• Age: 14 to 18
• Grade: 9 to 12

When Rachel and her husband, Avrumeh, escape from the Siemiatycze ghetto in Poland one cold winter night in 1942 with their four-year-old daughter, Chana, they are desperate for refuge. Turned away by their closest friends, they are forced to wander the countryside looking for places to hide and asking for help from strangers and acquaintances. For close to two years, every day is filled with uncertainty for them and for the courageous farmers who eventually hide them. Throughout, young Chana is fiercely protected by her parents, who teach her not to cry, not to even make a sound. After liberation, Chana’s childhood truly begins, and decades later, she finally has the opportunity to honour those who rescued her family. Told from the perspective of both mother and daughter, Daring to Hope reflects on the darkness of wartime and the love that held a family together.

Rachel Lisogurski (1911–1998) was born in Grodzisk, Poland; her daughter, Chana Broder, was born in Siemiatycze, Poland, in 1938. After the war, they lived in a displaced persons camp in Italy, immigrating to Montreal in 1948. Rachel first wrote her memoir in 1967 as a way to improve her English. In 1972, Chana and her family moved to Israel, where Chana became an esl teacher. She later reunited with the descendants of her wartime rescuers and had them recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. Chana lives in Israel.

Rachel Lisogurski's profile page

Rachel Lisogurski (1911–1998) was born in Grodzisk, Poland; her daughter, Chana Broder, was born in Siemiatycze, Poland, in 1938. After the war, they lived in a displaced persons camp in Italy, immigrating to Montreal in 1948. Rachel first wrote her memoir in 1967 as a way to improve her English. In 1972, Chana and her family moved to Israel, where Chana became an esl teacher. She later reunited with the descendants of her wartime rescuers and had them recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. Chana lives in Israel.

Chana Broder's profile page