Synopses & Reviews
The remarkable story of Holocaust survivors in the American zone of occupied Germany.
Review
"Zeev W. Mankowitz's study of the She'erith Hapleitah ia a major contribution to our understanding of the survivors during the immediate years after liberation. Based on exhaustive archival research, this work places the community of survivors at the center, exploring the "inner life" of its members. Focusing on the East European Jews in the DP camps of the American zone in Germany, Mankowitz shows how the survivors themselves chose a future of renewal by "voting for Palestine with their feet," and by seeing reaffirmation of life as a lesson of the Holocaust, something Yishuv and diaspora would not discover until decades later. With this study Mankowitz has forever banished the traditional picture of the survivors as a traumatized and manipulated group, replacing it with an accurate account of how the She'erith Hapleitah helped to create the state of Israel and contributed to the victory of Zionism in the diaspora." Henry Friedlander"In this highly detailed and important contribution to postwar Jewish history, Mankowitz details the extraordinarily resilient spirit of the She'erith Hapleitah.... a sensitive and persuasive assessment... Highly recommended." Choice"A compelling achievement that will enrich immeasurably our comprehension of the Holocaust and its aftermath. It is vital for understanding not only the Holocaust, but also postwar Europe--as the DP phenomenon was far from short-lived--and the complex relationship between Europe, Palestine, and modern Israel." H-GERMAN"This one-person effort, demonstrably a life-long work, brings the she-erit hapeleitah era into the scholarly universe inabited by the Holocaust itself on one side and the establishment of the state in the wake of the catastrophe on the other. [Mankowitz] defines it for Jewish historical consciousness and sets the standard for measuring future research." Shofar, Gershon Greenberg"...an extraordinary account..." Paper Clips
Synopsis
Zeev W. Mankowitz tells the remarkable story of the 250,000 survivors of the Holocaust who converged on the American Zone of Occupied Germany from 1945 to 1948. The survivors were ordinary people who had lived through experiences that beggar description. Despite the fact that they had often lost everything and everyone, they got on with their lives and worked for a better future. Using largely inaccessible archival material and with the help of illuminating illustrations, Mankowitz gives a moving and sensitive account of this special community of Holocaust survivors.
Table of Contents
Introduction; 1. The occupation of Germany and the survivors: an overview; 2. The formation of Sheâerith Hapleitah: November 1944 July 1945; 3. Sheâerith Hapleitah enters the international arena: July October 1945; 4. Hopes of Zion: September 1945 January 1946; 5. In search of a new politics: unity versus division; 6. The Central Committee of the Liberated Jews in Bavaria; 7. The politics of education; 8. Two voices from Landsberg: Rudolf Valsonok and Samuel Gringauz; 9. Destruction and remembrance; 10. Surviviors confront Germany; 11. Sheâerith Hapleitah towards 1947; Concluding remarks.