The Forbidden Daughter

The True Story of a Holocaust Survivor

By: Zipora Klein Jakob

Narrated by: Robin Siegerman

The unforgettable true story of a girl born in the Kovno Ghetto, and the dangerous risk her parents faced in defying the barbarous Nazi law prohibiting childbirth.

Elida Friedman was not supposed to have been born. In the Kovno Ghetto in Lithuania, Nazi law forbade Jewish women from giving birth. Yet despite the fear of death, Dr. Jonah Friedman and his wife Tzila, choose to bring a daughter into the world, a little girl they name Elida—meaning non-birth in Hebrew.

To increase their child’s chance of survival, the Friedmans smuggle the baby out of the ghetto and into the arms of a non-Jewish farm family when Elida is only three months old. It is the beginning of a life marked by constant upheaval. When the Nazis raze the entire Kovno Ghetto, Jonah and Tzila are among those killed. Their only child is left orphaned and alone, dependent on the kindness of strangers.

Despite her circumstances, Elida grows up, changing families, countries, continents, and even names, countless times. Surviving the war and the Holocaust that stole her parents, the young woman never gives up hope. In her lifelong pursuit to find love and belonging, she works to rebuild her identity and triumph over her terrible circumstances.

A moving, powerful chronicle of overcoming impossible odds, The Forbidden Daughter is the true story of one unforgettable woman and her will to survive.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

All the struggling this child went through made her very strong.

That she died so horribly. Her story intrigued me. So much sorrow that went on during WW2.

Heartbreaking

I cried at the end. So much struggle and pain. A beautiful story well told.

Not my typical style but still a good book

This isn’t the normal style of books that I enjoy listening to. However, it was still very interesting. I typically prefer historical fiction. This book is a biography. If you, too, veer away from the biography, I suggest not passing on this one. It is such a sad true story. I don’t want to give anything away. I will just say that it is worth the listen, whether you prefer biographies or not.

Heart wrenching

The ending left me feeling shocked and heartbroken. Such a powerful story of tragedy, sadness, struggle so many feelings. To know this is the true story makes it so much more special and meaningful.

Excellent

I really enjoyed this book, grasped some of the suffering of Jews and others in this historical context.