When Nazi Germany troops enter Krakow, Poland on
September 2, 1939, fourteen-year-old Simon Baron learns two truths that have
been hidden from him.
One, the people who have raised him
are not his biological parents. Two, his birth mother was Jewish. In the eyes
of the Germans, although he has been raised Catholic, this makes Simon Jewish.
Simon's dreams of becoming a
concert violinist and composer are dashed when his school is forced to expel
him, and he is no longer eligible to represent it at its annual Poland
Independence Day Concert. There, he had hoped to draw the attention of
representatives of a prestigious contest who might have helped him fulfill his
dreams.
Simon vows to never forgive his
birth father for abandoning him, an act resulting in unspeakable tragedies for
his family and in his being forced to live the indignities of the ghetto and
the horrors of Auschwitz and Sachsenhausen concentration camps.
Throughout his ordeals, Simon
wavers between his intense anger toward his birth father and his dreams of
being reunited with him. Through his relationships with Rabbi Rosenschtein and
the rabbi's daughter, Rachel, Simon comes to appreciate his Jewish heritage and
find purpose in his life. Driven by devotion to family and friends and his
passion for music, Simon holds on to hope. But can he survive the atrocities of
the Nazi regime?
How do you reconcile a decision you
made in the past when the world erupts in war, threatening the life of someone
you love and believe you were protecting?
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Fred Raymond Goldman graduated from Western
Maryland College in Westminster, MD (now named McDaniel College) in June 1962
with a BA in psychology. Two years later, in 1964, he earned an MSW degree from
the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
Most of Fred's career was spent in Jewish Communal
Service. He served as the administrator of Northwest Drug Alert, a methadone
maintenance program at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. In this role, he also acted
as a community resource, guiding individuals struggling with addiction toward Jewish
services that supported abstinence, counseling, and job placement.
Following that, Fred was hired as the Assistant to
the Director of Jewish Family Services in Baltimore.
His final professional role was with Har Sinai
Congregation, a Jewish Reform Synagogue in Baltimore, where he served as
Executive Director for 23 years, retiring in October 2005.
In retirement, Fred pursued his love of hiking with
The Maryland Hiking Club and spent time volunteering at The Irvine Nature
Center. There, he led schoolchildren on nature hikes and assisted in the
center’s nature store.
Writing had always been a passion for Fred, dating
back to childhood, but it wasn't until retirement that he began to take it
seriously. He started writing children's books and became a member of the
Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Association. Among the titles he wrote
are: Vera and the Blue Bear Go to the Zoo,
Never Bite an Elephant (And Other Bits of
Wisdom), The Day the School Bus
Drivers Went on Strike, If You Count,
and The Day the School Devices Went on
Strike.
Though none of these books has been published, Fred
remains hopeful that if the CONCERTO
books gain recognition, opportunities for the earlier works may follow.
Fred’s journey of writing the CONCERTO companion books began when he saw a note on a local
library bulletin board about a new writer's group led by a local author. He
joined and, along with nine other participants, learned the fundamentals of
writing: staying in the protagonist’s point of view, building narrative
tension, developing distinctive and flawed characters, and the process of
writing and rewriting.
Over the course of more than four years, Fred
dedicated time to writing, researching, rewriting, and submitting the
manuscript. What began as a single book titled The Auschwitz Concerto was eventually split into two volumes and
self-published. For a time, the manuscript was also titled The Box.
The encouragement from the group’s teacher and fellow
members played a key role in shaping the novels, and Fred hopes his feedback
was equally helpful to others in the group.
In the 'Author’s Notes' of the CONCERTO books, Fred outlines the goals behind sharing these
stories. Prior to writing them, he had only a general understanding of the
Holocaust—knowing that nine million lives were lost and that it was a horrific
chapter in history. Through the writing process, he gained deeper insights into
both historical events and human suffering, fostering a greater sensitivity to
contemporary issues. He firmly believes that what affects one group can quickly
impact everyone, and that such awareness is critical today.
Author
Links:
Author Page on Publisher’s Website: https://www.historiumpress.com/fred-goldman
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Fred-Raymond-Goldman/author/B0C2QMBZ9X
