Fearless Women, Powerful Stories: Author Dr. Janet Bond Brill
Erica Baas
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Little Edna's War
A True Story of Resistance and Hope
At just seven years old, Edna Szurek risked everything to smuggle food through holes in the Warsaw Ghetto wall, knowing each step could be her last. By age 10, she was the youngest decorated member of the Polish resistance.
Little Edna's War
Though she fought armed with a pistol, Edna's true weapons were wit, bravery, and an unshakable love for her sister.
Disguised as a Catholic girl, she even earned a medal from Pope Pius XII, who never knew he was honoring a Jewish child who had outsmarted the Reich.
Drawn from more than five hours of firsthand testimony recorded by the USC Shoah Foundation, this powerful memoir traces Edna's extraordinary journey—from the ashes of a shattered birthday celebration to the brutal reality of a POW camp, and from escaping the Warsaw Ghetto to finding hidden safety inside a convent sanctuary.
Edna Szurek should not have survived the Holocaust. But she did. And her story will stay with you forever.
Resistance. Survival. Hope.
Janet Bond Brill
Janet Bond Brill was born and raised in New York City, the daughter of a prominent stage and screen actor and a psychoanalyst. After graduating from Walden School at sixteen and earning her B.S. in Biology from the University of Miami, she spent seven years as a flight attendant for Pan American World Airways before returning to academia.
Dr. Brill holds a Ph.D. in Exercise Science from the University of Miami, along with two master's degrees—one in Exercise Science from the University of Miami and another in Nutrition Science from Florida International University.
She is the author of four nationally recognized health books, including Cholesterol Down and Blood Pressure Down, published by Random House, as well as numerous scientific papers and articles for general audiences.
Preserving Edna's Story for Future Generations
After thirty-seven years of knowing and loving her mother-in-law, Holocaust survivor Edna Stefania Brill, Dr. Brill moved from health writing to historical memoir.
Little Edna's War records Edna's extraordinary experiences for future generations—Dr. Brill's first memoir and her most important work.
Dr. Brill lives in Pennsylvania with her husband Sam, Edna's son. Together they have three children—Rachel, Mia, and Jason—and two grandchildren. In recent years, she has also written and published three children's books for her grandchildren, bringing imagination and wonder to bedtime stories that bridge generations.
This memoir draws from more than five hours of Edna's firsthand testimony recorded by the USC Shoah Foundation, preserving her voice and experiences for generations to come.
A remarkable story of courage, resistance, family, and the enduring power of hope.
