Introduction1. Life before the War2. Uncertain Future3. First Impressions of Bergen-Belsen4. Daily Life in the Camp5. Tough Losses6. Reunited with Anne Frank7. The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen8. Returning to Holland9. A new Life in England10. Starting overEpiloguePicturesFurther ReadingKind RequestThe author reflects on the impact of her family’s experiences on her own beliefs and behaviors, thereby adding to the literature about Second Generation and transgenerational trauma.With the outbreak of WWII and the Nazi occupation of Lithuania, the life of the Jewish Zlata Santocki Sidrer changed forever.Gone was her normal life and her teenage dream of becoming a doctor. Instead, she witnessed untold deprivations—massacres, imprisonment, hunger, and slave labor—before being transported to the Stutthof Concentration Camp. Her story of the death march is a testament to her fighting spirit and the limits of human endurance. Yet, the challenges did not end with liberation. Lovingly compiled from recorded interviews and researched by her eldest daughter, Ettie, this is an account of a remarkably resilient woman who raised herself out of the ashes after unimaginable hardship and sorrow. She found love and happiness where none could be expected—a secret marriage in the ghetto, escapes, dangerous border crossings, reunifications, and life-saving friendships.Ettie’s quest to learn more about her ancestry led her to Lithuania and Poland – in her mother’s footsteps – as she describes her findings and her own feelings. And, in the final section, Zilber reflects on the impact her parents’ experiences had on her own beliefs and behaviors, adding to the literature about Second Generation and transgenerational trauma.In this book she honors her family by telling the story and collecting evidence to corroborate their painful history.With the outbreak of WWII and the Nazi occupation of Lithuania, the life of the Jewish Zlata Santocki Sidrer changed forever.Gone was her normal life and her teenage dream of becoming a doctor. Instead, she witnessed untold deprivations—massacres, imprisonment, hunger, and slave labor—before being transported to the Stutthof Concentration Camp. Her story of the death march is a testament to her fighting spirit and the limits of human endurance. Yet, the challenges did not end with liberation. Lovingly compiled from recorded interviews and researched by her eldest daughter, Ettie, this is an account of a remarkably resilient woman who raised herself out of the ashes after unimaginable hardship and sorrow. She found love and happiness where none could be expected—a secret marriage in the ghetto, escapes, dangerous border crossings, reunifications, and life-saving friendships.Ettie’s quest to learn more about her ancestry led her to Lithuania and Poland – in her mother’s footsteps – as she describes her findings and her own feelings. And, in the final section, Zilber reflects on the impact her parents’ experiences had on her own beliefs and behaviors, adding to the literature about Second Generation and transgenerational trauma.In this book she honors her family by telling the story and collecting evidence to corroborate their painful history.