At the Last Moment is a riveting book based on the doctoral work of Irith Cherniavsky, which deals with Polish Jewry between the two world wars, and documents their desire to leave under enormous hardship in order to save themselves in the years preceding the Holocaust.
Even before World War II and the Holocaust Poland had turned into a trap for its Jewish residents. Over three million Jews lived in the country, many of whom wished to leave, but only a small percentage were able to get exit permits and flee. The limited number of permits available drove them to a desperate fight for every single certificate.
The book describes the struggle for emigration and presents this tragic situation from the viewpoint of the individual: Poland’s bad financial, social and political situation, and the even harsher circumstances of its Jewish population, the closing of the world’s doors on the face of Jewish immigrants, the battles waged to obtain immigration visas, the cost of immigrating and the obstacles along the way.
Besides a heartbreaking description of the Polish Jews’ struggle for immigration, Dr. Irith Cherniavsky reveals the wrenching pain of separation from family, community, friends and the entire world the few who managed to emigrate left behind, a world that became practically extinct during the Holocaust just a few years later.

זיכרון מתקופת בית הספר שהשפיע על היצירה שלי:

“הגעתי ללימודי היסטוריה בגיל מבוגר, הרבה אחרי שהתבססתי במקצועי הראשון (כלכלה). מה שדחף אותי ללימודים אלה הייתה המורה שלי להיסטוריה בכיתה י’, פרופ’ (היום) דליה עופר. במשך כל השנים לא כבתה האהבה שלי למקצוע זה וזה תודות למורה נהדרת זו. למרות שלמדתי במגמות ראליות פגשתי בלימודי עוד מורים אשר עוררו בי את הסקרנות למדעי הרוח, סקרנות שמשרתת אותי עד היום”.