“THIS IS A STORY THAT
MUST BE TOLD.”
- Benjamin Ferencz,Nuremberg Military Tribunal Prosecutor, Nazi War Crimes Investigator
When the Soviet Union invaded Iwje, Poland in September 1939, David Bakszt’s life was thrown into turmoil. His father’s business was shuttered, his family impoverished overnight, and his tight-knit community was disbanded. Though he did not know it at the time, a similar fate had befallen many Eastern-European Jews, including the Silberfarb family in Serniki, Poland.
Then, the Nazis arrived.
From crowded ghettos and frigid forests to the battlefields on the Eastern Front, The Shoemaker’s Son tells the true story of the Bakszts’ and Silberfarbs’ fights for survival, their struggles to rebuild in the aftermath, and the lives that they saved and lost in the process.
Written by a third-generation survivor, this book provides a sober but loving account of her refugee family’s extraordinary resistance efforts against the Nazis, the survivors’ remarkable ability to embrace life amid so much death, and the indelible impact left on them and future generations.
Sheri Rosenblum, Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation
“The Shoemaker’s Son sheds a vital light on Jewish resistance efforts in partisan detachments, refuting the misconception that Jews were passive victims of the Nazis and their collaborators. A gripping read, it is both heart-wrenching and inspiring in recounting the heroic acts the Bakszts undertook to thwart German operations, save Jewish lives, and simply survive in Eastern Europe’s forests.”
Rabbi Adam Kligfeld, Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles
"It is said that one dies twice. First, when you take your last breath. And second, when there is no one alive who remembers you, and who knows and tells your story. This new and breathtaking book, The Shoemaker’s Son, an exquisite addition to the sacred library of testimonies about the horrors of the Holocaust and the bravery exhibited by so many during it, ensures that David Bakst and Paula Silberfarb will continue to live on through those who know, and will remember, and will retell their story of heroism and determination. The world must continue to know about who died at the hands of the Nazis, and how they died, so that we can defend against the would-be tyrants that lurk and threaten. Through this book, we can also continue to learn about who lived, and how they lived, despite the Nazis’ attempt to eradicate them and the Jewish people. The Shoemaker’s Son is required reading for all those who wish to remember, sacredly, and to keep the Nazis’ victims alive.”
Benjamin Ferencz, Nuremberg Military Tribunal Prosecutor & Nazi War Crimes Investigator
“As one of the last works of non-fiction sourced directly from interviews with Holocaust survivors, The Shoemaker’s Son is a remarkable story of heroism, ingenuity, defiance, and survival. Through the lens of David Bakst’s and Paula Silberfarb’s extraordinary lives, it provides a powerful and engaging account of the destruction of two Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, Jewish resistance efforts, and the ability of survivors to rebuild in the aftermath. This is a story that must be told.”
Laura is the a proud granddaughter of two Holocaust survivors. Laura spent years researching her family history, interviewing survivors, and writing The Shoemaker’s Son so her ancestors’ heroic acts—and the horrors inflicted on them—are documented for future generations. She frequently speaks at schools, congregations, and other events regarding her grandparents' stories, and visited Poland in 2024 to learn more about Jewish history in the region on the invitation of the Polish Embassy. Laura’s family history also influenced her decision to pursue a career in law. She holds a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, where she focused on anti-discrimination studies, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Laura can be reached by email or, for school speaking engagements, through 3GDC.