The true story of a Grandmother’s escape from violent Antisemitism

Journalist and investigative reporter Geri Spieler shares the story in a new book…

Influenced in part by a growing feminist movement in Eastern Europe at the turn of the last century, Regina Anuszewicz went against her parents’ wishes and left Poland with her infant before the start of World War I — cementing the survival of her family’s lineage for generations to come.

“She was extremely gutsy. She left everyone and everything she ever knew because she saw what was coming,” said Geri Spieler, investigative reporter and author of Regina of Warsaw, a new book based on her grandmother Regina’s remarkable story of courage and perseverance. “Had she not followed her own star, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

From the first page, readers are transported to 1906 Bialystok, Poland, where Regina Anuszewicz was visiting her sister and looking forward to a late June stroll along the Bialy River. It should have been an exciting time to stay overnight in the women’s boarding house, but a violent pogrom blasted those plans as a rage of violence shook the town and Regina’s hopes. Russian soldiers and police swarmed the streets and homes, and once they reached her sister’s boarding house, all Regina could do was hide inside a closet, barely able to breathe as she heard screams and people begging for their lives.

The trauma of that day shaped Regina’s life and ignited her passion to take a more active role in fighting antisemitism. The atrocities that her family endured impacted every decision she made in life as she moved through the days and years, colouring her approach to every event that took her from Poland to the United States, and how she cared for the four children she sought to protect.

“Readers will appreciate the premise of the story because, in some ways, it mirrors what is happening in the world today,” Spieler added. “It’s a story of bravery and survival.”

Regina of Warsaw: Love, Loss and Liberation 

ISBN-979-8-89022-149-0

Available from Amazon.com, BN.com and other booksellers