October 7 inspired many people to do many different things. For the ninety-four-year-old rabbi Philip Lazowski, who had already written over a dozen books, the attack by Hamas brought about the creation of yet another book, a personal memoir that is likely to become his most powerful work of all.
Transforming Darkness into Light tells the story of an eleven-year-old Jewish boy forced to witness the murder of his mother and two younger siblings, along with nearly all the people in his home village of Bielica, Poland, in 1941. But together with his father and brother, the young boy who would grow up to become a renowned spiritual leader escaped to the woods and survived the Holocaust in hiding. The last words from his mother before she was slain were prophetic, exhorting him to “Be somebody; the world will need you.”
Clearly, Lazowski heeded his mother’s advice. He became an educator, a spiritual leader, a community builder and a peacemaker, and — with this book — an ardent fighter against antisemitism. Deeply faithful, he often advises readers to pray, but at the same time to study the culture and motivations of those who hate Jews and to always speak out when we see their beliefs put into action. He tells us he understands on a visceral level how people can become murderous, and that we must pay clear attention to every incident of antisemitism, whether it manifests itself through words, actions, or attitudes, as violence must be avoided at all costs.
Lazowski’s thesis is spelled out in nine short chapters that guide the reader smoothly through his life story and the observations and ideas it generated. But the part of the book that pulls the most powerful punch is the conclusion and call to action. His language is strong and his vision is clear. For example, he tells us, in no uncertain terms, “I learned yet again that even if the knife is at your throat, do not give up. This is what my experiences in the Holocaust and in my long life since then have taught me.”
This slim, elegant book contains only 153 pages of text, making it very readable. A plethora of resources at the end lends an academic patina to the work, but also guides both the casual and the serious reader to a wide variety of books, articles, websites. and government documents that shed light on antisemitism and what we can do about it. The notes section goes further and deeper, and is well worth reading for the additional clarity it lends the text.
Significantly, Lazowski advocates for friendship as a powerful antidote to hate. We should look for happiness in our relationships with one another and with the world, and always pursue the highest good, the quest for peace. The most important tool, he writes, is education, not only for our enemies, but for our children as well; it is paramount that we continue to build a strong Jewish community at the same time we build bridges with other groups. Actions like these, he posits, fight hate in the same way that friendship does, just on a bigger scale. This is how we find our way from darkness to light.
Linda F. Burghardt is a New York-based journalist and author who has contributed commentary, breaking news, and features to major newspapers across the U.S., in addition to having three non-fiction books published. She writes frequently on Jewish topics and is now serving as Scholar-in-Residence at the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County.
