Sarinka: A Sephardic Holocaust Journey: From Yugoslavia To An Internment Camp in America

Sarinka is a moving Holocaust story that traces the life of a young woman beginning with her childhood in prewar Yugoslavia to experience living on the run, in hiding, and as a nurse among Tito’s partisans. She was one of the 982 refugees who resided at the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter that was established in America for victims of the Nazi Holocaust during WWII. Author and daughter of the heroine, Linda Cohen takes the readers on a unique journey as she describes life in Yugoslavia—through her mother’s eyes—during the war and all the restrictions and dangers she encountered once Yugoslavia became occupied by the Axis powers. Heroic and tragic in parts, Sarinka embodies the resiliency of the human spirit. --Rebecca Fisher, Researcher at the Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum Oswego, NY


Sarinka is beautifully written, historically accurate and a genuine page turner. Young people who read this book will understand the truth of being a refugee. They will learn what it means to lose everything—one’s home, one’s language, one’s culture. And yet they will find hope in this very moving story. --Ruth Gruber, March 14, 2010

Sarinka, a true story about a young girl set in WWII is one of perseverance and survival. Her world is suddenly shattered when the running and hiding began the very day she dreamed of her whole life, her wedding day. Sarinka and her husband face danger and uncertainty as they desperately try to save their lives. No matter how tough life gets, Sarinka and her husband never give up hope, even when they find themselves in an internment camp in America, that many never knew existed in 1944. Also appropriate for teens and young adults interested in Holocaust chapter books