The Polski Affair

by: Leon H. Gildin

Published by: Diamond River Books

Reviewed by Julie Failla Earhart

Just when I think I know all the bits of WWII history, something new comes along that surprises and shocks me. Such is Leon H. Gildin’s tale of the 1943 going-ons at the Hotel Polski. The hotel is located in Warsaw, Poland, and was used by the Germans as an internment place for Jews displaced from the Warsaw Ghetto after its destruction. There, supposedly, Jews could buy passports to neutral countries.

The Polski Affair begins many, many years later in Israel when Anna sees an ad for a trip for “survivors.” Anna was then known as Rosa Feurmann. When Rosa was forced to leave the Ghetto, she took refuge in the Jewish cemetery across the street from the hotel. She was assigned by the Resistance to get inside the hotel and return with information about what was truly happening there. Could it possibly be true that the Nazis were allowing Jews to purchase their freedom?

Rosa enters without questions, finds a broom, and seamlessly enters the role of maid. However, the Nazis are keeping a watchful eye on the hotel’s constantly-changing residents. Rosa is noticed by the Nazi commandant, Colonel Peter Hauptmann, who takes Rosa as his companion and assistant.

The story follows Rosa’s duties and what she learned during her entrapment. It’s an exceedingly interesting story that is narrated by Rosa in her accented voice. Gildin does an excellent job in portraying Rosa’s voice without having to resort to dialect. I could hear her broken, stilted English.

While The Polski Affair is Rosa’s story, it is also Anna Adler’s story. That is the new name Rosa takes when she goes to Israel. When the International Military Tribunal arrests and tries Colonel Hauptmann, Rosa/Anna is invited to Heidelberg to recount her story.

The Polski Affair does have one drawback: it looks cheap. The cover is well done and interesting, but the insides look like something maybe a novice/self-publisher might attempt in order to stand out from conventional printing. On the other hand, the novel is printed in Canada and that might well be their style.

No matter, though, readers should enjoy another little-known tale from the ravages of WWII.

Armchair Interviews says: Most interesting story.