Palmisano Stephen Palmisano

The Secret List Palmisano Stephen Palmisano

Jacob and Rebecca Silver are thrilled when their only daughter Sara gives birth to Jonathan on November 26, 1936, in Vienna, Austria. He is their first and only grandson. These Jewish grandparents expected to dote on the little boy, but Hitler and his agenda disrupted that.

As the Nazi soldiers take over Austria, Jacob, Rebecca, Sara, and her husband, Ari, face some difficult and life-changing decisions. They know they must flee Vienna, but it is too late to flee to the United States. As a plan unfolds, the families decide it is best to hide the one-year-old Jonathan in a nearby Catholic orphanage.

Sara and Ari plan to escape Austria through the mountainside to Switzerland. Jacob and Rebecca become Hans and Greta as they hide in the orphanage until they can successfully be transferred to a refugee camp. Just before they leave the orphanage, Sister Lucille entrusts Jacob with a secret list containing the names, ages, and birthdates of the eight Jewish children hidden at the orphanage. To ensure the children's safety, he must protect the list at any cost. The family prays they will be able to reclaim Jonathan when the war ends.