Yellow Star

“Losing the War”

Word spreads that the Germans are losing the war. Syvia cannot imagine anyone overpowering the Nazis. Dora imagines that the Allied soldiers must look like movie stars.

“What Next”

Syvia hopes to see Hava and Itka if the war ends, but Dora tells her that those who left the ghetto are not coming back. Syvia struggles to imagine so many people being dead.

“Another Question”

Syvia wonders whether foreign soldiers would care about saving Jews, as their Polish community and neighbors didn’t.

“Shipping Out”

Rumkowski announces that the Nazis plan to liquidate the ghettos and transport the remaining residents to parts of Germany that need to be repaired after the enemy bombing; however, the patients at the hospitals are the first to be deported, making Syvia suspicious.

Syvia hopes that she will have enough energy to run when the Nazis come for them; she is tired.

“A Knock on the Door”

Uncle Hyman comes for Papa’s help; soldiers have taken his daughter, Mina. Papa leaves with him.

“Search”

Papa and Uncle Hyman fill wheelbarrows with flour and dress in chimney sweep costumes. They go to the hospital where Mina is being kept.

“Rescue”

They tell Mina to hide under the flour sacks and take her home, and then they return for two other children.

“Liquidation”

Everyone is being packed into trains, including Uncle Hyman, Aunt Rose, and Mina. Dora tells Syvia that it is only a matter of time until it is their turn.

“In the Moonlight”

Nazi soldiers come to the apartment.

“It is Time”

Soldiers tramp into the apartment, ordering everyone out. Mother helps Syvia button her dress, as her fingers are shaking too badly to do it.

They are herded into a group on the street and walked toward the train station.

“Moving Forward”

Syvia is squashed between many other bodies; she reflects on how thin everyone is. There is a gunshot behind them somewhere.

They are told to halt.

“Front of the Line”

They form a line. Papa reaches the front and ably lifts a heavy bag, so he is directed to the right by the Nazi soldier. Dora, Syvia, and Mother go to join him, but the Nazi soldier points at Syvia and says, “Nein!” (120). Papa speaks to them, and they are all directed to the left.

“Announcement”

An announcement declares that everyone who is not on the list (the people sent to the right) must return to the train station at seven the next morning.

Dora explains that Papa, Mother, and Dora could have gone to the right, but that Syvia was allocated to the left because she is too small. Father insisted that the family had to stay together.

“Papa’s Gut”

Papa tells the family that he has a gut feeling that they should not go to the trains.

“Bad Dreams”

Syvia wakes from a bad dream where she is on a sinking ship that only she can save, but she is unable to. She screams, “I’m sorry,” and her parents soothe her. Papa says it is the Nazis’ fault, not hers.

“Decision”

They bump into Syvia’s uncle and aunt, Haskel and Hana, on the way to the train station. They make a split-second decision to purposefully walk away from the train station as a group.

“The Plan”

They walk toward the workers’ houses. Dora and Mother fret that they are not on the list. Papa tells Syvia to wait with her cousin, baby Isaac, who is three; he will come back to get her.

“Baby-Sitting”

Syvia waits with Isaac, who is very quiet. She realizes that he has been taught to be silent to avoid attracting the attention of the Nazis. Syvia entertains Isaac with the buckle on her suitcase by opening and closing it.

Syvia worries that the Nazis have caught and shot Papa, Mother, and Dora. She remembers seeing a man shot in the street; it is a memory she tries to forget.

She sees Papa walking up to her, grinning.

“Papa!”

Papa picks up the sleeping Isaac and puts him over his shoulder, disguising him with his coat.

“Entrance”

Papa reveals how they entered the workers’ houses; he confidently introduced each individual by name to the Nazi guard, who nodded and let them in.

“How Papa Knew”

Papa explains that he realized that there were no lists being used when the Nazis were sorting people in lines on the right or the left, which allowed them to pretend that they were on the list.

“Into the Building”

Papa instructs Syvia to walk closely on his left side, the side away from the soldiers. They are talking about something and don’t look up.

“The Underground Room”

Papa leads Syvia into a basement where there are other children. Papa leaves, assuring Syvia that he’ll be back.

“Children of the Cellar”

Syvia wants to introduce herself to the other children, but she is too shy. She plays with Isaac.

Syvia feels faint. Everything goes black.

“Not Myself”

Syvia has strange, vivid dreams and feels hot and cold.

She wakes up three days later. Dora is there.

“A Little Tired”

Mother and Papa arrive. Mother feeds Syvia broth. Syvia learns that the Nazis think that there are 800 adults left in the Lodz Ghetto and no children.

“A Pile of Bones”

Syvia feels like a pile of bones lying in the corner. She and the other children are weak and listless; even Isaac, who is only three, plays very quietly.

“Special Gifts”

Mother brings thick vegetable soup made with vegetables from the Nazi soldiers’ garden; Syvia is used to thin broth and feels the thicker soup strengthening her.

Dora brings leaves, twigs, and berries.

Papa visits and tells stories to all of the children.

“How the Cellar was Found”

Papa searched the houses to find a good hiding spot; he found the cellar and told another worker, who ran to the train station and asked parents if they wanted him to take their children to a hidden cellar.

“Yes or No”

Some parents agreed to send their children with the unknown man, but others wanted to keep their children with them.

“How We Got Inside”

Sometimes it was easy to smuggle the children inside, as the soldiers were not always stationed at the door. At other times, a distraction was necessary; Syvia remembers that a woman was arguing with a soldier when Papa walked in with her and realizes that this was an intentional distraction.

“Upstairs”

Upstairs, Papa tells Syvia that the men and women are supposed to be separate, but that there is a secret internal door.

Papa has brought an apple from one of the fruit trees upstairs. He cuts it up for the children to share.

“The Ovens”

The Jewish women are not supposed to use the electric ovens, but they do so secretly.

Mother had to pretend that they weren’t using the electric ovens when a Nazi guard came in; she accidentally burned herself.

“Late Summer”

Dora tells Syvia that the soldiers are less plentiful and less strict. They have more food than they have had in years.

“The Chef”

Syvia doesn’t walk to the other children, preferring to play simple games with Isaac. One boy constantly murmurs to himself about food. Papa tells Syvia that they must honor each other’s ways of surviving.

“Nervous Hands”

Another girl’s hand is always moving as if she is holding and shooting a gun.

Syvia again remembers the person she saw being shot in the street.

“Mouse”

Syvia reflects that she is like a mouse, small and timid in the corner.

“Nobody Special”

Syvia considers that maybe her shyness and quietness are the reasons she has survived.