Gitel’s Freedom is an historical novel based on my family. I have used some family first names to honor my ancestor: my maternal grandmother was indeed named Rayzel, my mother Itta Gitel, and my father Shmuel. However, the book is a work of fiction. Some of the stories and incidents in the book are things that actually happened to family members, albeit not necessarily exactly as they are portrayed. Examples include the Ku Klux Klan attack on South Bend, the loss of Gitel and Shmuel’s drug store in the depression, Shmuel’s accident falling from a ladder at chain drug store where he is assigned by the Selective Service to work, Gitel’s friendship with a woman I call Sophie, and many others. Some other stories and incidents are purely products of my imagination. For example, the story of Rayzel solving the mystery of the missing geese, the antagonistic dialogue between Rayzel and the young Gitel, the meeting at which Gitel and Shmuel meet, and many others.

The picture, taken in Borisov, shows the real Rayzel with Gitel clinging to her and Gitel’s five older brothers.