Hana's Suitcase

One of the central figures in Hana’s Suitcase, Fumiko Ishioka is the director of the Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center. Described and pictured as a “slender young woman with long black hair” (5), Fumiko is the driving force behind the discovery of Hana Brady’s story. Throughout the text, Fumiko’s tenacity creates the circumstances for Hana’s story to be told. Fumiko is also characterized as very centered on the needs and interests of children and engages many young Japanese youth in her project to learn more about Hana.

Until the late 20th century, Japan had done little to educate youth about the Holocaust, so Fumiko’s work came at an important time. Levine describes how Fumiko learned about World War II and the persecution of Jewish people. Not only does Fumiko spend countless hours crafting exhibitions for the Tokyo Holocaust Education Research Center, but she also travels to other countries to attend conferences and learning experiences. Her passion for learning about past injustices frames her choice to investigate what happened to Hana.

Of all of her positive traits, as described by Levine, perhaps Fumiko’s most important quality is her empathetic stance toward children who are excited to work with her. Fumiko’s thoughtfulness about what children might need to see, feel, and hear to connect with history helps her find the right objects, photos, and experiences to help the children at the center learn about Hana and the Holocaust. Additionally, Levine paints Fumiko as a person inspired by the young people she works with; most of the decisions Fumiko makes are directly related to the excitement of the youth at the center.

The titular character of Hana’s Suitcase, Hana Brady is a young and “average” child growing up in 1930s Nove Mesto, Czechoslovakia (9). Her childhood is described in detail, including her experiences playing games and helping out in her family’s store. Photographs throughout the novel show Hana doing some of her favorite activities, like skating and dancing. Yet, as the title implies, what is most interesting about Hana, in terms of the text, is her suitcase, discovered decades later as an artifact from the Holocaust. Readers thus learn about Hana as Fumiko Ishioka and the children at the Tokyo Holocaust museum uncover more information.

Hana’s life is irrevocably changed when Nazis invade Czechoslovakia; shortly after, both of her parents are arrested in turn, and Hana is left with her brother. The events that unfold after this are a slow descent into the horrors of the Holocaust: Hana and her brother are separated at the notorious ghetto, Theresienstadt. Hana finds comfort in a friend, Ella, and in drawing pictures, which are among the special artifacts that Fumiko eventually rediscovers. After two years, Hana and George are separately transferred to Auschwitz, where Hana dies.

Levine’s characterization of Hana’s innocence and childlike wonder is an important contrast to her eventual experiences of oppression and, toward the conclusion, her murder at the hands of the Nazis. Throughout the novel, Levine juxtaposes Hana’s terrifying experiences with photos of her as a young child, helping readers empathize with the traumatic circumstances of Hana’s adolescent years.