Warsaw, Lodz, Vilna: The Holocaust Ghettos

Altman, Linda Jacobs. Warsaw, Lodz, Vilna: The Holocaust Ghettos. 2015. 96p. ISBN 978-0-7660-6207-8. Available at 940.53 ALT on the library shelves.

The goal of eliminating the Jews was never far from Hitler’s mind, and even as the tanks rolled through Eastern Europe the Nazis created ghettos to confine Jews in the country they conquered. At first, most Jews believed this was an era similar to pogroms of the past, and that they would be mistreated but in the end would remain. No one could envision the evil and diabolical plans the Nazis were implementing. But as conditions got worse, Jews decided to fight back.

This book describes the history of the eastern ghettos, from their beginnings in late 1939 to their ultimate destruction in 1943-44. Daily life was harsh and cruel, with the Nazi lie that life would get better for the Jews so big that most wanted to believe it. Ghetto governance and collaboration is explored, but so is armed resistance and legacies of courage.

The actuality of the Holocaust remains, and the information contained in this book makes a great companion to Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World’s Most Notorious Nazi and An Illustrated History of the Gestapo.

Other books in this series include Anti-Semitism and the "Final Solution." and Warsaw, Lodz, Vilna: The Holocaust Ghettos.