Mark Verstandig's compelling epic spans pre-Holocaust Jewish culture in Eastern Europe and its post-war reformation in Australia. His personal story interweaves the vast forces of politics and history with intimate details of the shtetl--from the pre-war intricacies of Galician society and the textures of a traditional Jewish education, to the agonizing contradictions of Polish-Jewish relations and the complexities of post-war Jewish politics. His account of the displaced persons camps where 'transit Jews' awaited their chance to emigrate is a signifigant contribution to a little-known aspect of post-war history. With his gift for observation and his acute powers of analysis, Mark Verstandig has achieved the rare feat of telling the story of his people through his own history. Part autobiography, part Holocaust literature, part sociological analysis, "I Rest my Case" is a fine achievement.

Verstandig (1912-2002) recalls his childhood, education, and work as a lawyer in Poland; his escape from Nazis during World War II; and his life after the war in Europe and Australia. His memoirs were first published by Saga Press, Melbourne, in 1995, and in a second edition by Melbourne University Press in 1997. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Por

2007-02-03 A beautiful memoir

This is part exciting memoir and part historical account. The book is a memoir of the author's life from when he was born in the early 20th century to a couple of years after the 2nd World War. The author was not in in any concentration camp and passed the war by being in hiding. Part of the war was spent posing as non Jewish Polish citizen. When even that became impossible he hid in a stable and then in a small attic of a saintly Non-Jewish peasant couple. I think it's a terribly underated book and has received very little publicity. It's incredibly vivid and touches subjects that other books have neglected. For example the displaced persons camps, the author's personal impressions of early Israel that he shortly visited before eventually deciding to start on a new life in Australia, Polish antisemitism before the war and the views and politics and society of Jews before the war.
Verstanstig only really managed to stay alive while in hiding by a mixture of good luck and wits and fast reflexes. His wife comes out as the real hero and he dedicates the book to her.
A lot of things about my Polish grandparents made sense after reading this. I'm not clever or articulate enough to do this real justice in this short review. I just strongly reccommend this.