On April 24, Masza Makarova from the MGW Education Department led a meeting with Judy Batalion, a journalist and writer, author of the 2021 bestseller "The Light of Days," about the heroines of the Jewish resistance movement during World War II. The meeting took place at the Polish Institute in Brussels.
"The Light of Days" is a story about war, the fight for freedom, exceptional courage, female friendship, and the power of survival in the face of enormous adversity. The book became a New York Times bestseller and won the National Jewish Book Award and the Canadian Jewish Literary Award. It has been translated into 22 languages, including the official languages of Belgium—French and Dutch. It has also been adapted for young readers. Steven Spielberg , for whom Judy Batalion is co-writing the screenplay, is planning a film adaptation.
"The Light of Days" is the result of the author's research at the British Library on Jewish female fighters. During this research, Judy accidentally stumbled upon a dusty, old Yiddish book— Freuen in di Ghettos ("Women in the Ghettos"). This thriller about "ghetto girls" became the direct inspiration for "The Light of Days."
The meeting with Judy Batalion in Brussels took place as part of the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. This wasn't the first time the writer had participated in a meeting hosted by the Warsaw Ghetto Museum – in January 2023, a webinar with her participation inaugurated a series of meetings related to the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising organized by the Warsaw Ghetto Museum.
