The Yellow Star: The Persecution of the Jews in Europe, 1933–1945

by Gerhard Schoenberner, Michael Berenbaum (Foreword)

Originally published in 1960 in German as Der Gelbe Stern, this landmark book was one of the first comprehensive photographic accounts of the Holocaust. During the 1950s, researchers in Washington, D.C. and London pored over more than 1,500 tons of photographs and documents seized after World
War II. In 1960 Gerhard Schoenberner gathered some 200 photographs from the newly uncovered material, most of them taken by Nazis to chronicle their war against the Jews. Schoenberner named the book after the yellow badge that the Nazis forced the persecuted Jews to wear. With its comprehensive,
authoritative presentation of visual and textual evidence, much of which had not yet not been seen before, The Yellow Star shocked the German population and introduced the world to many haunting images. The book endures as one of the most important documentary accounts of the Holocaust, reprinted
in many German editions and published in eight languages.The photographs are accompanied by extracts from Nazi and German documents-laws, decrees, and other Reich memoranda, field reports from SS officers and concentration camp directors, newspaper editorials, and other writings. Schoenberner also
provides detailed captions to the photographs. Organized chronologically, the book follows the growing scope and terror of the Holocaust, from the first anti-Jewish laws and Kristallnacht to ghetto uprisings and the Final Solution, culminating in the liberation of the death death camps. Each
chapter has a narrative introduction by the author.While remaining true to the author's original concept, this new edition is a completely fresh presentation of the photographs and documents, with several enhancements. Schoenberner has added new photographs, replaced others, updated the captions
and commentary when necessary, and updated and expanded the bibliography. Even if anti-Semitism were not on the rise in today's world, The Yellow Star would still be an essential book. In photograph after photograph, page after page, the Shoah unfolds as inexorable horror-captured with resonance
that remains unequaled.Praise for The Yellow of the Books of the Century.-Frankfurter Allegemeine ZeitungSince the defeat of Nazism we have seen many books on this subject, yet there are few that could be compared to this one . . . An exceptional work.-Le MondeA must for any library, and
school, and household where concern and conscience are alive.-Die Welt

Genres: History, Holocaust, Nonfiction, World War II

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1960

Reviews

[Philippe · Rating 5 out of 5]

De gele ster is zowat het eerste boek over de holocaust. De stijl is wat oubollig, maar dat is irrelevant. De talloze foto's bezorgen je een stomp in de maag en kruipen onder je vel...
Ook de opstand in het getto van Warschau komt uitgebreid aan bod.
"In een andere hoek lag een kind van één jaar, het huilde en kreunde niet, waarschijnlijk was het uitgeput. De armpjes en beentjes waren verbrand. Nooit zal ik dat gezichtje vergeten, waarop onmenselijke pijn lag...Gezicht en armen van de moeder waren volkomen verbrand, ze kon het kind niet in haar armen nemen."

[Neal Hugh Hurwitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was there when Joe Mitchenfelder and Alexandra Fullerton and Mike got this published by Fordham U Press.
It is one of the first books on the Holocaust; the first I think by a non-Jew.
Very important for any library.
The more I know about the Holocaust the more incomprehensible it all seems--- BUT it happened! A blight on humanity.

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sobering, frightening, enlightening. This book is all these things and more.

[Laurie Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "The Yellow Star," one encounters evil through black and white photos and haunting words. If you want a glimpse into the horror and the tragedy that was the Holocaust, I would highly recommend this book. Although we will never know what it was actually like to live in ghettos and concentration camps, to be entrapped in a cattle car for days on end, to be marched to our deaths, or know the true meaning of hunger and fear, "The Yellow Star" offers readers a glance into the reality and the terror that was the Holocaust. The various chapters cover different stages of the Holocaust including the ghettos, concentration camps, death marches, resistance and liberation. Each chapter begins with an introduction on the subject of that chapter and the rest of the chapter includes documentation and photos. The documents used include speeches, diaries, and reports from the perpetrators of the Holocaust and even the victims themselves. Their contempt for the Jewish people is seen plainly in very shocking language. The photos themselves are very heartbreaking, shocking and horrifying. They are very graphic and impossible to forget. The photos moved me to tears. If you want to delve into the reality of the Holocaust, this is the book to use.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the first books about the holocaust that I read in my youth and I still own it to this day. It is a haunting reminder of the darkest time in Germany. To see the gruesome photos, knowing that it was part of my grandparents youth, made it a very sad and shocking read. Yet it is so very important to know about the cruelties of the past to never repeat them again.

[Cruzmr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It is really sad but it is the best book I have every read!!!!!!