Young Moshe's Diary: The Spiritual Torment of a Jewish Boy in Nazi Europe
Encyclopedia
Moshe Ze'ev Flinker (Maurice Wolf Flinker) was a Jewish youth born in the Hague
on October 9, 1926 and killed in Auschwitz by the Nazi Regime in 1944. He was the son of Noah Eliezer Flinker of Poland
, who had migrated to Holland and subsequently become a wealthy businessman. Following the 1940 Battle of the Netherlands
, the family left the Hague
for Belgium
to evade Nazi rule and the rounding up of Jews
by the Gestapo
. The Flinkers stayed in Brussels
, Belgium until their arrest in 1944. Moshe and his parents were deported to Auschwitz and murdered there.
Flinker began writing diary in 1942. The diary was saved by his siblings and published in Hebrew by Yad Vashem
in 1958. An English translation was published by Yad Vashem in 1965, titled Young Moshe's Diary, subtitled The spiritual torment of a Jewish boy in Nazi Europe and a second edition followed in 1971. A Yiddish translation was published by Perets, Tel Aviv
in 1965, titled Dos yingl Moyshe; Dos togbukh fun Moyshe Flinker. A German translation was published in 2008 under the title Auch wenn ich hoffe: Das Tagebuch des Moshe Flinker by Berlin University Press.
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
on October 9, 1926 and killed in Auschwitz by the Nazi Regime in 1944. He was the son of Noah Eliezer Flinker of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, who had migrated to Holland and subsequently become a wealthy businessman. Following the 1940 Battle of the Netherlands
Battle of the Netherlands
The Battle of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow , the German invasion of the Low Countries and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until 14 May 1940 when the main Dutch forces surrendered...
, the family left the Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
for Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
to evade Nazi rule and the rounding up of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
. The Flinkers stayed in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium until their arrest in 1944. Moshe and his parents were deported to Auschwitz and murdered there.
Flinker began writing diary in 1942. The diary was saved by his siblings and published in Hebrew by Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
in 1958. An English translation was published by Yad Vashem in 1965, titled Young Moshe's Diary, subtitled The spiritual torment of a Jewish boy in Nazi Europe and a second edition followed in 1971. A Yiddish translation was published by Perets, Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
in 1965, titled Dos yingl Moyshe; Dos togbukh fun Moyshe Flinker. A German translation was published in 2008 under the title Auch wenn ich hoffe: Das Tagebuch des Moshe Flinker by Berlin University Press.