Focusing on the journeys of two people whose paths, if not for war, would never have crossed, All the Horrors of War follows Brigadier Glyn Hughes, the British officer who spearheaded relief efforts at Bergen-Belsen, and Rachel Genuth, a teenager from a poor family in Sighet, Transylvania, who would grow up to become author Bernice Lerner’s mother. 

Through Rachel’s and Hughes’s interwoven stories, we see the personal fallout for both those being crushed by Hitler’s reign and those who fought their way across Europe to stop him at all costs. We learn why thousands of inmates died after Bergen-Belsen's liberation, how thousands were saved, and what the experience was like for the rescuers. We learn how Hughes carried the knowledge of what he had seen, and Rachel, what she had endured.

The Protagonists of ALL THE HORRORS OF WAR

The Jewish Girl

Bernice’s mother, Ruth Mermelstein (née Rachel Genuth), was a speaker for the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center (HMTC) of Nassau County. Her story not only raises awareness of the dangers of hatred and prejudice, but also inspires young people of all backgrounds—Ruth was a living example of how it is possible to meet life with hope after enduring extreme hardship and trauma. As of the winter of 2021-2022, Ruth had addressed more than 270 school and other groups. You can see Ruth here, in Newsday, in a piece commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In All the Horrors of War you can learn how she navigated the extreme, was saved by the British Second Army, and suffered repeated setbacks while gradually forging a new life.