Overview

Intimate in voice and sweeping in historical reach, Was It Just a Matter of Luck? bears witness to the endurance of memory and the moral force of survival. Through the voice of his mother, Ray Kaner - a fiercely intelligent young woman who endured four years in the Lódź ghetto, brutal slave labor, and near death in Bergen-Belsen - Dr. Charles Kaner reconstructs her harrowing passage through the Holocaust and the sustaining power of sisterhood that helped her survive. Interwoven with his own journey as a second-generation survivor, Kaner traces how Ray transformed unspeakable trauma into purpose. In postwar America, she became a quiet but determined force in the preservation of Holocaust memory, helping to establish one of the nation's earliest survivor-testimony projects and laying crucial groundwork for what would become the Museum of Jewish Heritage. At once a son's act of devotion and a profound historical reckoning, Was It Just a Matter of Luck? asks not only how one woman survived, but how survival itself became a legacy.

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9789493418752

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Reviews

Dr. Charles Kaner's devotion to preserving his mother Ray's story, just as she worked to preserve the stories of so many like her, is evident in his new book. The Museum of Jewish Heritage. A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will forever be grateful to Ray Kaner, her work, and her legacy. Her impact will be felt for many generations to come, as will the impact of this wonderful new book written by her son. - Jack Kliger, President & CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage. A Living Memorial to the Holocaust; Battery Park, New York City Dr. Charles Kaner's in-depth portrayal of his mother's life, told largely in her own words, presents a powerful narrative filled with joy, pain, tragedy, and - most importantly - luck. Rachella Kaner emerges as a remarkable human being whose long life is recounted with vivid and compelling detail. The central lesson for me is the tragic reality that antisemitism and the targeting of innocent Jews should never have been tolerated. Rachella's story, however, reminds us that the political and racist ideologies responsible for her suffering did not end with the Holocaust. Tragically, similar patterns of hatred and persecution have been repeated throughout history and continue into the 21st century. Rachella Kaner's life stands as a powerful model of hope, resilience, and human dignity - qualities that are urgently needed today. At the same time, her story warns us of the slow, slippery path by which hate and discrimination begin, gradually intensify, and ultimately devastate the lives of innocent people. This book should be required reading for all, especially for young people who are far removed from the horrors and crimes of the Holocaust and who may be vulnerable to repeating its tragic lessons, if they are forgotten. - Dr. Amid I. Ismail, Dean and Laura H. Carnell Professor, Temple University Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania My heros, like Rachel ""Ray"" Kaner, demonstrate resilience and courage. Hardship shapes depth of character; those who suffer often emerge with the greatest strength. - Steven Lamn, MD, Susa Frankel Clinical Professor of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, son of Holocaust survivors When people of Europe affected by the Holocaust tell their children to ""never forget,"" the survivors like Ray Kaner need no such admonition because they ""always remember."" The Holocaust painted an indelible pall on Ray's youth and family by forcing her to watch the relentless cruelty of an alien force who had only one aim, which was to obliterate anyone racially similar to her. She watched young children like her put to work for the German war effort using their wiles to survive starvation, filth, disease, overwork and misinformation. She worked in bitter cold while family, friends, and neighbors were unknowingly carted to the crematoria. She dwelled in fear while the German troops separated children from parents, workers from non workers, and the weak from those who could still stand. This book retells Ray's unforgettable tale of survival during one of the world's darkest moments, and now at age 99 she lives as a vibrant reminder to those who might lose sight of what really happened. - Barry M. Zide MD, DMD, Professor of Plastic Surgery - NYU Langone Health

Author Information

Dr. Charles Kaner has devoted his career to providing high quality dental care in Midtown Manhattan. Dr. Kaner is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, which is a recognized specialty of the American Dental Association, one of the highest recognitions of achievement afforded by the specialty. Dr. Kaner graduated from Temple University Dental School, after obtaining a B.S degree at Brooklyn College. Thereafter, he completed his graduate training at New York University Dental School. He currently is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai Hospital, an Assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and has been the Chief of the Periodontal Department at Mount Sinai Hospital since 1990. In addition to his private practice and hospital commitments, he lectures both nationally and internationally on periodontics and implant surgery. Dr. Kaner's mother Ray Kaner has handled the front office for nearly 40 years and knows his patients well. Dr. Kaner has accompanied his mother on hundreds of talks about her experience in the Lódź Ghetto, and is actively involved with the Board of Directors at the Museum of History in Battery Park. Journalist, editor, and publisher, Joy E. Stocke, works at the intersection of culture, history, and memory. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison with a B.S. in Journalism, she has spent more than 30 years collaborating with Holocaust survivors and their descendants - editing, shaping, and helping bring to life stories of individuals and families who emerged from profound loss into witness and renewal. As founder of Tree of Life Consulting & Publishing, Stocke mentors writers at every stage of development, guiding manuscripts from initial concept through editing, design, and publication. Her work is rooted in a deep belief that language, image, and story are essential tools for connection across difference.

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