Friends from Within

Strength and unwavering faith conquer the most brutal circumstances in this masterful biography of survival against Nazi brutality.

In Strength from Within, Amrom Gottesman explores the horrific story of his father, Leibish, enduring the ravages of the ghetto before he is transported to several concentration camps during World War II. While his family perishes at Auschwitz, Leibish survives and is tortured to the point of nearly dying too. Still, his journey to liberation is marked with divine encounters with good people, such as fifty-year-old fellow prisoner Mr. Springer, who shows him kindness despite the harsh reality of Dachau. Leibish's only living brother, Kalmen, has a separate experience during the Holocaust that eventually brings them together-older and much changed.

At the height of World War II, the Gottesman family is transported to Auschwitz concentration camp, where most of them perish. Surviving this tragedy is a teenaged Leibish, who is moved to Dachau. There, he meets a comrade in Mr. Springer as they suffered brutal conditions. Leibish loses contact with his only living brother, Kalmen, until after the war-when both men have changed in unimaginable ways.

This biography highlights Leibish's grueling train ride south when the Nazis had to abandon Dachau. The endeavor put them right in the crossfire of the Americans and Germans. With safety diminishing at every turn, how did Leibish survive with no family left?

This detailed portrayal of one man's survival under Nazi brutality is a testament to the power of

the human spirit. With superhuman strength and unwavering faith, Leibish clung to life and

morality, rising above the physical and moral torture during the hellish war years.

In spite of his personal suffering, Leibish extended himself to others with unbelievable sacrifice.

It was his inner reserves of strength along with miraculous Divine intervention that sustained

him and his only surviving brother, with whom he was reunited after the Holocaust.

Strength from Within highlights the evils of humanity and the triumph of hope, even when surviving seems impossible

This true story poignantly details how the human spirit survives war and can even thrive afterward when normal life settles in again. It also highlights how far hope can carry you, even on battered wings.