Rywka Starzynski Quotes

“A month or so ago, her mother had sewn the stars on all her clothes. On all the family’s clothes, except her little brother’s. Before that their identity cards had been stamped with the word “Jew” or “Jewess.”

“In that sheltered, gentle life that seemed far away, the girl would have believed her mother. She used to believe everything her mother said. But in this harsh new world, the girl felt she had grown up. She felt older than her mother. She knew the other women were saying the truth. She knew the rumors were true. She did not know how to explain this to her mother. Her mother had become like a child.”