Memorial Books of Eastern European Jewry: Essays on the History and Meanings of Yizker Volumes

Description

From the Russian civil wars through the Nazi years, the Jews of Eastern Europe were targets of violence during the first half of the twentieth century. During the Holocaust especially, entire communities were wiped out. In response, survivors sometimes compiled memorial books, or Yizker books, in an attempt to preserve historical, biographical, and cultural information about their shtetls. This multipart collection provides a concise history of the memorial books and their cultural contexts; eight analytical essays on or using Yizker books; key reviews, in some cases translated from the Yiddish, from the 1950s and later; and a bibliographic overview of secondary sources and collections. Cover Contents Introduction Part I: History 1. A History of Yizker Books 2. Israel as the Cradle of Yizker Books Part II: Landmark Essays 3. Landsmanshaftn Literature in the United States During the Past Ten Years 4. Review of Yizker Books—1953 5. Review of Yizker Books—1955 6. A Survey and Evaluation of Yizker Books 7. “Memorial Books” as a Source for Research into the History of Jewish Communities in Europe Part III: Studies of Yizker Books 8. Reception of Memorial Books in Poland 9. “To Hold Our Own Against Silence” 10. “Write This as a Memorial in the Book”—A Jewish Pattern for Memory 11. Blood Ties Part IV: Studies Using Yizker Books 12. Authenticating the Historical Fiction of Uri Orlev 13. Yizker Books and Photographic Form 14. The Others in Yizker Books 15. Klezmer Memories in Yizker Books Part V: Bibliography 16. A Survey of Reference Books 17. A Survey of Collections About the Contributors Index