Under a Red Sky is based on events that happened to my family from the late 1950s until we left Communist Romania in 1961. The story is filtered through my memory as a child of a time and place that no longer exist. Today, Romania is still very much on the map in Eastern Europe, but the country has undergone a major recoveryâeconomically, culturally, and spirituallyâfrom being under the thumb of a long line of tyrannical Communist rulers. Much of this book is based on my family's oral history, documenting some of the horrific events that took place during World War II in Romania. Before the war, there were 800,000 Jews living in Romania and Transylvania. Nearly 400,000 perished in Nazi concentration camps and pogroms incited by fascist Romanian groups such as the Legionnaire Iron Guard. I grew up listening to my family's stories of this time the way other children grow up hearing fairy tales, and while the dialogue may not be exact, the essence of what was said is true.
I owe a debt of gratitude to two books in particular, which confirm the historical background upon which one of my
grandmother's stories is based: Balkan Ghosts by Robert D. Kaplan and The Holocaust in Romania by Radu Ioanid.
With the exception of my immediate family and some well-known political figures, the names of the characters in this book have been changed to protect their privacy. Some characters, though not major, appear as composites of several people; some of the events happened in different time sequences. In brief, this is not a journalist's rendition of historical events but my personal story about growing up in Communist Romania.
I am lucky. There are so many amazing people who have sustained me in miraculous ways throughout the writing of this book to whom I owe far more than gratitude. To Frances Foster, my publisher and genius editor: your wisdom and kindness have exceeded my expectations. To Leigh Feldman, agent extraordinaire, for recognizing the merit of this book and fostering its growth. To Charles Baxter, bless you for helping an unknown writer! To Lisa Graff, for your insightful editorial advice. To Jay Colvin, for your flawless eye in the design of this book. To Richard Tuschman, whose jacket design is visual poetry. To Margaret Ferguson and the amazing FSG team, for minding every detail, big and small. To Victoria Wells Arms, for your editorial help and enthusiasm at the beginning, when I needed it most. To my steadfast first readers: Dee Birch, Ron Collins, Gary Derish, Molly Donahue, Penny Burrow Marwede, Sylvia Peck, Pauline Rothstein, and Yael Shapiroâfor your friendship and candor. To Mark Chimsky-Lustig, for your unwavering friendship and sound advice. To Peg Walz, always a “tender button.” To Lisa Haliday, for encouragement on my first draft. To Susan Conceicao, my best friend, for insight on
the last draft. To Sandy Serebin, for offering your country home as a writer's sanctuary. To Karen Quinn, friend and trailblazer. To Rabbi Andrea Myers, Julie Standig, and Peter Albu, for help with Jewish research. To Rodica Belea for checking my Romanian language accuracy. To Ana Calmanovici and Max Albala for providing missing photographs. To Anna Perez, for trays filled with sustenance. To my teachers: Dr.Gerald Epstein, Dr.Elizabeth Barrett, and Denise Linn, for your love, support, and wisdom. To Monica Thakrar and my Soul Coaching sisters, for being the first to call me Haya. To Marvin Schneider, for repairing my father's clock, and for your kind soul. To my Rodeph Sholom family, thank you for your prayers, your songs, and your continued presence in my life. To Susan Muller-Hershon, for being the sister I've always wanted. To my beautiful cousin Claudia, for your belief in me. To Mathilde Greenfield, for the strength of your presence. And to Alice Okada, for your unmatched grace.
Most of all, I owe this book to my daughter, Mika, who asked about the past ardently enough to compel me to write about it, and to my son, Jacob, whose advice during the writing process proved indispensable. Last but always first, to my husband, Tom, my anchor and best friend. Without you, I would not have persevered.
Although I never met Rabbi Moses Rosen, of blessed memory, Chief Rabbi of Romania, 1948â1994, I am humbled to have discovered almost fifty years later his heroic undertaking. Rabbi Rosen suffered great personal risk and endured much criticism for “brokering deals” between the anti-Semitic Communist regime and the State of Israel. In the end he persevered in orchestrating the mass exodus of almost 400,000 Romanian Jews to Israel. My family and I are indeed lucky to be among those he saved. It is a great gift that he gave us, and I am eternally grateful.
Copyright © 2010 by Haya Leah Molnar
All rights reserved
"For legal and/or contractual reasons, this digital book does not include certain images that were originally part of the print edition"
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eISBN 9781429944427
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Molnar, Haya Leah.
Under a red sky : memoir of a childhood in Communist Romania /
Haya Leah Molnar.â1st ed. p. cm.
ISBN: 978-0-374-31840-6
1. Molnar, Haya LeahâChildhood and youthâJuvenile literature. 2. FamilyâRomaniaâHistoryâJuvenile literature. 3. RomaniaâHistoryâ1944â1989âBiographyâJuvenile literature. I. Title. DR267.5.M65A3 2010 949.803'1092âdc22 [B]
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