Story and Norway Wasn’t Too Small: A Fact-Based Novel about Darkness and Survival.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrationsvii

Personal Introduction

Preface

Acknowledgments

Why This Story . . . ?3

1900: Beginning of a New Century5

The Levin Family00

Father’s Life in Oslo00

Pre-War Years00

April 9, 1940: War00

1941: The War Continues00

October–November 1942: Germans Pursue the Jews00

October 24-November 1942: Escape to Sweden00

November 25–26, 1942: Escape and Arrest of Jewish

Women and Children00

The Donau—The Death Ship00

The Extermination of Jews in Auschwitz00

Efforts to Save Lives00

1942–1946: Working in Sweden00

Refugees and the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)00

The War Is Over—Back to Norway00

1947: Father’s Philosophy—Personal Unresolved Issues00

1945: Returning from the Holocaust00

Return from Auschwitz: Post-war Contact with the Norwegian

Government in London00

1946: Displaced Persons00

1948: The European Children’s Camp in Norway00

1938: A Jewish Children’s Home in Oslo—Boys and Girls

from Vienna00

1953–1955: Minus Refugees00

Circa 1960: Reconstruction in Norway after the War00

Compensation for Norwegians00

The King of Norway and the Watch00

1965: Father’s Last Years00

Our Family Becomes Part of the JDC00

1943–1946: Childhood Memories of Sweden00

Learning about the Meaning of the Holocaust00

Growing up Both Norwegian and Jewish00

Looking Back with Ruth00

January 2012: The Prime Minister of Norway Apologizes to the

Norwegian Jews00

My Philosophy Connected to Prime Minister Stoltenberg00

About the Author00

Editorial Reviews

Irene Levin Berman’s newest book The Price of Survival: Marcus Levin, Norwegian Holocaust Humanitarian continues her remarkable history of Jews in Norway, this time adding many little known details about life there for those who survived the Holocaust. Told through her family’s experiences escaping and returning after World War II, we learn of Norway’s unwillingness to help resettle refugees in Norway after the war. The book shows the importance of one individual, Ms. Berman’s father Marcus Levin, who helped returning Jews finding new lives with the help of the Joint Distribution Committee, International. After the war Mr. Levin was awarded the Gold Order of Merit by King Haakon of Norway. Anyone interested in the history of World War II and its aftermath will be grateful to Ms. Berman for sharing this compelling and intimate story.

Peggy Shapiro

Irene Levin Berman and her family have distinguished themselves in service and dedication to Norway for more than 100 years. Author, businesswoman, Ibsen translator for American theater, and activist, Irene has been on a mission to educate future generations. Many Norwegian Americans like myself are deeply grateful for her trilogy of three books that provide us with knowledge of our heritage. Our conversations over many years have enriched my understanding of my own Norwegian family. Her writing is powerful and compelling for all ages. This third book, The Price of Survival, continues the story of Norway and the Holocaust that has been virtually unknown in the United States.

Karin Arentzen Stahl

As much as we have continued to learn about the details of the Holocaust in past decades, there remain dimensions of the tragedy that are only now emerging into larger awareness. Irene Berman, in this her latest work, offers a moving and compelling personal account of the impact of the Nazi machine on the Jews of her native Norway. The courageous and untiring devotion of her father Marcus Levin to the salvation and well-being of the victims is a shining beacon in an era of fearful darkness. The Price of Survival is not only a loving daughter’s tribute to her humanitarian father, but also a work of deep honor to the victims and hope to those who face unfathomable evil.

Rabbi Jim Rosen

Irene Levin Berman’s newest book, The Price of Survival, goes deeper into the World War II experience in Norway and fleshes out the heroic work that Irene’s father did in Sweden to help Jews escape the Holocaust. Especially in this time of nationalism and inhumane treatment of immigrants and refugees, it is heartwarming to learn about the remarkable actions of people like Irene’s father who saved so many innocent people from the Holocaust. You don’t have to know Norway or its history to be enlightened by Irene’s story.

Barry B. White

In The Price of Survival: Marcus Levin, Norwegian Holocaust Humanitarian, Norwegian/Jewishauthor Irene Berman has accomplished two incredible feats: First, her tribute to the legacy of her father, Marcus Levin, which lives on for survivors and for her and her family today; and second her fascinating and chilling indictment of the war horrors perpetuated in Germany and Norway. No matter the issue, Marcus Levin’s caring and compassionate presence was there. He aided in getting as many Norwegian Jews as possible to Sweden before the majority were sent to the camps to be massacred. All through the war and after his force and energy helped survivors through statelessness, housing shortages, and finding work. His focus on the children, including his own, was incredible. The most important event in his life was his association with the JDC—the Joint Distribution Committee. Together they helped expand his humanitarian work. He was admired everywhere, even receiving the Norwegian Gold Medal of Honor from the king of Norway to recognize and thank him for his work. Read about his take on unfairness, the difference between guilt vs responsibility, and the incompetence of the Norwegian Social Department. The entire Berman family must be so proud of his legacy and how he made a difference in the world.

Roberta Prescott