From Emancipation to Catastrophe [Hardcover]

T. D. Kramer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 076181759X | ISBN-13: 978-0761817598 | Publication Date: August 28, 2000

From Emancipation to Catastrophe examines the history of Hungary's Jewish community between 1848-1945. Despite significant contributions to the development of the nation, and intense patriotism in times of national peril, Kramer finds that Jews remained perennial aliens in the land of Hungary. The final chapter chronicles and analyzes the infamous "Blood for Trucks" proposal. The author has utilized recently opened archives and also provides maps and diagrams which will make this thorough study of the Holocaust in Hungary of long-lasting value.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a rare compendium that chronicles the rise and fall of a national Jewry in a well-integrated volume. Written in a manner suitable for general readers and historians, it deserves the attention of those interested in modern Jewish history, antisemitism and the Holocaust.>>> (Professor Konrad Kwiet The Australian Jewish News )

T.D. Kramer's thorough research in various archives in Jerusalem, Budapest, London, New York, and Sydney, as well as in the private, not yet researched files of Arthur Stern and György Gergely, resulted in a book with important new information and details on the Hungarian Jewish Holocaust.>>> (Central European History )

T.D. Kramer offers a compelling re-assessment of Jewish responses to Hungarian antisemitism.>>>> (Howard Lupovitch Patterns Of Prejudice )

Kramer's study pays admirable attention to a complex general context and to the internal social and economic composition of Hungarian Jewry in the interwar period. (Choice )

This is a rare compendium that chronicles the rise and fall of a national Jewry in a well-integrated volume. Written in a manner suitable for general readers and historians, it deserves the attention of those interested in modern Jewish history, antisemitism and the Holocaust. (Professor Konrad Kwiet The Australian Jewish News )

T.D. Kramer's thorough research in various archives in Jerusalem, Budapest, London, New York, and Sydney, as well as in the private, not yet researched files of Arthur Stern and György Gergely, resulted in a book with important new information and details on the Hungarian Jewish Holocaust. (Central European History )

T.D. Kramer offers a compelling re-assessment of Jewish responses to Hungarian antisemitism. (Howard Lupovitch Patterns Of Prejudice )

About the Author

T.D. Kramer teaches in the Department of Semitic Studies, The University of Sydney, Australia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: University Press Of America (August 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076181759X
• ISBN-13: 978-0761817598
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,578,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars The "Jewish Question" and the Holocaust in Hungary, November 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: From Emancipation to Catastrophe (Hardcover)

From Emancipation to Catastrophe. The Rise and Holocaust Of Hungarian Jewry.

T. D. Kramer

From Emancipation to Catastrophe is a fine piece of historical research on the Holocaust in Hungary. Written in an admirably clear and readable style, Tom Kramer follows the chronology and places the processes of social integration and acculturation, antisemitism and persecution into their historical context, describing and analysing the various stages, events and key players. Of particular significance is the portrayal of Dr Gyorgy Gergely, a Jewish leader who played a vital yet largely unresearched role during the Holocaust.

The highlight of this comprehensive study is undoubtedly the final section in which the international "rescue matrix" is explored. Drawing on his own archival research and prior historiography, Dr Kramer formulates and brings together controversial explanations of both the Nazi strategies and Allied policies towards the rescue of Jews in 1944-45. His conclusions are convincing and they will set the tone for public debate and future research: "...Jews in Axis countries were caught in a classic lose-lose situation. We are left with the tragic paradox that, for the West, the prospect of successful negotiations negated the very possibility of negotiations. Quite simply, Europe's Jewish remnant remained bound between the relentless German hammer and the impassive Allied anvil."

Professor Konrad Kwiet

Emeritus Professor of German Studies Macquarie University

Deputy Director, Centre for Comparative Genocide Studies Macquarie University