Daily Life During the Holocaust (Daily Life Through History Series)

The Holocaust was a complex and horrifying experience that affected millions of people in Europe. The nearly 13 years of Nazi rule had an enormous influence on the day-to-day existence of people in every walk of life: Jews and non-Jews, perpetrators and rescuers, collaborators and resisters, officials and ordinary citizens. Nearly all of Europe's Jews were victims. Students, teachers, and interested readers can explore how the daily lives of these victims, despite their heroic efforts to survive and maintain a normal existence, became increasingly untenable and for most eventually ended in death. Along with the often harrowing details of life under the Nazis, emphasis is placed on uplifting accounts of resistance and the role of rescuers.Accounts from survivors whose testimonies have never been published provide powerful insight into the devastating effects Nazi rule had on people's lives. In addition to the Jews, significant numbers of others - Gypsies, clergy who protested or protected victims, Communists, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, the mentally ill and handicapped, and others - were persecuted, and their stories are also noted. Soumerai, a survivor herself, interweaves her painful recollections throughout the text to provide a unique perspective on the historical events described. Readers will learn how aspects of everyday living became symbols of resistance for many of the victims: educating their children, practicing their religion, eating and drinking, and maintaining personal hygiene took on new significance. More than 30 photographs further illuminate these experiences.

About the Author

EVE NUSSBAUM SOUMERAI is an author, lecturer, teacher and Holocaust survivor. She works as a consultant for Trinity College, establishing mentors for the Trinity Boys and Girls club, and also serves as an equity issues consultant for the West Hartford school system. She is co-author, with Carol Schulz, of A Voice from the Holocaust (Greenwood 2003) and Human Rights: The Struggle for Freedom, Dignity, and Equality (1998). CAROL D. SCHULZ is English Department Chair for the Canton Public Schools in Canton, CT. She has taught history and English for 34 years and has written and presented workshops extensively on human rights issues. She is co-author, with Eve Soumerai, of A Voice from the Holocaust (Greenwood 2003) and Human Rights: The Struggle for Freedom, Dignity, and Equality (1998). She is also the editor of Greenwood Press's Twentieth Century Voices in Conflict series.