On the Occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day: Barry Frigate Talks About His Book 'Two Dogs and a Boy'

Barry Frigate (65), an author and father of three from Ramat Gan, was born to Holocaust survivor parents who endured the horrors of Nazi labor camps. From a young age, Barry heard his mother’s chilling stories of her time in the 'Greenberg' labor camp. Yet, as a child, he chose to 'repress' them and pretended not to understand what he heard.

His father, on the other hand, remained silent about the atrocities he witnessed at the Hasag labor camp in Częstochowa. "Luckily, both of my parents had in-demand trades: my father was a skilled metalworker, and my mother knew how to sew. On the day the Częstochowa ghetto was liquidated, my father was sent to the Hasag labor camp, which was liberated at the end of the war by the Russian army. Thanks to her phenomenal sewing abilities, my mother also managed to survive in the camp until 1945. When the Russians approached the camp, she was forced to join the 'death march' in the treacherous European snow with thousands of others." Miraculously, Barry’s mother escaped the march to find refuge, away from the prying eyes of the cruel SS soldiers.

Barry Frigate

For years, Barry repeatedly heard the same story from his mother, while his father maintained his silence. The mountain of pain that his parents carried also cast its threatening shadow over him and heavily influenced the atmosphere at home. It is no wonder he felt a need to write. "As I grew older, I stopped focusing on the Holocaust and didn’t discuss it with my parents. I neither asked questions nor took an interest. Until one day, when my father turned 75, he suddenly opened up and began to speak. Rivers of stories flowed without end. Additionally, he documented all his impressions and memories 'from there' in a neat notebook. He then took Barry and his brother on a roots trip to Poland to see what words could not fully capture. What words are not strong enough to describe.

"I Can’t Forget the Child’s Cry"

Then Barry's emotional floodgates opened. "After years of not discussing the subject, I found myself in the last three years studying the Holocaust, including the stories I heard from my parents, with diligence and seriousness. Writing has always been my craft, and I have authored dozens of children's books designed to captivate and entertain while promoting literacy. However, after digesting a vast amount of material on the Holocaust, I resolved to shift focus and write a book on the subject that would provide an important contribution to its readers".

His book "Two Dogs and a Boy," recently published by 'Danny Books', is a fictional work based on true events recounted by his parents, as well as historical facts. "Unlike my previous books, each written over a few months, I worked on this book for five years, continuously revising until I achieved the desired outcome. The book tells the story of a boy named Joseph and his struggles during the Holocaust with his two canine companions until the war ends. It is intended for students in grades four through eight who are interested in learning about Holocaust events".

Why dogs, specifically?

"When I set out to construct the story’s framework, it was clear that a story about a boy trying to survive alone might have literary challenges. So, I decided to add two dogs to bring another dimension to the tale and allow readers unfamiliar with dogs to learn about their lives. One situation described in the book is the fear and worry the boy experiences, fearing the German soldiers might approach an abandoned house he is in before he can hide. But then he discovers that his dog can hear approaching footsteps long before he can and starts barking to signal him to hide. This occurs throughout the book whenever German soldiers try to approach the house. I believe and hope that the combination of a boy and two dogs will capture and engage the readers with the plot, even though the main purpose of the book is to illustrate the events of the Holocaust".

A story you heard from your parents that is etched in your memory?

"Sadly, I heard many harrowing stories about the Holocaust from my parents, but one that particularly struck me was an account my father described in a summary he wrote about his experiences at the start of the war. It involves an event that occurred during the Aktion to liquidate the Częstochowa ghetto. I quote my father as he presented it: 'Even inside the large yard, incidents were not lacking. I must describe a particular case I witnessed 'inside'. A Jew around thirty and his ten-year-old son appeared. I don’t know how they managed to slip through the heavy Ukrainian guards, but eventually, someone pointed them out.

"The Ukrainian immediately grabbed them and brutally assaulted them. He then turned to the father with a proposal—the father could stay inside if his son went to the train. The father considered for a second and, for some reason, decided to give up his son to save himself. The child, seeing his father being led away, began to cry and scream, 'Where are you leaving me?' At that moment, the father’s conscience must have pricked him. He approached his son, patted his head, and they were taken away. Seconds later, two shots were heard—they both were killed in cold blood. The child’s cry I can’t forget, and I remember it every time I see children with their parents,' my father wrote in his memoirs".