Roni Rosenthal is the author of the book Where the Lilacs Bloom Once Again. Her other books include The Lilacs I Once Knew. She is a professor of Hebrew literature at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Q: What inspired you to write Where the Lilacs Bloom Once Again?
A: My father passed away in December 2009. After the funeral, I walked into his study. On his desk, I found three things: a family photo album, a family tree in his handwriting, and a small note. The note read: "Write their story. Tell the world what really happened to them."
And so, my journey began.
My father’s words became my mission, a commitment to uncovering and sharing the untold history of Romanian Jewish communities during World War II. Their suffering and resilience have often been overlooked in Holocaust narratives, and I felt a deep responsibility to give a voice to those whose stories were nearly lost to history.
Through years of research, I pieced together Friddie’s story, her courage, suffering, and unwavering spirit. My journey led me through archives, survivor testimonies, and historical records, but one of my most profound discoveries came from my own family’s home.
Hidden in my parents’ basement, I found a box filled with postcards exchanged between Friddie and her cousin, Aurica, my grandmother. In those letters, Friddie shared not only her story but also her poetry, written in the darkest moments of her imprisonment.
That discovery led me also to write The Lilacs I Once Knew: Friddie’s Poems, a collection of her poetry from prison, labor camps, and beyond. Originally written in Romanian, these poems capture her fears, hopes, and reflections on survival. Together with my mother, I translated these poems into English, ensuring that Friddie’s voice reaches a wider audience.
Friddie’s poetry reflects her journey through life, imprisonment, and the enduring power of hope. Through her words, she speaks of joy, loss, fear, resilience, and the indomitable human spirit, a testament to survival and the ability to find light even in the darkest moments.
For me, this work is more than historical research; it is a promise fulfilled. My mission is to ensure that the voices of Romania’s Jewish victims are not erased, that their suffering is acknowledged, and that their stories are told with truth and dignity.
Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: My research spanned nearly a decade and included archival work, historical records, survivor testimonies, and multiple trips to Romania. I visited key locations, including former prisons, Communist-era detention centers (now museums), cemeteries, and even the secret police archives, tracing the places where Friddie had been held.
Additionally, I studied government documents and historical records that detailed the fate of Romanian Jews, many of whom were erased from history.
One of the most shocking discoveries was the extent of Romania’s direct involvement in the Holocaust. While much of Holocaust history focuses on Nazi Germany, Romanian soldiers played a major role in mass deportations, death marches, pogroms, forced labor, and executions. This was a painful but crucial truth to uncover, one that has been largely omitted from mainstream Holocaust narratives.
Another revelation came through Friddie’s poetry. Her ability to find beauty and express resilience, even in the darkest moments, was astonishing. Through her words, I could feel her strength, hope, and defiance, even as she faced unimaginable cruelty.
Her poetry was not just a means of survival. It was a form of quiet rebellion, a way to reclaim her voice in a world that sought to silence her.
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: The title Where the Lilacs Bloom Once Again symbolizes loss, suffering, and renewal. Lilacs, Friddie’s favorite flowers, represent longing, survival, and the hope that beauty can emerge from darkness. Just as lilacs return each spring after the harshest winters, so too does the belief that even after devastation, life and justice will prevail.
Beyond personal symbolism, the title holds profound historical significance. Friddie was imprisoned and forced into brutal labor at Poarta Albă (White Gate) Labor Camp, part of the Danube–Black Sea Canal project in Romania. Tens of thousands suffered and perished.
Today, the site has been erased, replaced by a tourist attraction with no acknowledgment of its tragic past. Beneath the ground, the remnants of the labor camp remain buried, forgotten by history.
And yet, atop that hill, where green grass now spreads, lilacs have begun to bloom once again, a quiet but powerful testament to remembrance, resilience, and the enduring spirit of those who once suffered there.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: During the Communist era in Romania, Holocaust survivors and their families were forced into silence. Until 1989, they were forbidden from speaking about the Holocaust. Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romania’s Communist leader, seized control of the archives, erasing and distorting historical facts about World War II and the fate of Jewish communities.
The suffering of Romanian Jews was systematically rewritten, denied, and ultimately forgotten by the world. Many survivors, unable to share their truth, carried their secrets to the grave.
Those of us who still carry our family’s stories must speak up. We must give a voice to those who were silenced, bring to light the history that was stolen, and ensure that the truth is no longer buried. To remember is an act of resistance. To tell their stories is to reclaim the truth they were denied.
Through Friddie’s story, I hope readers gain a deeper understanding of this hidden chapter of Holocaust history, the suffering and resilience of Romanian Jews, whose voices have too often been overshadowed.
But more than that, I want readers to connect with Friddie as a person, not just as a victim, but as a woman, a daughter, and a survivor who held onto her humanity even in the darkest of times.
I hope readers experience the power of Friddie’s poetry as both resistance and survival. Her words are more than a reflection of her pain; they are a testament to the human spirit’s ability to endure, to express, and to reclaim identity in the face of oppression.
By remembering, we restore. By speaking, we resist. By telling their stories, we ensure they will never be erased again.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am currently working on another family story from Romania during World War II, this time focusing on my maternal family's experiences and uncovering lesser-known aspects of history.
This project is a historical novel set in Bucharest from the 1890s to the 1950s, a period marked by political unrest, war, and the devastating impact of antisemitism and anti-Jewish policies in Romania.
This novel follows two main characters: Alexandru, a successful businessman haunted by the memory of his first love, and Victoria, a woman torn between betrayal and the horrors of war. As their lives unfold, their fates become unexpectedly intertwined, revealing deep family secrets and hidden connections that span generations.
One of the novel’s central themes explores the Romanian deportations to Transnistria, a horrific and often-overlooked chapter of the Holocaust.
Between 1941 and 1944, tens of thousands of Romanian Jews, including members of my own family, were forcibly deported to the ghettos and death camps of Transnistria, where starvation, disease, and brutal executions claimed countless lives.
Many were left to die in makeshift camps, their suffering largely erased from mainstream Holocaust narratives.
But this book is more than a historical account. It is a deeply personal exploration of love, shared identity, and survival in a rapidly changing world.
Through historical accuracy and emotional depth, I hope to bring to life the untold struggles of Romanian Jews, the shifting political landscape, and the impossible choices they had to make to survive.
My goal is to preserve history through storytelling, ensuring that the voices of those who suffered in Romania, Transnistria, and beyond are remembered and that their stories continue to resonate with future generations.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Beyond writing, I am a Jewish educator, researcher, and lifelong advocate for Holocaust education. My mission is clear: to share the untold stories, to give a voice to those who were silenced, and to ensure that history is never forgotten or distorted.
As firsthand witnesses become fewer, it is our responsibility to preserve their memories, speak their truths, and pass them on to future generations.
Both Where the Lilacs Bloom Once Again and The Lilacs I Once Knew have received multiple literary awards, a deeply meaningful recognition, not just for me as a writer, but as a testament to Friddie’s story and the voices of so many others whose stories might have otherwise been lost.
I’m also excited to share that Where the Lilacs Bloom Once Again is currently being translated into Romanian and will soon be published in Romania.
This is especially significant because, although Friddie and Mircea were forced to flee, their story is finally returning to Romanian hearts, a full-circle moment that history itself could not have written better.
And as for Netflix? Still no call back. Steven Spielberg, feel free to jump in any time! I mean, love, betrayal, espionage, resilience - this story practically pitches itself! If anyone has a direct line, do share. Until then, I’ll keep writing… and dramatically refreshing my inbox.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity to share these narratives with your readers and look forward to answering any questions. Thank you for helping to amplify these voices and ensuring their legacy continues.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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