Aranka Siegal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aranka Siegal
|
|
|---|---|
Aranka Siegal
|
|
| Born | Aranka Davidowitz June 10, 1930 Beregszász, Czechoslovakia (present-day Berehove, Ukraine) |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Notable awards | Newbery Honor Boston Globe-Horn Book Award |
Aranka Siegal (born Aranka Meizlik on June 11, 1930) is a famous writer. She is known for her books about her childhood experiences during a very difficult time in history. She won important awards like the Newbery Honor and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award in 1982.
Aranka Siegal has written three books. Her most famous book is Upon the Head of the Goat: A Childhood in Hungary 1930-1944. This book tells the story of her childhood in Hungary before she was held in Nazi camps. She was held in places like Auschwitz – Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen for 12 months.
Her other books are Grace in the Wilderness: After the Liberation 1945-1948 and Memories of Babi. Her books are popular around the world. They have been translated into many languages, including English, French, and German. Aranka Siegal can speak six different languages!
Contents
Aranka Siegal's Early Life
Aranka Meizlik was born in Beregszász, Czechoslovakia. Today, this place is called Berehove, Ukraine. Her parents were Meyer and Rise Meizlik. Her father, Meyer Meizlik, passed away when she was only nine months old.
Later, her mother remarried a man named Ignac Davidowitz. Aranka was the fifth of seven children in her family. She had four older sisters, herself, a younger half-brother, and a younger half-sister.
Childhood Summers with Babi
When Aranka was a child, she often spent her summers visiting her grandmother, Babi. Babi's real name was Fage Rosner. She lived in Komjáti, a small farming village in the Carpathian Mountains.
Most of Aranka's family followed many Jewish customs and traditions. Her grandmother, Babi, lived a very strict Orthodox Jewish life.
Surviving the Camps
In 1944, Aranka was sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. She was separated from most of her family there. Only her older sister, Iboya, stayed with her. They were made to work in a kitchen. Later, they were forced to walk to another camp, Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
In April 1945, Aranka and Iboya were freed by Field Marshal Montgomery's army. The Swedish Red Cross helped them go to Sweden. In 1948, they moved to the United States.
World War II Experiences
When Aranka was thirteen years old, during World War II, her life changed forever. She, her mother, and her siblings Iboya, Sándor, and Joli were forced to leave their home. They were moved to a brick factory in Beregszász. This factory had been turned into a ghetto to hold Jewish people.
At that time, Aranka's stepfather, Ignac Davidowitz, was fighting in the Hungarian army. Her older sister, Roszi, was with their grandmother. Another older sister, Etus, was in Budapest. Before the family moved to the ghetto, some of their relatives had already been taken away by the Nazis. This included Aranka's oldest sister, Lilli, Lilli's husband, Lajos, and their baby daughter, Manci.
Deportation to Auschwitz
Soon after Aranka and her family arrived at the ghetto, they were sent to Auschwitz. On May 9, 1944, when they arrived, Aranka and Iboya were separated from the rest of their family. They never saw them again. Eventually, the two sisters were moved to another camp, Bergen-Belsen.
Freedom and New Beginnings
Less than a year after they arrived in Auschwitz, Aranka and Iboya were rescued. The British First Army freed them in early 1945. By the end of World War II, only two of Aranka's close family members were still alive: her older sisters, Iboya and Etus.
The Swedish Red Cross helped Aranka and Iboya go to Sweden. There, they recovered and went to a special school. They also worked in a factory. The sisters lived in Sweden for three and a half years. Then, in 1948, when Aranka was eighteen, they moved to the United States.
Life in the United States
In August 1948, Aranka and Iboya sailed from Sweden to the United States. They met some of their family in New York. There, the two sisters started a new life. Aranka had to learn her sixth language: English.
In 1951, when Aranka was twenty-one, she married Gilbert Siegal. Gilbert was ten years older than her. He had studied at Harvard Law School and was an officer in the United States Airforce during World War II.
Family and Education
Aranka and Gilbert Siegal lived in the New York City suburbs for most of their lives. In 2000, they moved to Aventura, Florida. They had two children, Joseph and Rissa.
After her children went to college, Aranka decided to go back to school. She was in her mid-forties. In 1977, she earned her bachelor's degree in Social Anthropology from New York University. In the same year, she had a radio show. On the show, she shared her experiences from Hungary and other countries.
Recent Years and Storytelling
Aranka Siegal has lived in Aventura, Florida since 2000. Her husband, Gilbert, passed away in 2004.
She spends a lot of her time visiting schools across the country. She tells students her life story and what she experienced during World War II. Her most recent book, Memories of Babi, was published in May 2008. Website: Aranka Siegal's Official Website: https://www.arankasiegal.com
Aranka Siegal's Books
Aranka Siegal has written three important books. Each book shares a part of her life story.
Upon the Head of the Goat
About the Book
This book was published in 1981. In the story, Aranka Siegal is a nine-year-old girl named Piri. The name 'Piri' came from a Yiddish name her grandmother used to call her, 'Perele'. The children Aranka played with during her summers picked up on the name and said 'Piri'.
The title, Upon the Head of the Goat, comes from a Biblical passage. Aranka found it in Leviticus 16 when she was looking up the meaning of "scapegoat."
Awards and Recognition
Upon the Head of the Goat has won many awards. These include the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the Newbery Honor Book. It was also named an American Library Association Notable Children's Book. Many groups and publications have recommended it.
Grace in the Wilderness
About the Book
This book was published in 1985. In this story, Aranka Siegal is a fourteen-year-old girl named Piri. Like her first book, the title Grace in the Wilderness also comes from a Biblical passage, found in Jeremiah 31.
Story Summary
The story follows fourteen-year-old Piri. She is a survivor of the Nazi camp, Auschwitz – Birkenau. After six months in the camp, she and her sister are freed by the Swedish Red Cross.
Piri travels with her sister, Iboya, to Sweden. There, a Jewish-Swedish family adopts her. Piri falls in love with a boy named David. She faces a tough choice: should she choose David or her sister, Iboya, who guided her through so much? Piri deals with growing up, making big decisions, and remembering her lost family and time in the camp.
When she turns eighteen, Piri leaves her adoptive family. She sails to the United States with her sister. In New York City, Piri and Iboya reunite with some family members. They begin their new lives there.
Awards and Recognition
Grace in the Wilderness won the NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies award. It has been recommended by many reviewers, including The New York Times Book Review.
Memories of Babi
About the Book
This book was published in 2008. In this book, Aranka Siegal is the young Piri. The book has nine stories. These stories are inspired by Aranka's own experiences in the Ukrainian countryside. They are about her time with her grandmother, Babi, whom the book is named after.
Awards and Recognition
Memories of Babi has also received several awards. It was a finalist for the 2008 National Jewish Book Awards in Children's and Young Adult Literature. It also won the Sydney Taylor Honor Award.
