Best Friends: A bond that survived Hitler

Elli Cohen and Gina Wolf met on their first day of Jewish day school in Breslau, Germany. The year is 1930, and the two girls, despite still being young, can feel the changing attitudes toward Jews as the Nazis come to power. Elli is intrigued by Gina the second she meets her. The two girls form a close friendship and cement the momentous occasion with a handshake. They are very different. Elli dreams of becoming a teacher in Eretz Yisrael. Gina can’t imagine ever leaving her family. Then, their worst nightmare becomes reality. As Elli escapes capture by traveling to the Middle East, Gina is forced into hiding with a kindly Christian family. As the war rages on and the horrors of the Holocaust come to pass, each girl wonders what happened to the other. They face challenges in their own lives, but they never forget the friend they left behind. In this poignant historical novel, based on her own life experiences, Esther Adler tells a story of courage, friendship, and the strength of two extraordinary young women. Her work honors her friend Regina and the millions of innocents who became victims of the Nazi regime.