In 1943, Chajka Klinger, a key female activist in the Jewish Fighting Organization
in Będzin, Poland, was “condemned to life,” chosen by her friends to survive the
battle for their existence in order to document their stories. Her diary reveals
her anguish as she describes the deportations, the death of loved ones, and the
torture she underwent. After her escape from Nazi-occupied Europe, she tried
to build a new life for herself in Israel with her husband and three children, but
in April 1958, on the eve of the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, she
took her own life.
Written by her son, Professor Avihu Ronen, Condemned to Life moves seamlessly
between Chajka’s narrative, the historical context, and the author’s personal
journey to remember his mother whom he lost at a young age, intimately
documenting her life, struggles, and death through stories from those who
knew her. The book also confronts contentious historiographical issues,
including the mythologizing of the ghetto uprisings, the role of the Judenrat,
and the conflict between personal and collective memory.
Condemned to Life is an extraordinary portrait of Chajka Klinger, her comrades ,
and the role of the underground in Nazi-occupied Europe. Dedicated to
telling the story of these young fighters and preserving their memory, Ronen’s
masterful blend of biography and meticulous historical research will move,
inspire, and enlighten readers for generations.
