What does it mean to remember? Is it an act of nostalgia, or is it something more vital, more defiant? In Jews Have Horns: An Anthology of Antisemitism, Wilbur and Sara Pierce confront this question. Their anthology recounts Jewish suffering and is a bold reclamation of Jewish identity through stories nearly lost in history.
Let's discuss some of the narratives in detail.
A Different Kind of History
Most historical accounts focus on statistics. This book focuses on stories. Real, textured lives caught in the storm of World War II, torn between faith and survival, identity and anonymity.
There's Elise, a Jewish woman who passes as Aryan to protect her children, and Hans, an SS officer torn between the ideology he was trained into and the humanity he can no longer deny. Their love is complicated, courageous, and tragic—just one of many deeply human stories in this anthology.
These stories are rarely included in textbooks but are vital for understanding what it meant to be Jewish in a world set on erasing that very identity.
The Power of Cultural Defiance
What Jews Have Horns does so well is highlight not just what the Jewish people endured—but how they endured. In the ghettos, amidst starvation and oppression, Jewish communities created underground libraries, orchestras, and resistance archives like the Oneg Shabbat. These weren't mere distractions. They were declarations: We are still here.
Even in genocide, Jewish parents taught their children to read. People said Kaddish when they didn't know if their prayers would be heard.
This is resilience that transcends generations.
Against All Odds: Humanity Shines Through
Not all heroes in this anthology wear yarmulkes or tzitzits. Some, like the Danish fishermen who ferried Jews to safety or Hans, the SS officer who defied his role to protect a Jewish family, remind us that decency can surface even in monstrous times.
These moments matter because they reflect a truth we often forget: Hate is powerful, but humanity is more enduring.
Reading Jews Have Horns in today's climate of rising antisemitism is like holding a mirror to the present. This book is a challenge: Will you look away? Or will you remember?
By illuminating forgotten truths and giving voice to the silenced, Wilbur and Sara Pierce make sure we do not forget what prejudice destroys—or what love, resilience, and defiance can preserve.
Grab your copy today.
