Slava’s Bag of Secrets

1941, Zolochiv, Poland. It’s the middle of the night when six-year-old Jaroslawa (Slava) Lewicky is awakened by her mother, Kateryna, to run a secret errand with her grandfather. With a heavy blue backpack on her shoulder, Slava is told to carefully memorize every turn and alley. Before long, she learns the truth: Her family is risking everything to smuggle food to Jews in hiding and to Jewish workers at the candy factory in the nearby ghetto.

Slava quickly grows used to her dangerous new routine of delivering supplies. Moreover, she plays a pivotal role in sheltering Jewish children in their home, offering them safety and warmth. Small in stature, Slava moves unnoticed as she slips past the ghetto’s fence, her courage far greater than her size. She clings to her grandfather’s belief that good deeds are never forgotten and treasures the sweet candy she is given by the factory workers.

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