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Work Does Not Set You Free: The forced Labor of Jewish Children under Nazi regime In the Ghettos During the Holocaust
“Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Sets You Free). These were the words displayed on the gates of the Nazi concentration camps, as part of the elaborate system of deceptive propaganda aimed at the Jews. In fact, work was far from freeing – it merely postponed death. The Germans viewed the Jews as unproductive parasites in their midst, and with their rise to power, they declared certain sectors of the Jewish people as worthless and thus anyone over the age of 55 or under the age of 12; sick people and invalids; homosexuals; communists. Many efforts were made to save those Jewish children who were younger than twelve, and their parents went to extreme measures to keep them safe – disguising them to appear older, using personal connections to smuggle them to safety, faking their ages and offering goods – anything to allow them to survive. Much has been told about the working adult Jewish population, but little has been revealed of the forced labor imposed on children. One of the most prominent examples is Lodz Ghetto, which held about 100 workshops where at its peak, an estimated 100,000 Jews worked under forced labor, including 13,000 children. “Work Does Not Set You Free” tells the story of twenty-five young heroes who were forced to work in the ghettos’ workshops, manufacturing products for the German military, and the German civilian market during World War II, and survived the inferno to recount the stories of many others who did not make it out alive
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 25, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 2, 2021
An in depth study of the Holocaust work camps
Israeli author Gadi Kfir was born to Polish immigrants in Israel after WW II and offers his first book to be available in English addressing the research he has performed concerning the Nazi work camps in Sosowiec Ghetto in southern Poland. The book has been translated into English by Ziona Sasson. The many photographs that enhance the book are the work of Mendel Grossman – ‘The Ghetto Photographer.’
Few phrases have as terrifying an impact as that German phrase “Arbeit Macht Frei’ – once again startling and threatening as we observed the phrase on the Camp Auschwitz shirts worn by the mobs of terrorists seen at the January 6 Capitol insurrection. In a very timely book Kfir discusses the economic conditions in Poland between WW I and WW II, exploring the working conditions among the Polish Jews, setting the scene for the inexorable changes impacting the Nazi rise and the concentration camps and work camps of the Holocaust. The German phrase translates to ‘Work makes Free’ – and the cruelty of that antithetical meaning is the explanation this interesting book.
As the author moves out of the explanation of work forces in Europe, his writing becomes more pungent: “As early as the first stage of German occupation, the Nazis applied their abhorrent methods to the population of the city of Lodz. “Confusion, humiliation, murderous beatings, cynical deception, and providing a glimmer of hope in order to then humiliate you, shock you, eradicate you, trample you, to leash the dogs on you and turn you into a hunted animal…” The desire to use the Jews as a work force stood in direct conflict with the unequivocal demand by Hitler and his entourage to annihilate the Jews so that Germany, in particular, and Europe, in general, will become Judenrein i.e. Free of Jews, as per their laws of racism.’
This book sheds light on yet another aspect of the Holocaust – the use and abuse of child labor in the ghettos and work camps – and the manner in whish the author share his intensive research into the facts and situations and abuses of that period is revealing. There is always more need to document the horrors of the Holocaust, and this book is a strong contribution to the understanding of the multifaceted aspects of how Jewish lives were impacted.
Israeli author Gadi Kfir was born to Polish immigrants in Israel after WW II and offers his first book to be available in English addressing the research he has performed concerning the Nazi work camps in Sosowiec Ghetto in southern Poland. The book has been translated into English by Ziona Sasson. The many photographs that enhance the book are the work of Mendel Grossman – ‘The Ghetto Photographer.’
Few phrases have as terrifying an impact as that German phrase “Arbeit Macht Frei’ – once again startling and threatening as we observed the phrase on the Camp Auschwitz shirts worn by the mobs of terrorists seen at the January 6 Capitol insurrection. In a very timely book Kfir discusses the economic conditions in Poland between WW I and WW II, exploring the working conditions among the Polish Jews, setting the scene for the inexorable changes impacting the Nazi rise and the concentration camps and work camps of the Holocaust. The German phrase translates to ‘Work makes Free’ – and the cruelty of that antithetical meaning is the explanation this interesting book.
As the author moves out of the explanation of work forces in Europe, his writing becomes more pungent: “As early as the first stage of German occupation, the Nazis applied their abhorrent methods to the population of the city of Lodz. “Confusion, humiliation, murderous beatings, cynical deception, and providing a glimmer of hope in order to then humiliate you, shock you, eradicate you, trample you, to leash the dogs on you and turn you into a hunted animal…” The desire to use the Jews as a work force stood in direct conflict with the unequivocal demand by Hitler and his entourage to annihilate the Jews so that Germany, in particular, and Europe, in general, will become Judenrein i.e. Free of Jews, as per their laws of racism.’
This book sheds light on yet another aspect of the Holocaust – the use and abuse of child labor in the ghettos and work camps – and the manner in whish the author share his intensive research into the facts and situations and abuses of that period is revealing. There is always more need to document the horrors of the Holocaust, and this book is a strong contribution to the understanding of the multifaceted aspects of how Jewish lives were impacted.
July 30, 2021
Grueling
Life in the Lodz ghetto was, especially for children, grueling. It's unfortunate that no matter how hard one worked, it was no guarantee that one's life would be spared.
Life in the Lodz ghetto was, especially for children, grueling. It's unfortunate that no matter how hard one worked, it was no guarantee that one's life would be spared.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews