Overview

“Elegant yet shattering… Rendered in plainspoken yet devastating prose, Masson’s historical narrative is intercut with startling present-day moments… This is haunting.” — Publishers Weekly “This heart-wrenching recollection views the traumatic events and close calls that punctuate the author’s memories… A brief, rare, and powerful testimony.” — Library Journal This short, beautifully-written memoir is a rare first-hand account of a child’s life in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. The author weaves together memories from her wartime childhood, reflections on the burdens and damages she carried into her adult life, and accounts of her travel to contemporary Warsaw seeking to find traces of the past. Written vividly and honestly, this unique tapestry of time and perspective not only stands out in the vast literature that discusses the Holocaust, but also appeals to anyone interested in the lasting impact of childhood trauma, as well as the human potential for resiliency.

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Reviews

“This slim vol­ume is a memo­r­i­al to what was lost in the Holo­caust. … Born Klara Alter, Thérèse (Ter­ri) Mas­son com­posed her own Kad­dish, at once prayer of mourn­ing for her fam­i­ly and her tes­ti­mo­ny as a sur­vivor. … Her daugh­ter has edit­ed it and filled in numer­ous miss­ing pieces…  all of which enhance the sto­ry of a remark­able woman who sur­vived a geno­cide and, late in life, sum­moned the courage to recount every­thing she had faced.”  — Gila Wertheimer, Jewish Book Council “Within the vast, ever-increasing Holocaust literature, Thérèse C. Masson’s childhood memoir stands out. My Kaddish is a compelling, intriguing testimony. … [It] is a ‘lighthouse’ that provides guidance for Holocaust research, education, and remembrance. … My Kaddish depicts the landscapes of [Thérèse’s] early childhood, transforming them into memorial sites. Visual images and sensory triggers link the past and present… What finally emerges is a striking self-analysis which not only illustrates how this childhood memoir has been constructed but also reveals the psychological burdens and damage of a child survivor. My Kaddish is an important and challenging autobiographical account of the trauma, the wounds, Thérèse experienced as a child during the Holocaust—wounds which never healed and that shaped her postwar life.” — Emeritus Professor Dr. Konrad Kwiet, Sydney Jewish Museum, from the preface

“Within the vast, ever-increasing Holocaust literature, Thérèse C. Masson’s childhood memoir stands out. My Kaddish is a compelling, intriguing testimony. … [It] is a ‘lighthouse’ that provides guidance for Holocaust research, education, and remembrance. … My Kaddish depicts the landscapes of [Thérèse’s] early childhood, transforming them into memorial sites. Visual images and sensory triggers link the past and present… What finally emerges is a striking self-analysis which not only illustrates how this childhood memoir has been constructed but also reveals the psychological burdens and damage of a child survivor. My Kaddish is an important and challenging autobiographical account of the trauma, the wounds, Thérèse experienced as a child during the Holocaust—wounds which never healed and that shaped her postwar life.” — Emeritus Professor Dr. Konrad Kwiet, Sydney Jewish Museum, from the preface

“Within the vast, ever-increasing Holocaust literature, Thérèse C. Masson’s childhood memoir stands out. My Kaddish is a compelling, intriguing testimony. … [It] is a ‘lighthouse’ that provides guidance for Holocaust research, education, and remembrance. … My Kaddish depicts the landscapes of [Thérèse’s] early childhood, transforming them into memorial sites. Visual images and sensory triggers link the past and present… What finally emerges is a striking self-analysis which not only illustrates how this childhood memoir has been constructed but also reveals the psychological burdens and damage of a child survivor. My Kaddish is an important and challenging autobiographical account of the trauma, the wounds, Thérèse experienced as a child during the Holocaust—wounds which never healed and that shaped her postwar life.” — Emeritus Professor Dr. Konrad Kwiet, Sydney Jewish Museum, from the preface

Author Information

Terri Masson was born in Poland in 1937 and survived the Warsaw Ghetto. After the war she and her parents went to France, and then to Canada. She earned a BA in philosophy from York University and a JD from Golden Gate University. Her many careers included journalist, producer, lawyer, and consultant.

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