Włodzimierz Szer was a Professor of Biochemistry at NYU, who authored 170 papers, educated generations of students, and raised a family. He spoke several languages fluently and flawlessly, including Polish, English, Yiddish, and Russian. He loved chess, travel, good company, food, and a drink. He was politically astute, deeply well-informed, and a wonderful storyteller.

"Szer’s memoir is remarkable for its elevated social and historical register, and it is fortunate to have received the attention of a careful publisher. It brings a markedly different tone from accounts of Jews caught in the daily struggle for survival in the General Government…the memoir is an homage to the powerful legacy of the Bund…"

• Acknowledgments Foreword Part I: Before the War Part II: The War Part III: After the War Afterword Index