Amsterdam Publishers

19/09/2025

NEW RELEASE in the series Holocaust Survivor Memoirs (book 24).

Follow the life story and lessons of Holocaust survivor Jan Blumenstein in The Boy in the Back, as told to Fern Lebo. Born in Czechoslovakia, Jan was taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau when he was 16, along with the 6,500 Jewish residents of his natal Nové Zámky. Jan, who sadly died a few months ago, was a survivor with a word of caution for the world, and he calls to be heard.

Jan chose to tell his story because he believes it was the right time for it to be heard. When he was a boy, he didn’t pay attention to the signs of growing unrest and escalating violence that were around him. When the Holocaust started, those who weren’t affected didn’t speak out to stop it. Thousands of kind and brave people helped, and Jan calls them heroes. But many more did not… Let us learn from Jan’s experience and not let history repeat itself.

“Sadly, we had underestimated the brutality of our enemies and overestimated the compassion of our friends.”

https://mybook.to/P4twX6

15/09/2025

This weekend I attended the 35th annual conference of the World Federation of Jewish Holocaust Survivors & Descendants in Paris. Although I am not Jewish, I felt genuinely welcomed by this special community of survivors and their families.

One of my future authors, MiryamSas from Berkeley attended with several of her family members, and I was glad to spend time with her. I also enjoyed an early-morning meeting with future author, psychiatrist Michelle Friedman from New York, who was coincidentally hiking with her husband in Normandy and Brittany. It was very nice to meet Ruth Landy in person, see F***y Bernstein, with whom I worked on my first Holocaust book, a lovely group from the Bay area, Rabbi Joseph P***k, Gloria Silver from London, Gabriella Meros from Germany, and representatives from organisations of the USHMM, 2NJ, 3GNY, generation2generation, the JDC, Kindertransort, Holocaust Museum LA.

The conference brought together 283 participants, including Dutch delegates such as Max Arpels Lezer, the Federation’s President. I was struck by the surprisingly large number of survivors, many of them from Paris.

The 20 books from my authors met with a lot of interest by the attendees. As always, when people see the name Amsterdam Publishers, they assume I am a publisher of Dutch books. Invariably they are surprised to find out that all books are released in English, and if successful, they are translated into other modern languages.

It was an honor to present a seminar during this gathering together with Debra Barnes of AJR - The Association of Jewish Refugees and Philippe Weyl of FMS.

There were some excellent talks. I especially enjoyed a presentation by Anna Bikont about the fate of Polish Jews immediately after the Holocaust, based on an exhibition she co-organized at the POLIN museum in Warsaw.

I had a bit of spare time as well, so I rented a bicycle and made a special stop: I brought The Courtyard – the recently published memoir by Benjamin Parket and Alexa Morris – back to where it belongs at 5 rue de Charonne in Paris. During WWII, nine-year-old Bernard (as Benjamin was then called) left the courtyard each day to fetch food for his Polish-Jewish family in hiding. It was moving to place the book at the very spot where the Parket family survived thanks to Benjamin’s bravery and the kindness of his Parisian neighbors in the courtyard. And, of course, I visited the Mémorial de la Shoah, which bookshop houses an excellent collection of French Holocaust literature, mostly testimonies.

The conference is not finished yet, but I had to go home early. I return back to the office inspired and grateful to the committee for creating such a memorable program.

Back to work again now!

12/09/2025

Lovely drinks (and coffee due to jet lag) in Paris with Sas, the author of "Milk in an Eggshell" that will be published in the series Holocaust Heritage on Yom HaShoah next year.

We talked about the editing, the cover, and life and large.

A great start of my trip to Paris!

10/09/2025

Paris, here we come!

From 12–15 September, I will be attending the 35th Annual Conference of the World Federation of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants in Paris.

The theme this year is “1945 to 2025: Eighty Years Later, Bridging Generations Across Borders.” It is organized in partnership with the Mémorial de la Shoah, the Association, Generations of the Shoah International. Members of the international and intergenerational survivor community are attending.

On Sunday 14 September I will have the honor of speaking and moderating a session with Debra Barnes (AJR) and Philippe Weyl (Éditions Le Manuscrit).

The topic of the session: How to write and publish the story of our parents and grandparents who survived the Holocaust (3.30-5.15 Studio D - Open for All).

I am also bringing along a cross-section of books published by Amsterdam Publishers – memoirs and testimonies by Holocaust survivors as well as second- and third-generation authors.

Not everyone with a survivor parent or grandparent is aware that there is a publishing house dedicated entirely to Holocaust true stories, and I believe it is important that we are present.

I’ve already heard from several participants who are looking forward to connecting. If you are attending the conference, please stop by my table – I would be delighted to meet you and talk about these books.

I’ll be displaying these 20 titles.

From the series Holocaust survivor memoirs:

Footnote to History – Andrew Laszlo
The Courtyard – Alexa Morris & Benjamin Parket
The Engineers – Henry Reiss
From Auschwitz with Love – Daniel Seymour
J’ai survécu à l’Holocauste – Nanette Blitz-König
Ma traversée de l’enfer – Halina Kleiner
Sauvez mes enfants – Leon Kleiner

From the series Holocaust survivor true stories:

- On Sunny Days We Sang – Jeannette Grunhaus de Gelman
- Flower of Vlora – Anna Kohen
- The Cello Still Sings – Janet Horvath
- Before the Beginning and After the End – Hymie Anisman
- Not a Real Enemy – Robert Wolf
- Winter Light – Grace Feuerverger
- American Wolf – Audrey Birnbaum
- The Redhead of Auschwitz – Nechama Birnbaum
- Hidden in Plain Sight – Julie Brill
- The Story Keeper – Fred Feldman
- Out from the Shadows – Willie Handler
- The Glassmaker’s Son – Peter Kupfer

From the series Holocaust books for young adults:

- Running for Shelter – Suzette Sheft

More authors wanted me to bring their books, but 20 is the absolute maximum I can carry, even though I will go by train. And this time, I hope to carry them a little more wisely than I did when I went to Philadelphia… I had to book 4 physiotherapy sessions afterward..!

10/09/2025

I hope you will enjoy the interview with Jonathan Schloss, author of Four Survivor Grandparents, as much as I do.

Here is a link to the interview with Nachum Segal on his “NSN” Nachum Segal Network.

Nachum welcomed author Jonathan Schloss to the studio during this morning’s JM in the AM to discuss “Four Survivor Grandparents: Run. Rely. Rebuild.,” Jonathan’s captivating new book about his grandparents’ harrowing experiences during and after the Holocaust. From the book’s Amazon page...

05/09/2025

NEW RELEASE

“In Katie Moore’s moving historical novel Under the Pink Triangle, gay men navigate Dachau in 1942.

Manny and Rudi are imprisoned in Dachau, forced to wear pink triangles, because they are gay. They form a deep connection with one another. Meanwhile, Augustin, a guard, searches the camp for his son, Otto. Desperate, he commits atrocious acts against other prisoners in a futile attempt to protect Otto from the violent reality of the N**is’ longest-operating concentration camp.

Between the three rotating narrators are short vignettes from the perspectives of prisoners who are about to die, fleshing out life in the camp and illuminating its horrors in evocative terms. Even those who occupy a mere few pages are fleshed out well, including a WWI veteran who used to be proud to serve Germany, but who dies as the result of a bet between guards. Elsewhere, starving prisoners turn on fellow prisoners for extra portions of bread.

The book walks a delicate line, intertwining horrific, visceral violence with brief flashes of love and humanity. In one unflinching scene, a doctor’s assistant brings a dying prisoner within sight of the sunset before taking his life. This jarring caduceus of darkness and light is the hardy spine of the book, illustrating that people will do anything to be kind to each other even in the grimmest of circumstances.

The prose is beautiful, evoking sharp emotions. Its harsh descriptions of emaciated prisoners, at times both pitying and dehumanizing, vivify their mistreatment: they appear as ‘bent, twisted creatures, a parody of man.’ This sets high stakes for Manny and Rudi’s budding relationship, as either could die at any moment, leaving the other alone again.

Small acts of kindness are exchanged between prisoners in a N**i concentration camp in Under the Pink Triangle, a masterful depiction of humanity’s capacity for both violence and love.” – Starred Review from Foreword Reviews

Available worldwide:

https://mybook.to/S4MK

Many congratulations, Katie Moore!!

Manny Hoffman is desperate to escape the confines of living with his mother at the age of twenty-three. Rudi Klein is a popular part of Berlin’s underground gay scene, with a plan to fool the N**is. When both are arrested and transported to Dachau’s notorious concentration camp, neither expect ....

29/08/2025

Evelyn Grossman's "Versteckt in Berlin", the German version of "Hidden in Berlin" is a number one bestseller on amazon.de! Many congrats, Evelyn!!

28/08/2025

A few weeks ago, Jonathan Schloss published his remarkable book about his grandparents: 'Four Survivor Grandparents. Run. Rely. Rebuild'.

One of them, Sally Wimmer (born Sala Dreksler), is still alive today – and she loves reading the book!

It is always a privilege to witness a Holocaust survivor holding the story of their life in their hands.

Separated from her family in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Sala was forced to sew N**i uniforms. She and other young women learned to handle thread and needle as if their lives depended on it — because they did.

Throughout the war, Sala faced countless moments where split-second decisions determined life or death. Her resilience, and the support of others, enabled her not only to survive but to rebuild her life after the Holocaust.

In awe of the many miracles that made his own existence possible, the author reflects on the lives of all four of his survivor grandparents. His book is both a tribute to their courage and an exploration of their legacy.

You can find his book here: https://mybook.to/pzHLZt

Jonathan Schloss

26/08/2025

In recognition of historical responsibility, Austria passed a law in 2019 to provide citizenship to Jewish people and their direct descendants persecuted in WWII, with subsequent amendments in 2022.

Many people in the U.S. are currently reclaiming citizenship on the basis of their family's Holocaust history.

Follow author of Austrian Again, Anne Hand, on her fascinating path to reclaim Austrian citizenship.

https://mybook.to/HPWT

Already available on pre-order.
To be published on 20 October.

Anne Hand

25/08/2025

Today, the Jewish Book Council published this piece about Amsterdam Publishers in their Bookwatch section.

What’s the scoop on pub­lish­ing? What Jew­ish books are agents, edi­tors, and pub­lish­ers espe­cial­ly excit­ed for us to read?

18/08/2025

Since Amsterdam Publishers’ presence at the American Library Association event in Philadelphia this summer, the international press has been unusually kind to us.

In just two months, we have been featured in five different publications:

- The American Library Association generously put the article about the Rodeph Shalom event on their feed.

- The Jewish Exponent (Darcy Grabenstein) published a thoughtful piece.

- Publishers Weekly (Nathalie Op de Beeck) ran an extensive article that I am particularly proud of.

- The The Jewish Link (Susan R. Eisenstein) made us their cover story.

- And now, the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)(Adeline Lui) has devoted their cover spotlight to Amsterdam Publishers: 'How Amsterdam Publishers Gained World Renown as the Publisher of Holocaust Memoirs.'

I feel truly humbled by this recognition. What began in 2014 as a small initiative has grown into something larger than I could have imagined.

Many thanks to the journalists, editors, and of course my authors who help bring attention to the importance of Holocaust memoirs.

This visibility ensures that survivor testimonies will continue to be read and remembered.

As we got to know IBPA member Liesbeth Heenk, we were continually struck by how far she's taken her press Amsterdam Publishers, which she founded in 2012. Amsterdam Publishers is based in the Netherlands and Liesbeth is Dutch, yet her press has published over 115 books about the Holocaust in English...

10/08/2025

Jolenes Book and Writers Talk - Year 4 - Episode 19 Interview with Kenneth D. Wald, author of The Ghosts on the Wall. A Grandson’s Memoir of the Holocaust (Holocaust Survivor True Stories)

Unveiling Hidden Family Secrets: A Journey Through the Holocaust with Kenneth d. WaldIn this episode of Jolene's Book and Writer's Talk podcast, we welcome K...