Arrested in 1943 and deported to Auschwitz, Elsa survived because she had the 'opportunity' to join the women's orchestra. But Elsa kept her story a secret, even from her own family. Indeed, her son would only discover what had happened to his mother many years later, after gradually unearthing her unbelievable story following her premature death, without ever having revealed her secret to anyone. Jean-Jacques Felstein was determined to reconstruct Elsa's life in Birkenau, and would go in sear...
The Politics of Jewishness in Contemporary World Literature (New Horizons in Contemporary Writing)
by Dr. Isabelle Hesse
Reading a wide range of novels from post-war Germany to Israeli, Palestinian and postcolonial writers, The Politics of Jewishness in Contemporary World Literature is a comprehensive exploration of changing cultural perceptions of Jewishness in contemporary writing. Examining how representations of Jewishness in contemporary fiction have wrestled with such topics as the Holocaust, Israeli-Palestinian relations and Jewish diaspora experiences, Isabelle Hesse demonstrates the 'colonial' turn taken...
'Every so often a book arrives that demands to be read. This is such a book. It should be compulsory reading for those who know little of one of humanity's greatest crimes and the awe-inspiring bravery of those like Tova Friedman who survived to tell their story. But also for those who think of the Holocaust as ancient history. It is not. It is an eternal reminder that evil needs only ignorance to flourish. That is the true value of this remarkable book' John Humphrys 'Tova Friedman's vividl...
As the Holocaust is memorialized worldwide through education programs and commemoration days, the common perception is that after survivors arrived and settled in their new homes they continued on a successful journey from rags to riches. While this story is comforting, a closer look at the experience of Holocaust survivors in North America shows it to be untrue. The arrival of tens of thousands of Jewish refugees was palpable in the streets of Montreal and their impact on the existing Jewish co...
Representing the Holocaust
Once in a while there comes along a story so powerful and so emotive that it makes you re-think your own values. This is the story of Nathan Shapow, a young Latvian, born in Riga, with nothing more on his mind than becoming a world-renowned boxer. However, the sound of jackboots marching across Europe and the systematic extermination of the Jews put paid to his boxing dreams. He was to fight a different sort of fight, one for survival. The prize? His life. Seeing his youth disappear in the squal...
An exploration of freedom by some of the world’s most celebrated poets, published for the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi camps The year 2015 marks the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps and the conclusion of the Second World War. But around the world, oppressed and imprisoned people are still longing for freedom and asking, “What does it mean to be free?” This collection of poems explores that question. In honor of this anniversary,...
Judith Weinberger was brought up in the 1930s in a comfortable family home by the side of the River Danube. Then, in 1944, everything changed with the coming of the Nazis. Judith's father told the family, 'Remember this. When the Germans offer you an easy or a difficult choice, always take the difficult one' . They were put on a train whose journey ended at Auschwitz. When they got out an officer told them they could either walk, or take a bus - the easy option - to their huts. Those who took...
On March 9, 1943, a series of freight trains waited at Bulgaria's railway stations to pick up thousands of Jews and carry them to Treblinka. Four hours before the departure, following a dramatic showdown, the order was cancelled. Another attempt on May 24 failed as well. Many pro-fascist politicians, the heads of the Bulgarian church, a beautiful young heroine, the elite and the grassroots of the Bulgarian society, all led by King Boris III, joined in an effort to thwart the deportation of the J...
The author describes his twenty month ordeal in the Nazi death camp.
How Young Holocaust Survivors Rebuilt Their Lives (Studies in Antisemitism)
by Francoise S Ouzan
Drawing on testimonies, memoirs, and personal interviews of Holocaust survivors, Francoise S. Ouzan reveals how the experience of Nazi persecution impacted their personal reconstruction, rehabilitation, and reintegration into a free society. She sheds light on the life trajectories of various groups of Jews, including displaced persons, partisan fighters, hidden children, and refugees from Nazism. Ouzan shows that personal success is not only a unifying factor among these survivors but is part o...
Shedding Light on the Darkness (Modern German Studies)
Increasingly, German Studies programs include courses on the Holocaust, but suitable course materials are often difficult to find. Teachers in higher education will therefore very much welcome this volume that examines and reflects both the practical and theoretical aspects of teaching about the Holocaust. Though designed primarily by and for North American Germanists and German Studies specialists, this book will prove no less useful for teachers in other countries and associated disciplines....