What About Women in the Holocaust?

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 What about Women in the Holocaust?

Requests for Information about Women, Gypsies, and Gays:
Experiences of the Holocaust that need to be Explored

Last month Judy Cohen, a survivor, wrote about including books which looked at a woman’s viewpoint of the Holocaust – what about women in the holocaust? Let us know if you are aware of any books we can include or refer to. Check out You Should Read This…Women and the Holocaust Bibliography to find books relating to her request.

Her letter was part of an overwhelming response to investigate the variety of people who were made victims in the Holocaust. The following shows the interest and need to know more about women, Gypsies, and Gays.

Thanks Judy, for sharing your own light.

 

What about Women in the Holocaust?

 

Thanks for noticing and answering my request. I cannot recall whether I mentioned the name of the only book I know about that deals with this important aspect of the Holocaust. “Different Voices” edited by Carol Rittner and John K. Roth. The contributing writers are: Charlotte Delbo/ Ida Fink/ Claudia Koonz/ Gitta Sereny/Isabella Leitner/ Sybil Milton/ Vera Laska and Joan Ringelheim.

Isabella Leitner has written a book of her own called: “Fragments of Isabella”. A slim, but for me the best book, on HOW IT FELT to be incarcerated in Auschwitz-Birkenau.  Since I had similar experiences I can attest to it’s validity. Isabella and her husband Irving A. wrote a sequel to it called: “From Auschwitz to Freedom.”

Charlotte Delbo also has written other books; one of them is Called “Auschwitz and After.”

Sybil Milton presently is a resident historian at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.

This is what Elie Wiesel had to say about this excellent book: “This moving and informative anthology helps us grasp for the first time what Jewish women endured, both as Jews and as women.” The book is about personal testimonies,reflections and interpretive essays. (Note: Charlotte Delbo was not Jewish.)

Certainly, should I come across with other books of the same ilk I shall write to you about it. I am glad though that you too shall send out a call in this direction. As a Jewish Woman Survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau/Bergen Belsen/slave labour in an airplane factory and a death march, I thank you for even trying.

Robert Kottke: Gypsies

I am very interested in the Holocaust because of fact that my maternal Grandfather’s family were victims of the Nazis. My Grandfather’s family were Romi, Gypsies, with the family name of Altenbach that lived both in Germany and in Denmark.I feel very strongly that not enough is said or known about the Gypsy victims and would like to know more.

Carrie Koza: What about the Gays?

I am very impressed with your sight. I believe it is very important for people to understand what has happened in the past in order to delete it from the future, especially hate. Unfortunately, I did not see anything having to do with homophobia and homosexuals during the Holocaust. I think this is a very important part of history and not too many people even realize that Gays were part of the Holocaust as well as Jews. (This is of course, not to undermine what the Jews have gone through and all of their years of persecution. I would never discredit their plight) I feel that Gays have been ignored from history and hated for many, many years.


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