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Julie Brill, Hidden in Plain Sight: A Family Memoir and the Untold Story of the Holocaust in Serbia, Amsterdam Publishers, April 2025, 433 pgs.
(Review by Monette Moradi)
For Jews, looking into family history is a minefield of uncomfortable questions about what their grandparents great-grandparents, or even further relatives, went through in terms of antisemitism. Even now, young Jews are facing an alarming resurgence of anti-Jewish sentiment, which they will pass on as stories for future generations. Julie Brill’s new book, Hidden in Plain Sight, explores her journey of self-discovery as she uncovers her family’s history as Serbian Jews, not just for herself, but for the people whose stories were also overlooked in the grand tragedy of the Holocaust. With a powerful and distinctive narrative voice, Brill amplifies the stories of the thousands of Serbian Jews who were silenced by history, their presence in the country now all but erased—where even today, reparations for Holocaust survivors are only just beginning.
Putting this book down is difficult, as Brill’s writing is engrossing. Whether through her three-act structure or her vivid depictions of relatives and the places she visits in Serbia, Brill’s writing truly stands apart when she inhabits the minds of her ancestors, bringing their stories to life with rare depth and intimacy. For example, when talking about the circumstances surrounding the brit milah of her father at a treacherous time in the leadup to the invasion of Serbia by the Nazis, she writes, “I try to imagine my great-grandfather beaming when it is announced the baby is named Heinrich for him. I envision my grandfather standing near the mohel, a yarmulke on his usually uncovered head.” (p. 48). Brill’s commitment to capturing this empathy allows her to give voice to generations of her family, ensuring that their stories are not forgotten. She preserves a record of their existence—their Jewish lives, their traditions, and their faith—echoing the same practices that continue in Jewish communities today. This is the central theme of the book. Brill notes that beyond stealing lives and property, the Nazis also erased the narratives of the Jewish people.
For people like Brill, who long to uncover their family’s past, the search is fraught with gaps and silences, making the act of reclaiming these lost histories all the more urgent. Every year we are losing more Holocaust survivors to old age. If anything should be taken from this book, it should not be merely outcry over the treatment of Jews or a comparison to present-day issues. Rather, it should serve as motivation for Jewish readers, to make sure that their family’s narrative is not lost, no matter how distant the connection may be.
Brill wrote this book to answer questions within herself, to discover where she came from outside of the few facts she already knew about her lineage. In doing so, she has made valuable connections with her father and others across the world, expanding the small family tree she once knew into a vast and intricate history. Like many, her journey is one of survival, and of the fortune of being born Jewish despite relentless attempts by destructive outside forces to reduce Jews to a mere historical footnote.