A Force for Good: Gisela Warburg Wyzanski
by Anita Wyzanski Robboy
A Force for Good is the biography of the heroic life of Gisela Warburg Wyzanski, a courageous young German Jewish woman who leveraged her wealth and family connections to save countless children from annihilation at the hands of the Nazis. This compelling story is told through a treasure-trove of letters and documents carefully preserved by Gisela and recently discovered by her daughter, Anita Wyzanski Robboy, the book's author. It outlines Gisela's tireless efforts to rescue European children, place them in appropriate settings in their parentless journey to new lives in the land now known as Israel. Readers will travel with Gisela through Germany, Palestine, England, and the United States, and will meet her mentors—some of the most powerful and influential Jewish leaders of this historically significant pre-WWII to post-WWII era. They will learn about both the horrors of the Holocaust and the tremendous power of one determined and courageous person to make a difference in the world.
Advance Readers’ Comments
“This inspiring, revelatory biography, based on newly discovered letters, restores Gisela Warburg Wyzanski to her rightful place in 20th century Jewish history. It shows how a young woman of privileged birth, mentored by Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann and Hadassah founder Henrietta Szold, risked her life to save Jewish refugee children, crisscrossed the United States raising funds to sustain them, and lived a life of service to others. Along the way, she found love, marrying one of Boston’s most eminent jurists. A rare and unusually intimate portrait of an unforgettable Jewish woman.”
—Jonathan D. Sarna, University Professor and Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University, and Chief Historian, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History
“A majestic biography of an extraordinary woman. History comes alive through Gisela’s life and letters— from Hitler’s cruelties to the founding of Israel. Sheer goodness and courage lead this fearless woman to devote herself to rescuing children from the Nazi menace despite personal dangers. Written with grace and honesty.”
—Francine Klagsbrun, author of Henrietta Szold: Hadassah and the Zionist Dream
