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Children with a Star: Jewish Youth in Nazi Europe
“The little children had little parents in the [twins’] block [in Auschwitz]. For example, I was a little mama for twins, two girls named Evichka and Hanka…My sister was the mother for Hanka and I was the mother for Evichka…Evichka told me that she got a mother and a father, but that they had gone away on transport. The twins were four years old. I said to her, ‘I will be your mother.’ She said, ‘But you are only sixteen years old; it doesn’t matter?’ I said, ‘No, it doesn’t matter because it is more important that we are together and that we are not alone. You have a mother and I have a daughter.’” —Magda Magda Somogyi
Many books have been written about the experiences of Jews in Nazi Europe. None, however, has focused on the persecution of the most vulnerable members of the Jewish community—its children. This powerful and moving book by Deborah Dwork relates the history of these children for the first time.
The book is based on hundreds of oral histories conducted with survivors who were children in the Holocaust, in Europe and North America, an extraordinary range of primary documentation uncovered by the author (including diaries, letters, photographs and family albums), and archival records. Drawing on these sources, Dwork reveals the feelings, daily activities, and perceptions of Jewish children who lived and died in the shadow of the Holocaust. She reconstructs and analyzes the many different experiences the children faced. In the early years of Nazi domination they lived at home, increasingly opposed by rising anti-Semitism. Later some went into hiding while others attempted to live openly on gentile papers. As time passed, increasing numbers were forced into transit camps, ghettos, and death and slave labor camps. Although nearly ninety percent of the Jewish children in Nazi Europe were murdered, we learn in this history not of their deaths but of the circumstances of their lives.
Children with a Star is a major new contribution to the history of Europe during the Nazi era. It explains from a different perspective how European society functioned during the wary years, how the German noose tightened, and how the Jewish victims and their gentile neighbors responded. It expands the definition of resistance by examining the history of the people—primarily women—who helped Jewish children during the war. By focusing on children, it strips away rationalizations that the victims of Nazism somehow “allowed or “deserved” their punishment. And by examining the experience of children and thereby laying bare how society functions at its most fundamental level, it not only provides a unique understanding of the Holocaust but a new theoretical approach to the study of history.
Many books have been written about the experiences of Jews in Nazi Europe. None, however, has focused on the persecution of the most vulnerable members of the Jewish community—its children. This powerful and moving book by Deborah Dwork relates the history of these children for the first time.
The book is based on hundreds of oral histories conducted with survivors who were children in the Holocaust, in Europe and North America, an extraordinary range of primary documentation uncovered by the author (including diaries, letters, photographs and family albums), and archival records. Drawing on these sources, Dwork reveals the feelings, daily activities, and perceptions of Jewish children who lived and died in the shadow of the Holocaust. She reconstructs and analyzes the many different experiences the children faced. In the early years of Nazi domination they lived at home, increasingly opposed by rising anti-Semitism. Later some went into hiding while others attempted to live openly on gentile papers. As time passed, increasing numbers were forced into transit camps, ghettos, and death and slave labor camps. Although nearly ninety percent of the Jewish children in Nazi Europe were murdered, we learn in this history not of their deaths but of the circumstances of their lives.
Children with a Star is a major new contribution to the history of Europe during the Nazi era. It explains from a different perspective how European society functioned during the wary years, how the German noose tightened, and how the Jewish victims and their gentile neighbors responded. It expands the definition of resistance by examining the history of the people—primarily women—who helped Jewish children during the war. By focusing on children, it strips away rationalizations that the victims of Nazism somehow “allowed or “deserved” their punishment. And by examining the experience of children and thereby laying bare how society functions at its most fundamental level, it not only provides a unique understanding of the Holocaust but a new theoretical approach to the study of history.
380 pages, Paperback
First published March 27, 1991
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About the author
Deborah Dwork
17 books20 followersA renowned historian of Holocaust, Dwork is the Rose Professor of Holocaust History and Director of the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies in the Department of History, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 3, 2021
I read this book several years ago--before I even knew about Goodreads. Today, when I went to my bookshelf looking for something else I saw it and the tears immediately came to my eyes, and I was moved to post about it. I had never heard of this book and had no intention of purchasing it and then it literally fell into my hands.
I was at a conference and I heard the author speak. I then won the book at one of those publisher's daily draws that are so common at academic conferences. At first, I was very glad that this happened because I later ran into the author in one of the lobbies and was able to ask her to autograph it. I ended up reading it in my hotel room during the conference. I did not expect "pleasure reading" but I was looking for a distraction. It was very distracting and difficult--because of its content. Despite the subject matter, I confess I did not expect it to be so difficult to read. I am now glad it "literally fell into my hands" because I believe I needed to read it. It was one of the many holocaust stories that are rarely told and one I had not heard about before.
The book's format is a collection of stories of Jewish children in Europe during Hitler's reign. All are touching and most are painful. Some make it impossible to continue reading and it is necessary to take a break. Some have touches of humour. Most show the resilience of children, and some show signs of the persistent bits of goodness in humanity during very inhumane times. The most important thing one is reminded of when reading this book is that there was no room for Jewish children in Hitler's realm.
I suppose it is required to say something about the literary style of a book and not rely solely on the content when writing a book review. It will suffice to say that it is well researched, and for a factual accounting of events, is surprisingly touching. The author is indeed gifted.
It is a book that I think all who concern themselves with justice issues would benefit from reading, and yet, I cannot recommend it easily. I know there are some who simply could not, and perhaps should not, read it.
I was at a conference and I heard the author speak. I then won the book at one of those publisher's daily draws that are so common at academic conferences. At first, I was very glad that this happened because I later ran into the author in one of the lobbies and was able to ask her to autograph it. I ended up reading it in my hotel room during the conference. I did not expect "pleasure reading" but I was looking for a distraction. It was very distracting and difficult--because of its content. Despite the subject matter, I confess I did not expect it to be so difficult to read. I am now glad it "literally fell into my hands" because I believe I needed to read it. It was one of the many holocaust stories that are rarely told and one I had not heard about before.
The book's format is a collection of stories of Jewish children in Europe during Hitler's reign. All are touching and most are painful. Some make it impossible to continue reading and it is necessary to take a break. Some have touches of humour. Most show the resilience of children, and some show signs of the persistent bits of goodness in humanity during very inhumane times. The most important thing one is reminded of when reading this book is that there was no room for Jewish children in Hitler's realm.
I suppose it is required to say something about the literary style of a book and not rely solely on the content when writing a book review. It will suffice to say that it is well researched, and for a factual accounting of events, is surprisingly touching. The author is indeed gifted.
It is a book that I think all who concern themselves with justice issues would benefit from reading, and yet, I cannot recommend it easily. I know there are some who simply could not, and perhaps should not, read it.
March 4, 2015
During my History study I wrote a essay about children in concentration camps during the World War II. This book was a great help for me then. It's a very moving book and it shows again how senseless war is.
November 24, 2023
Had I read this before October 7, 2023, I might have been able to find a clinical way to digest the history and move on. Because I read this after that date, this was a much harder read. That's not the author's fault, but sometimes timing really is everything. I simply didn't enjoy this as much as I might have when it was farther away; there's an immediacy to this these days that made it a hard read.
October 24, 2022
A moving book. Details many individual accounts and the happenings that shaped the times.
November 12, 2009
Not as well organized as it could be.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews