The Long Night - A Book Review

April 2016 Literature

The Long Night
by Ernst Israel Bornstein
The Toby Press 254 pp. $14.95
Reviewed by Pnina Moed Kass

As so many of us are, I am distanced from the experiences in this memoir. Circumstances have turned my reading of this harrowing personal experience into the reading of an historical document. This journal is the literary equivalent of cinema vérité; unvarnished close-ups, insightful panoramic views - the word-camera of an eighteen year-old who survived seven concentration camps.

This is difficult reading and for many of us in Israel, it is a story painfully familiar. Originally written in German shortly after the war, the author's acutely accurate reporting of details renders this a compelling narrative. Bornstein became a dentist and returned to live and practice in Munich, Germany. Never would he forget those who died or the places of their death. He was instrumental in the erection of memorials and cemeteries. "On 30 April 1945 our freedom was restored to us . . . the camps still hold me prisoner."

For any reader, this survivor's testimony, stark and horrific, will echo for a long time and may also spark a grateful acceptance of life.

About the author

Pnina Moed Kass

Pnina Moed Kass has been living in Israel since 1969. After teaching high school English for a number of years she decided to take a break and go back to writing. Her writing background in the U.S. has been as a lyricist (ASCAP member), a staffer at the magazine, Opera News, a publicist for a record company and a variety of other jobs that called for writing skills. The switch in Israel from teaching to writing worked out. After a few years she had authored children’s books , scripted a TV series, and done a lot of freelance writing both in Hebrew and in English. She had also garnered awards and recognition for her short stories and her contemporary novel set in the Middle East. Among them: the international Reading Award for Best YA Short Story, inclusion in the Cricket Magazine 25 year Anthology (“Celebrate”,) and other citations by librarians and teachers. Her novel, REAL TIME, won the prestigious National Jewish Book Award, The Sydney Taylor Award and other accolades. The eight books of the picture book series “Berale” about a shy but adventurous snail can be found on the shelves of kindergartens and local libraries throughout Israel. Also popular is the website www.berale.com Though she lives in Israel, in the city of Herzliya, Moed Kass has traveled to speak about children's literature, about contemporary life in Israel, and about her work both in Europe and the U.S. In Israel, she makes frequent appearances, reading the “Berale” stories at libraries and community centers. Her children used to be part of her audience, now it’s her grandchildren. Biographical material and reviews Assoc. of Jewish Libraries website Answer.com