Ellen Cassedy

“Ellen Cassedy is on to a crucial story of a new, post-Holocaust Eastern Europe, in which a few committed individuals are working to catalyze national introspection….In making some of the quietly heroic developments visible, Ms. Cassedy asks herself and other Jews if they, too, might have reason for some self-questioning about the myths of the past.”

“…challenges us to think again about what it means to remember the Holocaust….”

“…deeply moving…her book offers a unique perspective…complex human texture, rooted in an oft-forgotten Yiddish cultural context, a tapestry of events which elsewhere too often appear as one-dimensional. Readers will doubtless be immensely enriched by her experience.”

“Cassedy’s quest is brilliantly balanced, totally engaging, and constantly penetrating.”

‘[A] thorough and fascinating examination of a still contentious subject in Lithuania.”

“Pioneering…will reach out to Jews, Lithuanians, and all those who care about not replaying in this new century the disasters of the century that has just ended.”

“In building a democratic Lithuania, we must have the courage to bring bitter truths out of the shadows and learn from our history. This eloquent book can help us to reach out, open our hearts, and rediscover one another in a spirit of mutual understanding.”

“Cassedy resists Lithuanian attempts to place Jewish and Lithuanian suffering ‘side by side’….She listens to all the voices and perspectives….She attempts to know and comprehend rather than judge.”

“A most captivating read. Cassedy offers an extraordinary perspective, human and moving, to concerns which often are hidden by tired cliches, sentimentality, or anger. A rare document.”