My Voice: Ike Alterman (Rest their souls)

Ike Alterman: Rest Their Souls presents the account of Holocaust survivor Ike Alterman, born in 1928 in Ozarów, Poland.

Based on extensive interviews, the book narrates Ike’s life story, including his happy upbringing in an Orthodox Jewish family in Ostrowiec, and the traumatic experience of losing his immediate family who perished at Treblinka and Auschwitz. It covers his ordeals in the Ostrowiec ghetto, and his survival through forced labour in camps like Blizyn and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Surviving multiple death marches and narrowly missing liberation, Ike was freed in Theresienstadt in May 1945. As one of ‘The Boys' (a British governmental scheme granting asylum to child survivors), Ike underwent rehabilitation at the Calgarth Estate near Windermere where he formed lifelong bonds with other survivors. He later settled in Manchester, establishing a family, and forging a career in the jewellery business. Ike’s narrative conveys his dedication to his family and treasured friends, along with his strong work ethic as central aspects of his post-war identity.

Later in life, Ike pursued closure by revisiting his hometown in Poland and undertaking a difficult trip to Treblinka. He contemplates his family’s loss, wavering faith in God post-Holocaust, his rejection of hate, along with the impact of sharing his story publicly after seventy years. Featuring personal photos, the book highlights Jewish life pre- and post-Holocaust, and the journey of assimilation into British society, capturing the individual’s capacity for renewal after incommensurate loss. Rest Their Souls is part of the My Voice book collection.