by Mark Kurzem
Latvian community in
Uncle’s views about
war criminals in
bearded man. See also Katz, Volodya
Belarus
Alex’s views about
Himmler’s desire to eradicate Jews in
Kurzem trip to
map of
overview of
preparations for trip to
See also Koidanov; Slonim massacre; Stolbtsi
black market
black soldiers, Alex sees first American
Blackwell’s (Oxford, England)
Bodleian Library (Oxford, England)
Bolsheviks
break-in, at Alex’s home
burning building
and Alex’s affidavit for Lobe
Alex’s nightmares about
and Daugavas’s photographs
and Latvian soldiers’ massacre of Jews
and Slonim massacre
See also synagogue
Café Daquise (London, England)
Café Scheherazade (Melbourne, Australia), meeting at
Carnikava (Baltic coast)
Alex at
Alex’s feelings about
Dzenis house at
Dzenis “treasure” in
elderly man in
film of Alex in
Kurzem visit to
research about
case, Alex’s
and Alex’s reasons for not speaking
and Alex’s secretiveness
and Alex’s trip to Oxford
and Carnikava visit
as curse
as gift from Uncle
identity papers in
items about escape from Riga in
Kulis’s letter in
and Lobe’s letter to Alex
and Mark and Alex’s relationship
Mark’s feelings about
as Mark’s inheritance
newspaper in
as Pandora’s box
photographs in
as protector and precious possession
and Riga Orphan’s Court documents
and Smits’s articles
and threats against Alex
and verification of Alex’s story
and videotape of Alex with Holocaust survivors
chess, played by Smits and Alex
chocolate factory. See Dzenis family; Laima Chocolates
cigarettes, Alex’s first
circumcision
circus, Alex with
Claims Conference (New York City)
complicity with Nazis
Dachau
Daphne (Mark’s neighbor)
Daugavas (Australian man)
Dirk (Alex’s friend)
displaced-persons camp. See Saules camp (Geesthacht, Germany)
Dresden, Germany, and escape from Riga
Dzenis, Ausma
Dzenis, Emily “Auntie”
and Alex as Jewish
and Alex’s affidavit for Lobe
and Alex’s education
Alex’s feelings/views about
Alex’s first meeting with
Alex’s memories of
and Alex’s nightmares
Alex’s outings with
and Alex’s return to Lobe’s command
and Alex’s uniforms
in Australia
in Carnikava
and Carnikava “treasure,”
death of
and escape from Riga
knowledge of Alex’s Jewish background
and Kurzems’ Carnikava visit
and Lobe’s letter to Alex
and Mark’s answered questions
Mark’s feeling about
at Saules camp
Dzenis, Jekabs “Uncle”
and affidavit for Lobe
Alex as first meeting
and Alex as son of cousin
Alex as ward of
Alex’s case as gift from
Alex’s debt to
and Alex’s disgrace on Russian front
Alex’s early days with
and Alex’s education
Alex’s feelings/views about
and Alex’s knowledge about Lobe
Alex’s memories of
Alex’s relationship with
and Alex’s SS activities
and Alex’s uniforms
in Australia
and Carnikava filming
Carnikava “treasure” of
chocolate factory activities of
death of
and escape from Riga
and finding of Alex in forest
knowledge of Alex’s background
as Lacplesis member
as leader of refugees
and Lobe investigation
and Lobe’s letter to Alex
Lobe’s relationship with
Mark’s feelings/views about
and Mark’s unanswered questions
Dzenis, Jekabs “Uncle”
and massacres by Kurzeme Battalion
photograph of
and reasons for Alex’s silence
research on
role in Mark’s life of
at Saules camp
Dzenis, Mirdza
Alex as leaving videotape with
Alex’s relationship with
Alex’s reluctance to tell story to
Alex’s visit with
in Australia
daughter of
death of
and Dzenises’ escape from Riga
knowledge of Alex’s Jewishness
and Latvia visit
and Mark’s unanswered questions
at Saules camp
Dzenis, Zirdra
Dzenis family
Alex as first meeting
Alex as ward of
Alex’s feelings about
in Australia
Carnikava house of
escape from Riga of
German soldiers at home of
knowledge of Alex’s Jewishness
Lobe sends Alex back to
Riga home of
See also specific family members
Dzerzhinsk (Belarus village). See Koidanov
Dzintari, Latvia, filming at
Eglajs, Mr. (lawyer)
Eglits, Miss (tutor)
Einsatzgruppen units
elderly man, in Carnikava
Elli (Israeli woman)
Essen, Germany, and escape from Riga
Ezergailis, Andrew
false-memory syndrome
Final Solution
forest, Belarus
Alex as finding woman in
Alex’s wanderings in
Alex with Latvian soldiers in
bodies found in
effects on Alex of wanderings in
Lobe’s version of Alex in
massacre in
old woman and son in
and skepticism about Alex’s story
soldiers’ finding of Alex in
Fragments (Wilkomirski)
Frank (genealogist)
Galina (interpreter)
Galperin (Alex’s brother)
and Alex with Dzenis family
and Alex’s earliest memories
Alex’s memories of
and Galperin house
and Koidanov massacre
and Mark’s concerns about Alex
and research on Alex’s story
Volodya and Anya’s memories of
Galperin (Alex’s sister)
Alex’s earliest memories of
and Alex with Dzenis family
and Galperin house
and Koidanov massacre
and Mark’s concerns about Alex
murder of
and research on Alex’s story
Volodya and Anya’s memories of
Galperin, Dimitri (Erick’s son)
Galperin, Erick
as Alex’s half brother
Alex’s relationship wi
th
discovery of
knowledge about family
and Koidanov visit
letter from
photograph of
Reizman letter about
telephone call to
Galperin, Hana Gildenberg (Alex’s mother)
Alex’s desire to find
Alex’s dreams/memories of
and Alex’s escape from Koidanov
family background of
and Koidanov massacre
marriage of
murder of
photograph of
and skepticism about Alex’s story
soldiers’ attack on
and Solomon’s “death”/escape
as telling Alex about Koidanov and Panok
Volodya and Anya’s memories of
Galperin, Ilya Solomonovich (as Alex’s original name)
Alex as accepting identity of
Alex’s refusal to change name to
and Alice’s call to Erick Galperin
and discovery of Erick Galperin
and Kurzems’ Koidanov visit
Reizman letter about
See also Kurzem, Alex
Galperin, Irena (Erick’s daughter)
Galperin, Solomon (Alex’s father)
Alex’s dreams/memories of
Alex’s similarity to
and Alice’s call to Erick Galperin
at Auschwitz and Dachau
death of
as Erick’s father
escape from Koidanov of
house of
marriage of
move to Minsk by
as partisan
photograph of
Reizman letter about
and researching Alex’s story
return to Koidanov of
as shoemaker/tanner
Volodya and Anya’s memories of
Galperin, Sonya (Solomon’s sister)
Galperin family
Alex’s acceptance of death of
Alex’s doubts about being member of
Alex’s lack of memory about
Dzenis family’s knowledge about death of
extermination of
Koidanov house of
“possible member” of
questions about Latvian soldiers’ role in murder of
soldiers’ attack on
See also specific family members
Gecas, Antonas (aka Antonas Gecevicius)
Geesthacht, Germany. See Saules camp
Germany
Dzenis family and Alex as seeking refuge in
influence in Australia of
See also specific locations
Gildenberg, Boris
Gildenberg, Dina
Gildenberg, Hana. See Galperin, Hana Gildenberg
Gilf Society
Gotenhafen, Germany, and escape from Riga
guns/pistols
Alex as finding Latvian soldiers’
Alex’s first firing of
and Alex’s shooting at Jewish lad
as gift from Lobe
Hamburg, Germany
and escape from Riga
See also Saules camp (Geesthacht, Germany)
Himmler, Heinrich
Hitler, Adolf
Holocaust
historians of
Panok family as perishing in
recognition of Alex’s experiences in
and researching Alex’s story
survivors of
See also Holocaust center
Holocaust center (Melbourne, Australia)
Alex’s reactions to visit to
Alex’s return visit to
Alice and Mark’s conversation about Alex at
Alice as volunteer at
and verification of Alex’s story
videotape of Alex’s interview at
Hotel Planeta and Casino (Minsk, Belarus)
Ilse (Mirdza’s daughter)
Impuls, Mrs. (Latvian caretaker)
Israeli intelligence
Jackal/Jekyll (German officer)
Japan
Mark’s trip to
Jews/Jewishness
and Alex as cover-up for soldiers
Alex as giving chocolates to
Alex as turning back on Jews
and Alex at Saules camp
Alex’s feelings about
Alex’s “killing” of
Alex’s realization that Latvian soldiers are hunting
and Alex’s views about Latvians
concealing of Alex’s
in concentration camps
Dzenis family’s knowledge about Alex’s
and escape from Riga
exterminations/massacres of
and Himmler’s visit to Minsk
Kulis’s knowledge about Alex’s
at Laima chocolate factory
and Latvian soldiers’ relationship with Alex
Latvian soldiers’ search for
Latvian soldiers’ views about
and Lobe as war criminal
on Mark’s Tokyo–Oxford plane trip
as partisans and Bolsheviks
resettlement of
and Smits
See also Holocaust; Holocaust center; Slonim massacre; specific people’s names
justice, Alex’s views about
Kalejs, Konrad
Katz, Anya
Katz, Volodya
King’s Arms (Oxford, England)
Koidanov (Belarus village)
Alex first tells Mark about
Alex’s escape from
Alex’s feelings about
and Alex’s nightmares/dreams
and Alex’s picture in SS uniform
and Alex’s recognition of Stolbtsi
and Alex’s secretiveness
discovery of
elderly women in
and Elli-Mark discussion
extermination/massacre in
eyewitness account of massacre in
Galperin house in
as key to Alex’s identity
Kurzems’ visit to
Lithuanian Second Brigade at
and Mark’s encounter at Bodleian Library
memorial to massacre in
October Street in
Panok connection with
preparations for Kurzems’ trip to
and Reizman letters/telegram
and research on Alex’s story
Solomon Galperin’s escape from
Solomon Galperin’s return to
and videotape of Alex at Holocaust center
See also apple tree
Kulis, Sergeant Jekabs (Latvian soldier)
Alex as rejoining unit with
Alex’s feelings/views about
and Alex’s nationality
and Alex’s shooting at Jewish lad
as caretaker for Alex
and escape from Riga
and finding of Alex in forest
gifts to Alex from
and hiding of Alex’s Jewishness
letter to Alex from
and massacres
and murder of Alex’s family
photographs of Alex and
research on
Riga visits of
with SS troops on Russian front
and Uncle’s first meeting with Alex
and Uncle’s knowledge of Alex’s background
in United States
and verification of Alex’s story
Kulis, Wilma
Kurzem, Alex
as abbreviation of Uldis Kurzemnieks
accusations against
adoption of
appearance of
birthday of
birthplace of
character/personality of
as “chocoholic,”
circumcision of
doubts about mental capabilities of
education of
frustrations about memories of
guilt/shame of
heal
th of
as learning Latvian language
lucky escape of
Mark’s image of
mental and emotional state of
money seen as gamble by
mysterious telephone calls to
“naming” of
nationality of
as orphan
and Patricia’s death
in physical danger
as prisoner of war
as propaganda tool
reaction to findings by
reliability of memory of
reluctance to remember by
reputation of
secretiveness/silence of
self-obliteration of
skepticism about story of
as storyteller
as survivor
threats against
verification of story by
Kurzem, Andrew
Alex as giving videotape to
and Alex as storyteller
and Alex’s case
Alex’s reluctance to tell story to
and Alex’s secretiveness
childhood of
and Mark’s visit to Australia
Kurzem, James
Kurzem, Krystal
Kurzem, Mark
Alex as telling story to
Alex’s relationship with
childhood of
legacy of
mysterious telephone calls to
Kurzem, Mark
reactions to Alex’s story by
surveillance of
Kurzem, Martin
and Alex as storyteller
Alex as telling story to
and Alex’s case
Alex’s reluctance to tell story to
and Alex’s secretiveness
childhood of
and Mark’s visit to Australia
Kurzem, Patricia
and Alex as Jew
and Alex as storyteller
Alex as telling story to
and Alex’s memories
and Alex’s mental state
and Alex’s nightmares/dreams
Alex’s promise to tell story to
and Alex’s reasons for not speaking
Alex’s relationship with
Alex’s reluctance to tell story to
and Alex’s secretiveness
and Alex’s trip to Oxford
and Alice
and break-in
at Café Scheherazade
Catholicism of
character/personality of
daily life of
and Daugavas-Alex meeting
death of
and family’s financial affairs
and finding Koidanov
health of
and Koidanov visit
and Latvia trip
Mark as urging Alex to tell story to
and Mark’s visits to Australia
and mysterious telephone calls
in physical danger
reactions to Alex’s story by
and Reizman letters/telegram
and Smits’s articles
and Solomon Galperin as Alex’s father
and threats against Alex
Kurzem family
financial affairs of
and reasons for Alex’s silence
See also specific family members
Kurzemnieks, Uldis (as Alex’s previous name). See also Kurzem, Alex