Limmud Toronto 2016

In the decades following the Shoah, Holocaust survivors throughout the world felt the need to perpetuate the memory of their destroyed communities through the publication of memorial books known as Yizkor Books. These books contain sections on the Jewish and general history of the city or town, as well as the story of how the Holocaust unfolded in the specific community. The chapters are a unique blend of formal history and personal reminiscences and memoirs. These books are often complemented with copious photographs as well as lists of names. Approximately 1,200 such books exist, forming a significant information source on the entire spectrum of Eastern European Jewish life. In this talk, I will present an overview of the contents and structure of these books, as well as several unique and unusual Shoah testimonies gleaned from their pages. Of course, I will bring along several examples of these books in their original as well as in translation.