Testimonials
“I found Only Hope to be breathtaking in its beauty. The small daily-life vignettes of Felicia Bornstein Lubliner, collected by her son, share an insider's view of several terrible years of human history - told in a personal and insightful way. The moments offered in this memoir neither shrink from the horror of the holocaust, nor leave the reader numb. Instead, they bring this experience into understandable, relatable terms seen through everyday experiences of what it was to live through that time as one of the intended victims of Nazi Germany. I felt like I had walked alongside and heard the real voice of someone who was there. I was not scolded, nor frightened, nor exhorted - but led, humbly and gently by Felicia's hand. It was good knowing, at least for this one companion on the journey, that there would be an end to the experience as evidenced by this candid narrative of having traveled such a dark road. I highly recommend this work for anyone with a heart.”
— Julie Raefield, Development Director, Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice
“This book is remarkable because Felicia Bornstein Lubliner's writing is especially engaging and eloquent. Her voice clearly conveys wisdom and resilience and, most of all, hope in the face of the deprivation, brutality and horror of the Polish ghetto and Nazi concentration camps. Irving Lubliner has compiled his mother's stories thoughtfully and, with his own fine writing, added the context of another generation, also reflective of loss, inspiration and hope--his mother's legacy.”
— Sabina Morganti., Marriage and Family Therapist (retired), Discovery Bay, CA
“Irving Lubliner's compilation of his mother's stories is an act of love. For the last six years, he has read six of the unpublished pieces aloud to my remedial and college-prep English classes. Powerful! Unforgettable! Heart-wrenching! The imagery will stir you and tears will flow.”
— Betsy Bishop, Teacher, Ashland High School
“In just a few pages these stories vivify the horror of the Holocaust and the redemption of the human will. Felicia Lubliner makes us realize in Only Hope that the spark of life cannot be extinguished even in the darkest of times.”
— Dennis M. Read, Professor Emeritus of English, Denison University
“If you ever visit Auschwitz, you most likely will find yourself deep in thought—trying to make sense of the magnitude of the camp and the atrocities that occurred within its electrified barbed wire. How do we wrap our heads around the brutality? How can we possibly understand what went on here? Felicia Lubliner’s personal stories, Only Hope: A Survivor’s Stories of the Holocaust, enable the reader to grapple with these questions. Stories of human beings—of families, children, spouses, parents and friends—are recollected in great detail to reflect both the repugnant and the mundane existence inside the camp. Through a personal, unique and diverse lens, Felicia Lubliner conveys the raw emotional experience of a young woman trapped in the unimaginable depths of despair, yet through whose written words we find hope. Felicia Lubliner’s Only Hope guides the reader through a Holocaust story that is much deeper than a number—6,000,000—giving us a human touch in the midst of inhumanity.”
— Dennis J. Eisner, Senior Rabbi, Peninsula Temple Beth El
“The narrator in these remarkable stories speaks with two voices. At times we hear the voice of the teenager Felicia Bornstein, as she describes her life in the Pabianice Ghetto and her imprisonment in Auschwitz. This is a voice of loss, anger, and immeasurable sadness. And we hear the voice of adult Felicia Bornstein Lubliner, as she looks back on the terrible events of her youth, trying to find meaning in them. Hers is a voice of hope. With both voices, the narrator tells tales of courage and of faith: the courage to bear witness; faith that someone will listen.”
— Kenneth Ehrlich, Rabbi and Former Dean, Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion
“What would you have done? A simple question asked in countless contexts. Add the word “Auschwitz” and it becomes a searing, soul-searching challenge. In her compelling book, Only Hope, Holocaust survivor Felicia Bornstein Lubliner asks the reader to travel back in time, to follow her into the Nazi death camp, and to wrestle with this question, just as she did when faced with that reality.”
— George Conklin, Project Director, Worldwide Faith News, National Council of Churches
“Only Hope is the most moving book I have ever read about the Holocaust and about Auschwitz. I can only read a few pages at a time because I am reduced to tears.”
— Edward A. Gosselin, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of European History, California State University, Long Beach
“Only Hope by Felicia Lubliner is a valuable addition to the autobiographical accounts of the dark chapter of the Holocaust. A gifted writer, she weaves beauty and humanity into her writing without sparing the grim details of the horrors of Auschwitz and the Holocaust. We owe our thanks to her son, Irving, for preserving his mother's words and sharing them with the rest of us now.”
— Susanne Severeid, Author and host, Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary, C.A.N.D.L.E.S.: The Story of the Mengele Twins
“Felicia Lubliner explains how it is that the conquered can be stronger than the conquerors, and how the spirit of life and hope cannot be stifled.”
— D.P., Astoria, OR
“As historians and educators, the most impactful way to teach history is from those who lived through it. This book allows us to see inside the strength of one woman to survive the horrors of the Holocaust, and her struggle with the trauma for the rest of her life. These stories put a human voice to the number of six million Jews that were lost. Although it is impossible to fully comprehend what living through the Holocaust entailed, Felicia’s vivid descriptions provide the reader an opportunity to construct an image and feel her emotions. Her explanation of the selection process conveyed confusion and chaos, making clear that there was no time to think, to react, or to resist in the moment. Yet, Felicia’s story is about resistance and her will to survive. Her stories challenge our understanding of what the Holocaust looked like and the experiences of the people who lived through it.”
— Amanda Solomon, Manager of Museum and Holocaust Education & Shannon Fleischman, Educator, Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
“The Nazis attempted to strip their victims of every ounce of their humanity. They cut off their hair, gave them rags to wear, separated them from their loved ones, and replaced their names with a number tattooed on their arm. These stories stand as proof that the Nazis failed in their goal and in the end only degraded themselves. Felicia Lubliner shows us that the Jews did not submit meekly, but instead used every weapon at their disposal to fight back and thus maintain their own dignity. They are a gripping reminder of the power of the human spirit.”
— Robert Schug, Middle School History Teacher, Bentley School, Oakland, CA
“What an impact! Your words and your mother’s words transported us into a different world. I am particularly impressed by the way Felicia Lubliner took little details and used them so powerfully to bring out hope, resistance, and human crisis.”
— Nancy Martin, Humanities Teacher, Ashland High School, Ashland, OR
“This is a beautifully written and carefully edited book. I read it in one breath and am still thinking about it two months later! A must-read!”
— Silvia Hughes, Parent, Oakland, CA
“We are stunned by the combination of tragedies. Unhealthy air* and COVID (so we can’t go out), and the political divide in this country—a sense of growing powerlessness. But your mother’s courage and endurance comfort me.”
— Linda Lambert, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus of Education, California State University, Hayward * This comment was received when much of the West Coast was experiencing poor air quality due to forest fires.
“The gripping stories in Only Hope: A Survivor’s Stories of the Holocaust, told from the tender, first person perspective of Felicia Lubliner, will transfix the reader from start to finish. Middle and high school students, as well as adults of all ages, will absorb the impact of the Holocaust in new and unforgettable ways through these remarkable, personal accounts. The legacy of this heroic woman will indeed live on, not only in her words, but in the hearts that are changed by the hope they inspire.”
— Kathleen A. Cepelka, Ph.D., Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of Milwaukee
“An absolutely incredible and unforgettable book - gripping, terrifying, inspirational, and at times uplifting. Felicia's incredible courage and resilience shine through in her writing. I am not eloquent enough to do justice to the book in this review, but want to share my appreciation of it, in hope that it may help someone else decide to read this this raw and unimaginable account of a horrible and defining time in mankind's history.”
— Brian Stonelake, Faculty Member, Rogue Community College, Medford, OR
— Julie Raefield, Development Director, Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice
“This book is remarkable because Felicia Bornstein Lubliner's writing is especially engaging and eloquent. Her voice clearly conveys wisdom and resilience and, most of all, hope in the face of the deprivation, brutality and horror of the Polish ghetto and Nazi concentration camps. Irving Lubliner has compiled his mother's stories thoughtfully and, with his own fine writing, added the context of another generation, also reflective of loss, inspiration and hope--his mother's legacy.”
— Sabina Morganti., Marriage and Family Therapist (retired), Discovery Bay, CA
“Irving Lubliner's compilation of his mother's stories is an act of love. For the last six years, he has read six of the unpublished pieces aloud to my remedial and college-prep English classes. Powerful! Unforgettable! Heart-wrenching! The imagery will stir you and tears will flow.”
— Betsy Bishop, Teacher, Ashland High School
“In just a few pages these stories vivify the horror of the Holocaust and the redemption of the human will. Felicia Lubliner makes us realize in Only Hope that the spark of life cannot be extinguished even in the darkest of times.”
— Dennis M. Read, Professor Emeritus of English, Denison University
“If you ever visit Auschwitz, you most likely will find yourself deep in thought—trying to make sense of the magnitude of the camp and the atrocities that occurred within its electrified barbed wire. How do we wrap our heads around the brutality? How can we possibly understand what went on here? Felicia Lubliner’s personal stories, Only Hope: A Survivor’s Stories of the Holocaust, enable the reader to grapple with these questions. Stories of human beings—of families, children, spouses, parents and friends—are recollected in great detail to reflect both the repugnant and the mundane existence inside the camp. Through a personal, unique and diverse lens, Felicia Lubliner conveys the raw emotional experience of a young woman trapped in the unimaginable depths of despair, yet through whose written words we find hope. Felicia Lubliner’s Only Hope guides the reader through a Holocaust story that is much deeper than a number—6,000,000—giving us a human touch in the midst of inhumanity.”
— Dennis J. Eisner, Senior Rabbi, Peninsula Temple Beth El
“The narrator in these remarkable stories speaks with two voices. At times we hear the voice of the teenager Felicia Bornstein, as she describes her life in the Pabianice Ghetto and her imprisonment in Auschwitz. This is a voice of loss, anger, and immeasurable sadness. And we hear the voice of adult Felicia Bornstein Lubliner, as she looks back on the terrible events of her youth, trying to find meaning in them. Hers is a voice of hope. With both voices, the narrator tells tales of courage and of faith: the courage to bear witness; faith that someone will listen.”
— Kenneth Ehrlich, Rabbi and Former Dean, Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion
“What would you have done? A simple question asked in countless contexts. Add the word “Auschwitz” and it becomes a searing, soul-searching challenge. In her compelling book, Only Hope, Holocaust survivor Felicia Bornstein Lubliner asks the reader to travel back in time, to follow her into the Nazi death camp, and to wrestle with this question, just as she did when faced with that reality.”
— George Conklin, Project Director, Worldwide Faith News, National Council of Churches
“Only Hope is the most moving book I have ever read about the Holocaust and about Auschwitz. I can only read a few pages at a time because I am reduced to tears.”
— Edward A. Gosselin, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of European History, California State University, Long Beach
“Only Hope by Felicia Lubliner is a valuable addition to the autobiographical accounts of the dark chapter of the Holocaust. A gifted writer, she weaves beauty and humanity into her writing without sparing the grim details of the horrors of Auschwitz and the Holocaust. We owe our thanks to her son, Irving, for preserving his mother's words and sharing them with the rest of us now.”
— Susanne Severeid, Author and host, Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary, C.A.N.D.L.E.S.: The Story of the Mengele Twins
“Felicia Lubliner explains how it is that the conquered can be stronger than the conquerors, and how the spirit of life and hope cannot be stifled.”
— D.P., Astoria, OR
“As historians and educators, the most impactful way to teach history is from those who lived through it. This book allows us to see inside the strength of one woman to survive the horrors of the Holocaust, and her struggle with the trauma for the rest of her life. These stories put a human voice to the number of six million Jews that were lost. Although it is impossible to fully comprehend what living through the Holocaust entailed, Felicia’s vivid descriptions provide the reader an opportunity to construct an image and feel her emotions. Her explanation of the selection process conveyed confusion and chaos, making clear that there was no time to think, to react, or to resist in the moment. Yet, Felicia’s story is about resistance and her will to survive. Her stories challenge our understanding of what the Holocaust looked like and the experiences of the people who lived through it.”
— Amanda Solomon, Manager of Museum and Holocaust Education & Shannon Fleischman, Educator, Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
“The Nazis attempted to strip their victims of every ounce of their humanity. They cut off their hair, gave them rags to wear, separated them from their loved ones, and replaced their names with a number tattooed on their arm. These stories stand as proof that the Nazis failed in their goal and in the end only degraded themselves. Felicia Lubliner shows us that the Jews did not submit meekly, but instead used every weapon at their disposal to fight back and thus maintain their own dignity. They are a gripping reminder of the power of the human spirit.”
— Robert Schug, Middle School History Teacher, Bentley School, Oakland, CA
“What an impact! Your words and your mother’s words transported us into a different world. I am particularly impressed by the way Felicia Lubliner took little details and used them so powerfully to bring out hope, resistance, and human crisis.”
— Nancy Martin, Humanities Teacher, Ashland High School, Ashland, OR
“This is a beautifully written and carefully edited book. I read it in one breath and am still thinking about it two months later! A must-read!”
— Silvia Hughes, Parent, Oakland, CA
“We are stunned by the combination of tragedies. Unhealthy air* and COVID (so we can’t go out), and the political divide in this country—a sense of growing powerlessness. But your mother’s courage and endurance comfort me.”
— Linda Lambert, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus of Education, California State University, Hayward * This comment was received when much of the West Coast was experiencing poor air quality due to forest fires.
“The gripping stories in Only Hope: A Survivor’s Stories of the Holocaust, told from the tender, first person perspective of Felicia Lubliner, will transfix the reader from start to finish. Middle and high school students, as well as adults of all ages, will absorb the impact of the Holocaust in new and unforgettable ways through these remarkable, personal accounts. The legacy of this heroic woman will indeed live on, not only in her words, but in the hearts that are changed by the hope they inspire.”
— Kathleen A. Cepelka, Ph.D., Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of Milwaukee
“An absolutely incredible and unforgettable book - gripping, terrifying, inspirational, and at times uplifting. Felicia's incredible courage and resilience shine through in her writing. I am not eloquent enough to do justice to the book in this review, but want to share my appreciation of it, in hope that it may help someone else decide to read this this raw and unimaginable account of a horrible and defining time in mankind's history.”
— Brian Stonelake, Faculty Member, Rogue Community College, Medford, OR