The Jewish Women of Ravensbruck Concentration Camp [Paperback]

Rochelle G. Saidel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2006

Located about fifty miles north of Berlin, Ravensbrück was the only major Nazi concentration camp for women.  During its six years of operation, there were a total of about 20,000 Jewish women in the camp.  Reclaiming the lost voices of the victims and the personal accounts of the survivors, here is the story of daily camp life with the women's thoughts about food, friendships, fear of sexual abuse, hygiene issues, slave labor, resistance, and, most importantly, staying alive.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Saidel's goal is to make visible a previously ignored aspect of women's Holocaust history. . . . In bringing to light the experiences of the women of Ravensbrück concentration camp, Saidel adds to our knowledge of Jewish survival in the genocidal conditions created by the Nazis."—Rochelle G. Ruthchild, Women's Review of Books

"Thanks to Rochelle Saidel's sensitive interviews and meticulous research, together with the many previously unpublished photographs and haunting drawings by the inmates, this book will increase public recognition of Ravensbrück's victims and survivors. With this, The Jewish Women of Ravensbrück Concentration Camp takes its honorable place in the growing genre of gender study of the Holocaust."—Eetta Prince-Gibson, Jerusalem Post

"This is a welcome addition to the Holocaust literature. . . . Readers interested in visual historical materials will appreciate the wide range of photographs and illustrations depicting life in this camp. I expect this book to attract a wide audience."—Nechama Tec, author of Resilience and Courage: Women, Men and the Holocaust

 "Rochelle Saidel's The Jewish Women of Ravensbrück Concentration Camp focuses on a portion of the Holocaust that has been submerged in the larger history of a camp associated primarily with political dissidents. This book is the outcome of over twenty years of indefatigable research in archives and libraries, and of interviews in several countries with survivors of Ravensbrück. Saidel presents their deeply moving stories against a carefully constructed context of the camp's history. . . . This book is clearly a labor of deep commitment and love."—Ruth Schwertfeger, author of Women of Theresienstadt and The Wee Wild One

About the Author

Rochelle Saidel is founder and executive director of the Remember the Women Institute in New York and senior scientific researcher at the Center for the Study of Women and Gender at the University of São Paulo. She is author of Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics behind New York City's Holocaust Museum and The Outraged Conscience: Seekers of Justice for Nazi War Criminals in America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 302 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; New edition edition (March 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299198642
• ISBN-13: 978-0299198640
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #717,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Rochelle G. Saidel is founder and executive director of Remember the Women Institute, New York City, which carries out and encourages research and cultural projects that integrate women into history. She is co-editor of Sexual Violence against Jewish Women during the Holocaust (Brandeis University/University Press of New England, 2010), as well as author of The Jewish Women of Ravensbrück Concentration Camp (University of Wisconsin Press, 2004, also in Hebrew and Portuguese). A forthcoming book about Mielec, Poland, based on research as a Fellow at the International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem, will be out in 2011(Gefen Publishers). She is also editor of Fiorello's Sister: Gemma La Guardia Gluck's Story (Syracuse University Press, 2007), and has produced and curated Holocaust-related museum exhibits. Her earlier books are Never Too Late to Remember: The Politics Behind New York City's Holocaust Museum and The Outraged Conscience: Seekers of Justice for Nazi War Criminals in America. Dr. Saidel is a senior researcher at the Center for the Study of Women and Gender, University of São Paulo, Brazil. Her PhD in Political Science is from The Graduate School and University Center, CUNY, New York City. She worked for nine years in the New York State Senate, with responsibilities including Holocaust education and planning for the Museum of Jewish Heritage. She has been writing and lecturing on the Holocaust for more than thirty years. For more information, see www.rememberwomen.org.