In 1944, as Nazi forces advanced through Italy, Giuseppe Pardo Roques—a brilliant but deeply troubled Jewish leader in Pisa—chose to remain in his city despite paralyzing phobias that had ironically kept him homebound for years. Silvano Arieti's "The Parnas" (1979) transforms this seemingly minor historical footnote into a profound meditation on mental illness, heroism, and the human dimensions of Holocaust tragedy. Through biographical analysis and psychological interpretation, Rabbi Harold Kushner examines how Arieti, serving as both psychiatrist and chronicler, illuminates the paradox of rational people perpetrating atrocities while a man haunted by neuroses and animal phobias demonstrates extraordinary moral courage. The review reveals how individual narratives like Pardo's—much like Anne Frank's diary—can pierce through the numbing statistics of Holocaust victims to restore their humanity. By interweaving Pardo's psychological complexity with his ultimate sacrifice, Arieti's overlooked masterwork offers vital insights for both Jewish readers and mental health professionals, demonstrating how preserving individual testimonies maintains the essential human element in historical catastrophe.