Publication Announcement – ‘Two Roses: A Story of Deception and Determination in Nazi Germany’ – February 2026  

Excerpt from Two Roses (New Jewish Press, 2026) by Miriam Libicki and Rose Lipszyc.

We are delighted to announce that our second SCVN graphic novel, Two Roses: A Story of Deception and Determination in Nazi Germany,  will be published on February 26, 2026 by the University of Toronto Press. Two Roses is a collaboration between Holocaust survivor Rose Lipszyc and graphic artist Miriam Libicki, sharing the experiences of Rose and her aunt,  Róza Finkielsztajn, during and after WWII in Poland. 

Born in 1929, Rose Lipszyc was only ten years old when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. In October 1942, as her family was being deported from their home in Osmolice, Rose managed to escape when her mother pushed her out of the line of deportees. Barely a teenager, Rose fled with the help of strangers and friends by using a false identity. She was then reunited with her aunt in Lublin, and the pair went on to work as forced labourers in a factory in Bremen, Germany, by impersonating Polish gentile sisters. Two Roses depicts how these two women came together and survived the war under vulnerable aliases, portraying the incredible depth of their connection and perseverance. Rose settled in Toronto, and in 2021, she was awarded the Order of Canada for her work in Holocaust education.  

Supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Two Roses is a highly collaborative book project created over the course of two years. Miriam’s work was supported by SCVN’s Research Cluster Co-Leads Drs. Charlotte Schallié and Mark Celinscak, with research assistant Jessica Botts, who provided research materials and interview support. SCVN’s Project Manager Jennifer Sauter coordinated the travel for Miriam to visit with Rose in Toronto for in-person interviews and filming the documentary. Our project partner, the Azrieli Foundation, supported interview facilitation by having a community liaison present with Rose during the interviews. We are grateful for the time and support of Devora Levine, Arielle Burger, and Carson Phillips. This extended graphic narrative was also made possible by additional funding from the Government of Canada’s National Holocaust Remembrance Program.  

A companion documentary film, “A Rose in Plain Sight,” directed by filmmaker Chorong Kim, is available to watch on our SCVN YouTube Channel.

Two Roses disrupts the narratives of victimization that often undermine the stories of Holocaust survivors. Instead of painting victims of human rights abuse as mere case studies, this book illuminates a crucial part of our shared history with radical care, honesty, and creativity. 

For more information about Rose and Miriam’s collaboration, please visit their Research Cluster page here: https://visualnarratives.org/research-clusters/holocaust/holocaust-two-roses/

SCVN sincerely thanks all contributors for their hard work and dedication to bring Rose’s story to life.