Jewish childhood in Kraków : a microhistory of the Holocaust /

This book fills an existing gap in Holocaust scholarship on the experiences of Jewish children in a particular locality. To compensate for the scarcity and problematic character of children's testimonies, Sliwa, a historian at the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, re-creates the development of Nazi policies in Kraków, based on primary and secondary sources in several languages. Germans determined the role of Kraków's Jews through productivity, which made children valueless--they quickly learned that it was best for them to disappear. Reading testimonial sources critically, Sliwa reconstitutes children's experiences and impressions from the onset of German occupation through the development of the extermination program, finishing with a brief account of the postwar revival of Kraków as the symbol of historic Polish Jewry. She provides valuable context by depicting rescue efforts by welfare organizations and social activists who tried to save the children from murderous Nazi intentions. Of special scholarly import is the chapter on children's experiences in the Płaszów camp, which fulfilled multiple roles during the occupation--e.g., as a transit camp, labor camp, and killing center. Moving and solidly based on historical sources, this integrated micro-history is an important contribution to understanding the Holocaust. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals. --Monika Rice, Lafayette College