Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz [Book Review]
As an avid reader and student of history, I have always been drawn to the study of World War II. This was such a clamatic time in human history. For the first time (and last, hopefully), man's ability to wage war at an industrial level on a global scale created a massive catastrophe that resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of people. Yet, interwoven throughout this incredible saga, are the stories of common, everyday people who survived.
One of these stories is found in Rena's Promise.
I came across this book via Amazon.com's recommendation and purchased it. Rena's Promise is the story of two sisters told by Rena Kornreich Gelissen.
In 1942, Rena found herself on the first transport of Jews to Auschwitz. Her number was 1716. (The Germans placed a number one in front of all prisoner numbers. Hence, Rena was in truth the 716th person registered at Auschwitz.) When you consider that more than 1.3 million people would die at Auschwitz over the next three-year period, this is an amazing realization. When Rena sat down with author Heather Dune Macadam in the early 1990s, she was the last survivor of that first transport of Jews to Auschwitz.
What unfolds is Rena's story of survival over a three-and-a-half year period of time in hell. Honestly, it is beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend the evil experienced by this young woman. (Rena was 19 when she entered Auschwitz.) The single driving desire that kept her alive, was a promise to herself to bring her sister, Danka, home.
The days in Auschwitz-Birkenau are marked throughout the book by the words "Four A.M. Raucsh, rausch," which was the time the prisoners were jolted awake from their dreamless sleep and hurried out the door for the morning count.
As the number of prisoners swelled into the thousands and then tens of thousands, the counting process would take hours. The prisoners were forced to stand at attention through all kinds of weather, from the heat of summer to the bitter cold of winter.
Words are not effecient enough in this short review to describe the horrendous cruelty these women experienced at the hands of their SS masters. Clearly, as Rena notes throughout the book, the Jews were not viewed as human beings. The SS could and did squash the head of a young Jewish woman just as easily as they would step on a roach that happened across their path.
Death was everywhere.
The smell of burning flesh spewing from the cremetoriums was constant. Life and death was often determined by nothing more than the point of a thumb from an SS master as he selected those who would live another day and those who would go to their death in the gas.
The greatest fear that gripped these young women of Auschwitz (most women over the age of 40 were simply sent to the gas upon arrival, while the younger were sent to hard labor) was the fear that they would not be completely dead after gassing, but live long enough to be thrown into the flames alive.
Rena was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. As an Orthodox Jew, God was a constant presence in her life. Everything her family did was flavored by their understanding of God and how the Torah & Talmud commanded them to live in His presence. Yet, after living in Auschwitz-Birkenau even a short time, her faith in God began to waver. How could the God she worshipped permit so much evil on such an extroidinary scale?
This is not an uncommon question, and it is not answered in this book.
There is one poingent story that Rena relates, in which her faith in God died in Auschwitz:
We stand at roll call waiting to be counted. They walk up and down the rows counting, hitting, shouting. Danka shifts on her feet, so I quickly cast my glance sideways. She’s fine, just sore and hungry as I am. My fingers reach out and touch her hand, reassuringly. Her fingers touch mine. This is our check-in. Every morning, if it’s possible, we send this silent message to each other— I’m okay.
We are in the front row today. This is unusual; normally we try to be in the back or the middle, hidden and anonymous. It’s harder to watch or be prepared when we’re among the first to receive whatever they have in mind.
In the distance I can see a column coming toward us. I have never seen anyone on this road before. My mind is churning as it wonders who is arriving in hell today. Their feet try to march but they’re not doing a very good job of it. There is a whisper through our ranks: “They’ve emptied a Jewish orphanage.”
The SS have their rifles up on their shoulders. “March!” Their orders snap through the stale morning air. My heart stops. My eyes focus on the column. Hundreds of pairs of tiny children’s feet file past me and my sister and every woman in camp. Some of their little faces are buried in their toys, choking the stuffing out of these inanimate objects of comfort. The younger ones hold the older children’s hands. Their eyes stare at us big as saucers, lost as lambs. There is a tearful gasp somewhere deep inside our row. Is it a mother reminded of her own dear baby?
Their innocent faces look around in wonderment at the fences, the buildings, the grownups. Do they think we are insane, as I did when I first arrived? Are they wondering why so many grownups looking like their mamas and papas do nothing to protect them? Are they afraid? My mouth drops open. I cannot bear to look at this. I cannot turn away. They can’t be serious. Why would anyone want to kill babies? How long will it take them to suffocate? Will they cry out in fear with no one to comfort them?
The SS march them toward the gas chamber. Clutching dolls and stuffed animals close to their hearts, they shuffle past in rows of five guarded by SS men with their dogs and rifles. What do they think these children are going to do--escape? Revolt? But it is a rule, always to the gas chamber the SS are posted every fifth row on each side of the column, and they always follow rules. They don’t want anyone around; they don’t want the truth getting out. We know the truth. It has taken a long time for it to sink in, but there is no mistaking it anymore--the evidence is in the smoke filled air and the empty compound after a selection. Still, they want no one disturbing their plans. The Germans have a saying, “Order is order.”
They stick to their rules like glue.
I am standing there just like a ghost. Their little angelic faces, the white knuckles of their tiny hands haunt me. I fight back my tears, my rage. My heart screams, Stop! Stop this madness! They are babies! Clenching my jaw, I shut my eyes.
God? I rarely say God anymore, but seeing their faces reflected in my heart I must try to pray one last time: God, you are my God and I believe in you. Won’t you strike just one of these monsters down? Smite just one SS for these children, your children. You, whom I obey and believe in so much with all my heart? I have never held so much as a penny in my hand on the Sabbath and since I was old enough to fast I have always fasted on Yom Kippur. Don’t allow this to happen. Give us a sign that you have not forsaken these children, the children of Israel. Never mind my suffering. It does not matter the time I have been in this place. Never mind all the things I’ve heard about people being burned and gassed, all the things I’ve seen for myself, not wanting to believe any of it is true. Never mind about me. What about these sweet children? For them, show them you are our God and kill just one of these Nazis.
My hands are fists of fury tight against my thighs. My eyes squeeze shut, holding a vision of lightning striking the guards in their neat and orderly tracks. Not one adult can move to save these toddlers, only divine intervention can supersede now: Please, God ...
They fade in the distance, nearing the gas chambers. My heart screams for them to stop. Someone passes by me, then halts. Her feet crunch against the gravel road as she steps back to look at our stricken faces. Her hot breath hits my cheek. I open my eyes warily into the cool cruelty of Hasse’s stare. Her clean boots, her polished and shiny skin, stand before us in full Aryan superiority.
She has seen our agony; she has read my mind.
I know from the moment I hear her voice that religion will never be the same. I will still pray, I will try to believe and have faith, but it will never be as pure and sincere as it once was. Her lips pull back into a grimace which I am sure is meant to be a smile. Her words are harsh and staccato, like machine-gun fire; they shoot us down.
“Where is your God now?”
Life drains out of me.
There is no answer.
Rena's Promise is the story of incredible human perseverance in the midst of unprecedented evil. I highly recommend it to any student of World War II who wants to better understand the life of a prisoner under the heavy hand of the Germans in World War II. It is the story of hope, but it leaves unanswered the question of where is God in the midst of such incredible human evil?
There is an answer to this question, but it is beyond the scope of this review.
Book Review: Battle for the Beginning
John MacArthur is widely known for his thorough approach to teaching God’s Word. He is a popular author and conference speaker, and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969. MacArthur is the president of The Master's College and The Master's Seminary, and he has written hundreds of books and study guides.
In this book, MacArthur sees the tide of theistic evolution and naturalism slowly making inroads into the evangelical church. Theological liberals have long affirmed evolution and have “have never been reluctant to deny the literal truth of Scripture on any issue.”[1] Unfortunately, MacArthur now sees the same tendencies encroaching within evangelical circles:
The new trend has also influenced some evangelicals who contend that it is possible to harmonize Genesis 1–3 with the theories of modern naturalism without doing violence to any essential doctrine of Christianity. They affirm evangelical statements of faith. They teach in evangelical institutions. They insist they believe the Bible is inerrant and authoritative. But they are willing to reinterpret Genesis to accommodate evolutionary theory. They express shock and surprise that anyone would question their approach to Scripture. And they sometimes employ the same sort of ridicule and intimidation religious liberals and atheistic skeptics have always leveled against believers: “You don’t seriously think the universe is less than a billion years old, do you?”[2]
MacArthur observes that:
[M]ore and more evangelicals are embracing the view known as ‘old-earth creationism,’ which blends some of the principles of biblical creationism with naturalistic and evolutionary theories, seeking to reconcile two opposing world–views. And in order to accomplish this, old–earth creationists end up explaining away rather than honestly exegeting the biblical creation account.”[3]
This encroachment into evangelical circles is what prompted MacArthur to write this book:
My aim in this book is to examine what Scripture teaches about creation. Although I am convinced that the truth of Scripture has scientific integrity, for the most part I intend to leave the scientific defense of creationism to those who have the most expertise in science. My purpose is chiefly to examine what Scripture teaches about the origin of the universe and humanity’s fall into sin and to show why it is incompatible with the naturalists’ beliefs and the evolutionists’ theories.[4]
This is an important point to remember while reading the book: MacArthur is not a scientist and he is not writing a scientific defense of creationism. While he does offer some arguments for a young earth approach to creation and against an old earth interpretation, MacArthur writes from the perspective of a pastor-teacher.
The Battle for the Beginning is unlikely to convince a hardened atheist-evolutionist to believe in the God of the Bible based on the claims of the creationist, and it is also unlikely that this book will change the minds of evangelicals who believe in an old earth.
The book is essentially divided into two sections: the first is comprised of chapters one and two and provides an in-depth discussion on the debate between evolutionists, young earth creationists (of which MacArthur considers himself to be) and old earth creationists who argue that the earth is billions of years old. The second section, comprised of chapters three through 10, is essentially a verse-by-verse teaching of Genesis 1-3.
THE CREATION DEBATE BETWEEN EVOLUTIONISTS,
YOUNG EARTH CREATIONIST, AND OLD EARTH CREATIONISTS
In this section MacArthur takes issue with atheistic-evolutionists and proponents within evangelical circles who argue for an old earth.
Chapter 1: Creation: Believe it or Not
In his first chapter, MacArthur takes aim at the claims of the evolutionist. He defines the belief system of the evolutionist with the phrase, “nobody times nothing equals everything.”[5] Everything in existence is by chance and without purpose or design. MacArthur concludes that this philosophical foundation leads to meaninglessness:
Naturalism is therefore a formula for futility and meaninglessness, erasing the image of God from our race’s collective self–image, depreciating the value of human life, undermining human dignity, and subverting morality.[6]
Using several examples to demonstrate his point, MacArthur asserts that: 1.) Evolution is degrading to humanity; 2.) Evolution is hostile to reason; 3.) Evolution is antithetical to truth God has revealed. In each of these sections MacArthur addresses what he sees as the weaknesses of the naturalists: 1.) the reliance on randomness or chance, 2.) the reality that humanity is degraded when man believes he descended from an animal and is no better than any other animal, and 3.) that to reject the Genesis account of creation is to reject the entire counsel of Scripture. Either God is the Creator of the universe and therefore we can trust His Word, or He did not create the universe. This, in essence, is the summary of his argument: either you believe Genesis 1-2 or you don’t. Of course, most of his readers who are Bible believers will say, “Amen,” while the curious evolutionist who picks up this book would reply, “I don’t believe it.” There is little else to convince the evolutionist.
Chapter 2: How Did Creation Happen?
Was the universe created out of nothing as described in Genesis 1 or did it takes billions of years as evolution teaches? This is MacArthur’s focus in chapter two. He concentrates on the on-going debate between “young earth creationists” and “old earth creationists,” or progressive creationists. The main proponent for the progressive creationists MacArthur identifies as Dr. Hugh Ross.
According to MacArthur, Ross is a conservative evangelical who believes in the absolute authority and inerrancy of Scripture and yet:
[embraces] selected theories of big bang cosmology, which he regards as undisputed fact—including the notion that the universe and the earth are billions of years old—and he employs those theories as lenses through which to interpret Scripture. In effect, he makes Scripture subservient to science—and he does so without carefully separating scientific fact from scientific theory.”[7]
MacArthur asks the fundamental question in this chapter, “is the universe young or old?” Quoting from several sources (Archbishop James Ussher, Henry Morris, and Edward J. Young) MacArthur asserts that the earth is no more than 10,000 years old. This is contrasted with Ross’ claim that Adam was created not less than 50,000 years ago and that the universe is billions of years old[8]. In spite of his old-earth claims, MacArthur reminds us that Ross is a conservative evangelical who believes in the Inerrancy of Scripture.
While this chapter provides an interesting read on the debate between the young earth and the old earth creationists, it is important to remember that MacArthur is filtering all of the Ross’ arguments through the lens of his own beliefs. For a thorough understanding of this complex issue within the evangelical community, the reader would do well to read Ross in his own words and, at the same time, read a more thorough argument for the young earth from a scientific perspective.
A VERSE-BY-VERSE TEACHING OF GENESIS 1-3
Chapter 3: Light on Day One?
Beginning in chapter three, MacArthur looks at each one of the days of creation starting with day one. The focus of this chapter centers on the initial state of the earth following its creation. MacArthur examines the “Gap Theory” which argues that the earth was created perfect in all ways on day one (Genesis 1:1), but became void and without form in Genesis 1:2, and was recreated by God in the six remaining days of creation. MacArthur identifies the conflict this creates:
Old–earth creationism diminishes the biblical emphasis on creation by divine fiat, setting up a scenario where God tinkers with creation over long epochs until the world is finally ready to be inhabited by humans made in His image. This is quite contrary to what Genesis teaches.[9]
Still, MacArthur concludes the chapter and makes his point clear:
It was a spectacular first day. Just in case someone might think this was a long evolutionary process, verse 5 says emphatically, “And there was evening and there was morning, one day.” That’s a literal translation of the Hebrew word order. It doesn’t describe a billion–year–long process; it describes one day—one cycle of light and dark—evening and morning.[10]
Chapter 4: When He Marked Out the Foundations of the Earth
MacArthur covers days two and three in this chapter. In chapter three MacArthur observed than on day one God created time out of eternity and defined it as one day with a morning and an evening. On days two and three God finished His creation to make it ready for life.
Day two saw the creation of “the firmament,” the earth’s breathable atmosphere; day three brought the division of land and water and the creation of plant life. MacArthur makes the point:
Notice that God created plants, not merely seeds. He made them mature, already fully rooted and developed, already bearing fruit and seed, already multiplying. As we see consistently throughout the Genesis account, from the moment He creates something, it appears as if it has been there for some time.[11]
Scripture demonstrates that God created everything from nothing. There is no evidence of any life descended from another form of life.
Chapter 5: Lights in the Heavens
MacArthur begins with the primary question and answer relating to the solar system:
Naturalistic science has always struggled to explain all the stars and planets that exist in the universe. How could so much have evolved out of nothing? How did the stars get scattered across such a vast expanse of space? Why is there such diversity among them? What set the stars ablaze, and where did the planets come from? Genesis 1 gives a simple answer: God made them all. He spoke them into existence.[12]
This chapter describes in detail our solar system and its two reigning planets, the sun, which radiates light, and the moon, which reflects light. It also begins what MacArthur calls “Phase 2” of creation, God’s “finishing work.”
Chapter 6: An Abundance of Living Creatures
With the earth’s environment and heaven’s complete, God turned His attention to filling the earth with living creatures. Day five was the creation of living creatures in the seas and the skies. MacArthur examines several species that defy the claims of evolution. MacArthur concludes:
Every aspect of creation is filled with equally amazing wonders. How could this be if it all happened merely by chance? The clear answer is that it couldn’t. Creation occurred just as Scripture says it did.[13]
In the second section of this chapter, MacArthur identifies three amazing properties of all living organisms: they are self-sustaining, they are self-repairing, and they are self-reproducing. These qualities are the fingerprint of the Creator on every living organism. They are, in MacArthur’s words, “convincing proof of an intelligent Designer.”[14]
Chapter 7: Beasts and Creeping Things
Day six is the conclusion of God’s creation. It begins with the creation of cattle, creeping things, and the beasts of the earth. Again, as in previous chapters, MacArthur uses several examples, from the common cow to the bombardier beetle, that demonstrate the complexity and beauty of God’s creation.
Chapter 8: Man in God’s Image
The creation of man at the conclusion of day six is the culmination of God’s creation.
The creation of the human race was the central object of God’s creative purpose from the beginning. In an important sense, everything else was created for humanity, and every step of creation up to this point had one main purpose: to prepare a perfect environment for Adam.[15]
God created man with four purposes: to bear the creator’s image, to propagate life, to receive the divine blessing, and to rule creation.
Chapter 9: The Rest of Creation
The final day of creation—day seven—is a day God made holy. After a brief description of the significance of the seventh day as a sanctified and consecrated day, MacArthur describes how science gives evidence of God’s day of rest.
The Bible consistently says that God created it all in six days, and Genesis 2:2 says that on the seventh day He ceased His creative work. There is no ongoing creation of matter or energy; in His perfect wisdom God designed the universe so that what He created would be complete and will remain functioning as long as it serves His purposes. It is neither eternal nor self–sufficient. It is the product of God’s creative genius.[16]
Moreover, MacArthur asserts that the seventh day gives credence to a literal six day creation:
To reject a six–day creation is to unbless the seventh day. It robs God of the glory that is due His name. If everything evolved from nothing, or if creation was spread over eons of time, there was no seventh day. Thus any view of this passage other than a literal six–day creation totally confounds the blessing of the seventh day. On the other hand, if we believe what the Bible says, then every seventh day is a memorial and a reminder that God created the entire universe in one week. And for that glorious accomplishment He deserves our praise.[17]
Chapter 10: Paradise Lost
In the final chapter, MacArthur emphasizes the significance of Genesis 3 to the remainder of the Bible. Genesis 3 gives reason and significance to everything we know about the condition of our fallen earth, fallen man, the need for a Savior and the first hint of God’s redemptive plan for mankind.
Moreover, MacArthur asserts, it is in each of these areas that the evolutionist has no answer. Indeed, the very existence of evil is one of evolution’s greatest hurdles to overcome.
[T]he doctrine of evolution (if followed consistently) ends with a denial of the reality of evil. If naturalistic evolution is correct and there is no God, neither can there be any inviolable moral principles that govern the universe. And therefore there is no moral accountability of any kind. In fact, if evolution is true, things are the way they are by sheer chance, for no transcendent reason. Nothing under such a system could ever have any real moral significance. The very notions of good and evil would be meaningless concepts. There would be no reason to condemn a Hitler or applaud a good Samaritan.[18]
The remainder of this chapter is essentially a play-by-play description of the fall of man.
Epilogue: Blessings from the Curse
In his epilogue, MacArthur gives an overview of the hope of redemption that is found throughout Scripture. In MacArthur’s words, “The story of God’s New Creation is more glorious than all the combined glories of the original creation. It is a triumphant story of divine grace—God’s free and unmerited mercy and kindness to sinners who deserve nothing but condemnation.”[19]
MacArthur concludes The Battle for the Beginning with a plea for the reader by faith to accept Christ as their Savior.
PERSONAL REACTION TO THE BATTLE FOR THE BEGINNING
Overall, I enjoy many of MacArthur’s books, and this is no exception. He is a life-long student of the Bible and one of evangelical’s most authoritative teachers. As he states in his introduction, this book is based on a sermon series he prepared for his church and this is a clue as to the type of reading it provides—he breaks complex topics into simple explanations.
The topic of creation is like many doctrinal issues in that it must begin with a foundational understanding of who God is and how he chooses to communicate with us. In short, we approach God by faith and our understanding of creation requires the same faith.
Like many of his books, MacArthur provides a clear teaching of creation from the perspective of a bible-believing evangelical Christian who is also a young earth creationist. I read this book coming from the same perspective as MacArthur, so it only affirmed my beliefs and provided a better understanding of some of the arguments put forward by old earth creationists.
Again, as stated in the introduction, this book is not to be read as a scientific apologetic for young earth creationism, but as an analysis of the Scriptural teaching of creation. With this perspective in mind, MacArthur accomplished his purpose.
[1]John MacArthur, The Battle for the Beginning : The Bible on Creation and the Fall of Adam (Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group, 2001), 17.
[2]Ibid., 17.
[3]Ibid., 18.
[4]Ibid., 27.
[5]Ibid., 31.
[6]Ibid., 32.
[7]Ibid., 57.
[8]Ibid., 62
[9]Ibid., 72.
[10]Ibid., 84.
[11]Ibid., 98.
[12]Ibid., 105.
[13]Ibid., 132.
[14]Ibid., 132.
[15]Ibid., 157.
[16]Ibid., 182.
[17]Ibid., 188.
[18]Ibid., 196.
[19]Ibid., 213.