The Gurs Haggadah: Passover in Perdition [Hardcover]

Morgernstern Naomi, Bella Gutterman (Author), Bella Gutterman (Author), Naomi Morgenstern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003

Reveals how the inmates of the Gurs Concentration Camp, in France, continued to live a religious and spiritual life despite the everyday hardships and terrors. Includes a facsimile of the hand written Haggadah used by the inmates to celebrate Passover, the Holiday of Freedom. A section is devoted to the life of the rabbi who helped the inmates survive the rigors of the camp.

1) This is the first book in English on the Gurs Concentration Camp in France 2) The Editors work for Yad Vashem, the world renown Holocaust Museum and publisher of Holocaust books and material. They themselves survived the Gurs Concentration Camp. 3) Photographs and illustrations of the Gurs Camp featured throughout. 4) Reproduction of the hand written Haggadah by the rabbi of Gurs who pieced the service together from memory by one of the community leaders and edited by the Rabbi of Gurs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 104 pages
• Publisher: Devora Publishing (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930143338
• ISBN-13: 978-1930143333
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,350,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enhanced with a profusion of historical photographs, June 7, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gurs Haggadah: Passover in Perdition (Hardcover)

In 1941, the Jewish prisoners held for deporation and eventual execution by the Nazis in the southwestern French Gurs Detention Camp decided to hold a Seder on Pasover (the Jewish "Holiday of Freedom") in order to assert their own inner sense of freedom from the terror of horrific oppression. Collaboratively compiled and edited by Bella Gutterman (Director of Publications for Yad Vashem - the oldest Holocaust Museum in the world), with the material assistance of Naomi Morgenstern, The Gurs Haggadah: Passover In Perdition recounts this remarkable event which served to reawaken the national pride which the Nazis and their Vichy allies had sought to obliterate. Enhanced with a profusion of historical photographs, and featuring a facsimile of the actual Haggaddah recreated from memory and used in the camp, The Gurs Haggadah is a welcome and seminally important contribution to the growing library of Holocaust Studies.

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb reading, December 11, 2011

By 

Curious - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gurs Haggadah: Passover in Perdition (Hardcover)

The history of the camp, a section comprising the Haggadah recreation and the overview of the post-camp experience of some survivors is a valuable contribution to the Annals of Jewish History. This is a clear reason why Yad Vashem has contributed to the publication of this work.
It is important for anybody interested in this aspect of modern Jewish History, perhaps those interested in this aspect of Modern French history.

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful memorial to the camp at Gurs, April 13, 2009

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Susan Marx (Orange, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Gurs Haggadah: Passover in Perdition (Hardcover)

This Haggadah brought to life the camp in which my grandfather died. Gurs is a camp that I was never really able to learn much about before I read this book.