The Lost Town: Bringing Back Trochenbrod
A story to be read, remembered, and passed on.
#1 New Release in Judaism for Teens & Young Adults
Trochenbrod was a bustling commercial center of more than 5,000 people, all Jews, hidden deep in the forest in Northwest Ukraine. It thrived as a tiny Jewish kingdom unnoticed and unknown to most people, even though it was “the big city” for surrounding Ukrainian and Polish villages. The people of Trochenbrod vanished in the Holocaust, and soon nothing remained of this vibrant 130-year-old town but a mysterious double row of trees and bushes in a clearing in the forest.
In The Lost Town, Avrom Bendavid-Val makes Trochenbrod’s true story accessible, enjoyable, and memorable for young readers. The Lost Town follows his adventures while uncovering the lost history of the magical place where his father was born and raised. An imagined Trochenbrod was the setting for Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, Everything is Illuminated, and the movie by the same name.
"The book is full of facts, research, stories and photographs of his history. As someone who has been trying to find my family history and where we came from, I was truly engrossed by his ability and diligence.This is a good read for young readers. It is very well written."
Read more about the book and the author's search.
Trochenbrod was a bustling commercial center of more than 5,000 people, all Jews, hidden deep in the forest in Northwest Ukraine. It thrived as a tiny Jewish kingdom unnoticed and unknown to most people, even though it was “the big city” for surrounding Ukrainian and Polish villages. The people of Trochenbrod vanished in the Holocaust, and soon nothing remained of this vibrant 130-year-old town but a mysterious double row of trees and bushes in a clearing in the forest.
In The Lost Town, Avrom Bendavid-Val makes Trochenbrod’s true story accessible, enjoyable, and memorable for young readers. The Lost Town follows his adventures while uncovering the lost history of the magical place where his father was born and raised. An imagined Trochenbrod was the setting for Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, Everything is Illuminated, and the movie by the same name.
"The book is full of facts, research, stories and photographs of his history. As someone who has been trying to find my family history and where we came from, I was truly engrossed by his ability and diligence.This is a good read for young readers. It is very well written."
Read more about the book and the author's search.
"The triumph of this book is that the author does manage to rediscover and tell the story of the lost town, and the lost people of that town, through his research and contacts with the few who lived to remember. The triumph here is in remembering. In restoring what evil attempted to obliterate from history and from the hearts and minds of all people. This book bears witness to the worth of human life, human struggle to survive against all odds. With all the horrors it records, the ultimate message is one of hope and redemption. Certainly a worthwhile read!"
Great new review from Readers Favorite
Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite - 5 STARS
"The Lost Town: Bringing Back Trochenbrod by Avrom Bendavid-Val is the true story of a little town that went unnoticed. Trochenbrod was actually quite a big place, home to more than 5000 Jews. So how come it was never noticed? The town operated from within a forest in the Northwest of the Ukraine. It was a busy, thriving town and, although it was seen as the city for the Polish and the Ukrainian villages that surrounded it, not many people knew about it. By the end of the Holocaust, Trochenbrod had disappeared, along with all its inhabitants. There was nothing left for anyone to see of a town that had survived for more than 130 years, except for an oddity in a forest clearing – a double row of bushes and trees. Avrom Bendavid-Val takes us on a magical adventure to uncover the lost town of Trochenbrod, the town where his father was born and raised.
I have always been fascinated, if that is the right word, by the stories that came out of the Holocaust and the people that were lost to it. The Lost Town by Avrom Bendavid-Val is another to add to my collection. The fact that it is written in such an easy-going style and aimed at children is fantastic – I believe that children should not be shielded from history, but rather should learn all they can about it. After all, history is what makes them who they are. Avrom includes the memories of three survivors, their stories of their escape and what they went through, as well as the answer he found in his search for the truth. This gives all of us, children and adults alike, real and honest insight into a small part of the Holocaust and its effect - not just on individuals, but on entire races, entire countries. This is an amazing story and I really feel that there should be more history written in this vein."
Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite - 5 STARS
"The Lost Town: Bringing Back Trochenbrod by Avrom Bendavid-Val is the true story of a little town that went unnoticed. Trochenbrod was actually quite a big place, home to more than 5000 Jews. So how come it was never noticed? The town operated from within a forest in the Northwest of the Ukraine. It was a busy, thriving town and, although it was seen as the city for the Polish and the Ukrainian villages that surrounded it, not many people knew about it. By the end of the Holocaust, Trochenbrod had disappeared, along with all its inhabitants. There was nothing left for anyone to see of a town that had survived for more than 130 years, except for an oddity in a forest clearing – a double row of bushes and trees. Avrom Bendavid-Val takes us on a magical adventure to uncover the lost town of Trochenbrod, the town where his father was born and raised.
I have always been fascinated, if that is the right word, by the stories that came out of the Holocaust and the people that were lost to it. The Lost Town by Avrom Bendavid-Val is another to add to my collection. The fact that it is written in such an easy-going style and aimed at children is fantastic – I believe that children should not be shielded from history, but rather should learn all they can about it. After all, history is what makes them who they are. Avrom includes the memories of three survivors, their stories of their escape and what they went through, as well as the answer he found in his search for the truth. This gives all of us, children and adults alike, real and honest insight into a small part of the Holocaust and its effect - not just on individuals, but on entire races, entire countries. This is an amazing story and I really feel that there should be more history written in this vein."
About the Author
Avrom Bendavid-Val was working as an environmental consultant in Poland in 1997 when he decided to cross the Ukrainian border and visit the place his father came from, the town of Trochenbrod. Finding nothing there, he was determined to uncover the history and spirit of the vanished town. Avrom continues to this day to research, write and make films about the town, and serve as the anchor for the American community of Trochenbrod descendants. Avrom Bendavid-Val lives in Washington, D.C.
Avrom's search for his father's birthplace became the subject of a highly praised film by Jeremy Goldsheider and Richard Goldgewicht. You can learn more about the film 'Lost Town' below and at Seventh Art Releasing.
Avrom Bendavid-Val was working as an environmental consultant in Poland in 1997 when he decided to cross the Ukrainian border and visit the place his father came from, the town of Trochenbrod. Finding nothing there, he was determined to uncover the history and spirit of the vanished town. Avrom continues to this day to research, write and make films about the town, and serve as the anchor for the American community of Trochenbrod descendants. Avrom Bendavid-Val lives in Washington, D.C.
Avrom's search for his father's birthplace became the subject of a highly praised film by Jeremy Goldsheider and Richard Goldgewicht. You can learn more about the film 'Lost Town' below and at Seventh Art Releasing.
'Lost Town' tells the story of one man's obsessive search to get closer to his deceased father by uncovering the story of his family's town of Trochenbrod. First made famous by Jonathan Safran Foer's
Everything Is Illuminated, Trochenbrod was the only all-Jewish town to ever exist outside of Palestine. Trochenbrod's 5000 Jews were obliterated by the Nazis, except for 33 townspeople who escaped the massacre there. This personal search triggers a resurgence of interest in the town and reconnects the few remaining survivors who hadn't seen each other in over 60 years.
'Lost Town' utilizes contemporary documentary footage, original animation, and survivor testimonials to tell the story of how far one will go to claim their sense of identity.
"Together with the wonderfully obsessive researcher Avrom Bendavid-Val, they have fashioned a remarkable documentary that serves both as memorial to a vanished way of life and as celebration of persistence." -Cleveland Jewish News
"This important documentary film chronicles the life and "rebirth" of the town of Trochenbrod, -- it is more than a story about Trochenbrod; it is a story of rediscovery and redemption. It is the story of a special town that speaks for an entire civilization of 1.5 million Ukrainian Jews that was annihilated in the 'Holocaust by Bullets.'" -Father Patrick Desbois, author of The Holocaust By Bullets, A Priest's Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews
Everything Is Illuminated, Trochenbrod was the only all-Jewish town to ever exist outside of Palestine. Trochenbrod's 5000 Jews were obliterated by the Nazis, except for 33 townspeople who escaped the massacre there. This personal search triggers a resurgence of interest in the town and reconnects the few remaining survivors who hadn't seen each other in over 60 years.
'Lost Town' utilizes contemporary documentary footage, original animation, and survivor testimonials to tell the story of how far one will go to claim their sense of identity.
"Together with the wonderfully obsessive researcher Avrom Bendavid-Val, they have fashioned a remarkable documentary that serves both as memorial to a vanished way of life and as celebration of persistence." -Cleveland Jewish News
"This important documentary film chronicles the life and "rebirth" of the town of Trochenbrod, -- it is more than a story about Trochenbrod; it is a story of rediscovery and redemption. It is the story of a special town that speaks for an entire civilization of 1.5 million Ukrainian Jews that was annihilated in the 'Holocaust by Bullets.'" -Father Patrick Desbois, author of The Holocaust By Bullets, A Priest's Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews
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