We Were the Lucky Ones

“Months later, in a different world, Nechuma will look back on this evening, the last Passover when they were nearly all together, and wish with every cell of her body that she could relive it.” 

This Passover celebration is the last time the Kurc family, except for Addy, are together, for the duration of the war. Nechuma later recognizes this and she longs for that night and what it represents: home, family, safety, and happiness. The Passover Seder is a key motif that frames the narrative.

“Before, she would have called herself a mother, a wife, an accomplished pianist. But now she is nothing more than that, simply, Jude

Mila is shocked that her identity as an individual has been stripped from her. Christian Poles view her only as a Jew, which has come to mean something inferior and unsavory. 

“He folds his handkerchief back into his pocket. Home. Family. Nothing is more important. He knows that now.” 

Now that he is prohibited from traveling back to his family, Addy feels the pain of separation. Previously, if he received a job offer in New York, he would have jumped at the opportunity. With the onset of anti-Semitic destruction in Europe, all Addy wants is to reunite with his family. His handkerchief, which his mother sewed for him, represents a tangible connection to what matters most to him now: family.