Firstly, it tells the story of one of the largest, but least well documented, episodes of the Holocaust, bearing witness to the death of 100,000 people from across Belarus and beyond who were held, humiliated, and murdered in Minsk by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. From Anna's experience of being present during the events swirling around her, it clearly captures the shock and confusion of the early days of the ghetto, the development of the processes of control and repression of the population, and of the disbelief of its victims.
Secondly, there is a personal quality which is novel about Anna Machiz's account. It was this factor which made me immediately accept the invitation to help bring this text to a wider audience. As a volunteer with the Together Plan, which works to enhance understanding of Jewish history and culture in Belarus and its communities, and as a descendent of a Jewish family who fled this territory in a previous generation, a stand-out aspect of Anna's text is the way it captures the stories and character of real, everyday people - men, women and children - caught up in dangerous events beyond their control. It gives them names, addresses, and occupations. It reaches into their roles and relationships before the War as doctors, teachers, workers and even as criminals. It brings to life their daily existence in the new and terrible context of the ghetto. It details the many ways that these lives were ended, of how people were taken from their homes and forced into the ghetto, how families and friendships were shattered, and the progressive reality of confusion, fear, disconnection and ultimately death.