NONFICTION - May 5, 1996

RENA’S PROMISE: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz by Rena Kornreich Gelissen with Heather Dune Macadam (Beacon: $23; 274 pp.). Although there is certainly a “survivor type,” the specific things that aid someone in living through a terrible ordeal vary greatly from person to person. Rena Kornreich Gelissen was on the first Jewish transport to Auschwitz, where she was joined shortly by her younger sister, Danka. An unusually strong and tenacious person, Rena made a promise from deep within her heart to protect Danka at all costs. In her memoirs, Rena does not explore the specific effect the promise had on her own life, but many readers will come to the conclusion that Rena’s unswerving commitment to something outside herself helped enormously in her ability to function in the camp for over three years. Conversely, Danka, not quite as emotionally strong, was able to depend on Rena’s steadfast support, to the point where she knew that if she were sentenced to death during one of the camp’s regular selections, Rena would accompany her.

“Rena’s Promise” is written with simplicity and grace. There are sections describing such intense cruelty that it is difficult to go on reading. However, cruelty is not the most memorable aspect of this moving book. Instead, the overwhelming feeling upon finishing is one of triumph: It is still possible to find selflessness and human connection among people living in a place of relentless horror.