Dialogues in Holocaust Studies and the Second World War

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This study delves into the intricate social and economic networks that this group navigated, highlighting the resilient yet informal connections between Jewish cattle traders and farmers, bonds so strong that not even relentless Nazi assaults could sever them.

Stefanie Fischer employs a blend of social history, economic history, and sociology to confront the entrenched stereotype of the dubious Jewish cattle dealer. By emphasizing trust and social ties over mere economic trends, Fischer reveals the numerous contradictions that plagued the expulsion of Jews from Germany.

This monograph scrutinizes the nuanced dynamics between Jews and non-Jews involved in economic and social exchanges. In doing so, Fischer reexamines prior perceptions of daily life under Nazi governance and uncovers innovative ways in which Jewish agency emerged as a pivotal force amid the exclusionary measures enacted in Hitler's Germany.

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Most studies on Ukrainian nationalism during the 20th century concentrate on the OUN and UPA and their military efforts for Ukraine’s independence. Ernest Gyidel’s book is distinct. It addresses a lesser-explored aspect of nationalism's history, specifically its public manifestation in the legal press during the German occupation in World War II. He examines *Krakivski Visti* (Cracow News)—the primary Ukrainian newspaper of the General Government—as a case study because of its unique position of being less affected by German censorship. Gyidel guides us through various nationalistic expressions, ranging from articles criticizing Poles, Jews, and Russians to writings that honor prominent Ukrainian authors, commemorate national sacrifices, and address the dangers of mixed marriages. He emphasizes that the narrative of Ukrainian nationalism was crafted not only by those wielding weapons but also by those using typewriters and printed words.

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In the 1940s, Spain experienced a devastating famine that claimed the lives of at least 200,000 people due to hunger and malnutrition-related illnesses. This book provides a political framework for understanding the famine, bringing together a diverse group of academics from Spain, the UK, the US, and Australia. It discusses various aspects, including the political roots of the famine, its physical and social effects, the survival methods adopted by Spaniards, the regime's unwillingness to accept international aid, the politics of cooking amid scarcity, and the legacy of the famine.

This volume challenges the ongoing silence and misrepresentation surrounding the famine. It reveals the harsh truth of how lives were lost in Spain because the Francoist authorities enforced a policy of food self-sufficiency (or autarky), which included price controls and restrictions on food transport and sales. The contributors outline the significant decline in food production that followed, the widespread hoarding that occurred, and the emergence of a vast and deeply unjust black market during a time when wages fell to 50% below their 1936 levels—factors that are explored in detail for the first time in this work.

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Between 1932 and 1933, millions of Ukrainians were subjected to enforced starvation.  This sorrowful famine, now referred to as the Holodomor, is recognized as one of the most atrocious events in the history of the Soviet Union and the broader narrative of the twentieth century.  The Holodomor is an essential chapter in both Ukrainian and Soviet history, yet its importance in the global historical context is not as well understood. 

Although much has been documented about the intentions behind the famine, its genocidal aspects, and its impacts within Ukraine, there is a notably smaller volume of research that examines how the Holodomor was influenced by and influenced global economic, political, and international dynamics during the 1930s. 

The famine was widely reported in the media across the globe and became a topic of discussion among governments and world leaders. It turned into a crisis that captured the attention of observers from every continent. This assembled volume is the first to explore the history of the Holodomor from a global viewpoint.

The chapters present various perspectives on famine through a multidisciplinary approach, enabling us to confront the global effects of mass starvation in Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 and to appreciate them on a scale that goes beyond the borders of Ukraine and the Soviet Union.

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This book examines the revival of Jewish communities in two post-war European cities – Wrocław (WOs-VOW), Breslau, which changed from Germany to Poland in 1945, and L'viv, which transitioned from Poland to the Soviet Union.

These revival efforts were supervised by two distinct Communist regimes. The book contrasts the similarities and differences in the policies of these two nations.

Regrettably, the attempts to restore a vibrant Jewish life were not successful in either case. This study clarifies why the efforts to build communities that identified as Jewish and were loyal to the Communist state did not succeed.

After analyzing the prewar history and the wartime destruction of Jews in German Breslau and Polish Lwów, the book explores the postwar regimes' attempts, with the assistance of Holocaust survivors, to recreate Jewish life. It reviews the history of these developing communities up to 1968 in Wrocław (WOK-VOW) and into the 1970s in L'viv.

The comparison is made in five interconnected contexts. These include the official policies towards Jews from the governments of the Polish People's Republic and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the local application of these central policies, the specific national frameworks of Jewish life in communist Poland and Soviet Ukraine, the influence of popular and official antisemitism on postwar Jewish communities in Wrocław (WOs-VOW), Breslau, and L'viv, and the consequences of the economic and social modernization of the Communist regimes for local Jewish communities.

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This memoir recounts the story of Alex and Mela Roslan, a typical yet brave Polish family, who assist Jewish brothers in fleeing the Warsaw Ghetto. They develop a strong relationship and safeguard them throughout the Holocaust, persevering together through the difficult post-Holocaust years in Europe—a region plagued by increasing antisemitism.

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This is the first book, at least within the Hungarian context, that narrates the experiences of a larger group of ordinary individuals during the Holocaust. There were approximately 20,000 building managers, or as we might refer to them using the French term, concierges (in the current US context, the closest equivalent might be a superintendent).

This book delves deeply into their wartime actions, placing them within the context of 1944, a year when Budapest faced tragedy following the Nazi German occupation in March, and subsequently the Arrow Cross takeover in October 1944.

To achieve this, the author clarifies that all these individuals came from rural areas: they were relatively impoverished, first-generation residents in Hungary's only metropolis, the sole true modern city.

Their establishment in the city was closely linked to the building owners who provided them with free accommodation—the concierge's lodge—but nothing beyond that, as they received no real salaries.

Rather than regular wages, they relied on tips and payments from tenants, a tradition that gained particular significance when concierges had to make difficult choices about which tenants to assist in their survival—they simply could not help everyone. On the contrary, many tenants remembered them as complicit helpers of the Nazis, enforcing anti-Jewish regulations on the residents of the apartment buildings, especially those in the ghetto.

Thus, in many respects, this is a distinctive narrative that readers would find valuable, as it sheds light on fundamental aspects of human nature.

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This memoir about the Holocaust shows how people can be good even when faced with terrible evil. It's a powerful story of bravery and kindness. This book -- The Courtyard -- reminds us that even in the darkest times, a small group can really make a difference.

In Nazi-occupied Paris, a Jewish family is kept safe by their working-class neighbors.

It's 1937, just before World War II starts, and young Bernard lives with his Polish-immigrant family in a working-class courtyard in Paris. There aren't many other Jews around, but the Parkiets feel welcomed and at home in this lively place filled with interesting characters. For Bernard, the courtyard is both a home and a playground; a magical spot where he sees his dad varnish furniture, gets into trouble with grumpy neighbors, and shares pain au chocolat with his best friend Titi.

When the Germans take over Paris, everything changes for Bernard. Just hours before the Nazis come to arrest the Parkiet family in July 1942, their neighbors come together to help them. The family hides in an empty warehouse, and the courtyard turns into a safe haven. With their lives turned upside down, it's up to nine-year-old Bernard to leave the courtyard every day to find food for his family. Even with the neighbors looking out for them, danger is everywhere – even in some parts of the courtyard itself.

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The obliteration of Trochenbrod, the sole Jewish town outside of Israel, stands as a largely neglected tragedy of the Holocaust. This book gathers a remarkable array of poems, essays, and letters penned by Yisrael Beider, a native of Trochenbrod and a descendant of a long line of rabbis that can be traced back to the "Maharal of Prague." Beider lost his life during the Holocaust, yet these writings endured, becoming rare artifacts that emerged from Trochenbrod. While Beider did publish some of his works in notable Hebrew and Yiddish publications, the majority of his writings remain largely unrecognized. This translation compiles the complete surviving collection to illuminate Beider's literary and historical contributions, as well as to offer a firsthand account of life in Trochenbrod and western Ukraine during the interwar period.

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This book--*Survival Under Dictatorships: Life and Death in Nazi and Communist Regimes*--presents a complex view of how people responded to government abuse of power during three horrific events in East-Central Europe's past.  These events unfolded over roughly a decade: first, the deportation and murder of Hungarian Jews in Nazi concentration camps; next, the brutal rule of the Arrow Cross in Budapest; and finally, the Stalinist terror that affected Hungary and its neighboring regions.  László Borhi examines survival to grasp how individuals interact with authority, aiming to understand how ordinary people dealt with the oppression and fear brought on by unchecked power.  Although the specific time and place were distinct, the Hungarian narratives offer us universal insights into the Holocaust, Nazism, and Stalinism. The author argues that the experiences of National Socialism and Stalinism are intertwined in many respects.  Both regimes sought to defend their visions of the future against social groups they considered threats, which they believed had to be eradicated for a flawless society. Moreover, the methods of National Socialism were carried over.  Even with Stalinism being imposed on them by an external force, some of the skills necessary for survival were learned from their previous horrific experiences.