Between Two Streams

Herzberg (1893-1989), a Dutch lawyer and writer, was imprisoned in the Bergen-Belsen camp from January 1944 until war's end. Breathing in the ""joy of beckoning freedom,"" he and his wife were told they would be released in exchange for Allied-held German civilians. Their exultation was cut short when they were suddenly returned to prison, though this time in the Sternlager, a holding camp for Jews ""who were not to be exterminated""; it was here that Herzberg began writing about his experience. His diary, originally published in Holland and translated by Santcross, who also survived Bergen-Belsen as a child, gives an unusually detailed account of the interactions among prisoners as they endured starvation, illness and brutality at the hands of the SS. Because the author served as an inmate-elected judge on a board of communal law, he was able to document firsthand testimonies on crimes that occurred among the prisoners, such as the theft of food. He also movingly describes acts of kindness and unity in the face of desperation and terror. Despite a sometimes choppy and tedious narration, the book is affecting, offering a rare insight into this ""privileged"" camp. After they were liberated, Herzberg and his wife were reunited with their children, who had been in hiding, and the family returned to Amsterdam. (Aug.)