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Who Will Write Our History?
Emanuel Ringelblum, the Warsaw Ghetto, and the Oyneg Shabes Archive
Published by: Indiana University Press
568 Pages, 38 b&w photos, 1 maps
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In 1940, the historian Emanuel Ringelblum established a clandestine organization, code named Oyneg Shabes, in Nazi-occupied Warsaw to study and document all facets of Jewish life in wartime Poland and to compile an archive that would preserve this history for posterity. As the Final Solution unfolded, although decimated by murders and deportations, the group persevered in its work until the spring of 1943. Of its more than 60 members, only three survived. Ringelblum and his family perished in March 1944. But before he died, he managed to hide thousands of documents in milk cans and tin boxes. Searchers found two of these buried caches in 1946 and 1950.
Who Will Write Our History tells the gripping story of Ringelblum and his determination to use historical scholarship and the collection of documents to resist Nazi oppression.
Introduction
1. From 'Bichuch' to Warsaw
2. Borochov's Disciple
3. History for the People
4. Organizing the Community: Self Help and Relief
5. A Band of Comrades
6. Who Will Write Our History?
7. Traces of Life and Death: texts from the Archive
8. The Tidings of Job
9. A Historian's Final Mission
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Samuel Kassow deserves great credit for bringing the history of the Oyneg Shabes and several of its towering figures to the attention of a broader, international audience. Meticulously researched and consistently objective in its account, Who Will Write Our History? is an important scholarly achievement. ~World Socialist Web Site
This may well be the most important book about history that anyone will ever read. ~The New Republic
[A] highly readable, well-grounded study on a fascinating secret undertaking under the boot of National Socialist occupation in Poland. ~POLIN: Jrnl Pol-Jew Studies
Kassow provides a comprehensive overview and interpretation of the value of Ringelblum's determination to keep alive in memory the ordeal of his fellow Jews. 4/28/11 ~Forward.com
[T]he critical success of Kassow's book is perhaps best explained by the fact that it is far more than a straightforward presentation of the archives. It allows us to relive the daily lives of men and women who were brought together by one man's mad undertaking. ~booksandideas.net
This is a book that comes to us at enormous human cost. It deserves to be read and studied by us all. July 14, 2010 ~Palm Beach Jewish Journal
Kassow has made a major contribution to our understanding of the depth of dedication that librarians and archivists should share toward the preservation of their materials.2008 ~Matthew Z. Heintzelman, Libraries & Cultural Record Vol. 43
If there is one book that should be read about the Holocaust, it is Who Will Write Our History?November 13, 2008 ~Jack Fischel, New Jersey Jewish News
. . . Trinity College professor Kassow's work is well researched, written, and documented. . . . Recommended. ~Choice
Together, Emanuel Ringelblum and Samuel Kassow help us remember why history matters. Winter 2009 ~Slavic Review
In this book, Kassow adheres to Ringelblum's inclusive philosophy, painting an exceedingly comprehensive picture of Jewish life in Warsaw before and during the war.October 2008 ~Zachor
A stunning revelation of the enduring spirit of the decimated residents of the Warsaw Ghetto. ~Rita Kohn, NUVO Weekly
If there is any book that should be read this year (or any year) about the Holocaust it is Who Will Write Our History?Fall 2008 ~Jewish Book World
. . . one of the most important books I’ve ever read . . . Kassow has created a stunning and brilliant social history of Polish Jews . . . ~Bonny V. Fetterman, Reform Judaism
The query that gives the book its title is more than answered by the painful text of the book itself. The martyred historians achieved their purpose. It is they who wrote the history that Kassow has transformed into a compelling and significant narrative, a tribute to the courage and determination of the doomed archivists. May 2010 ~Hadassah Magazine
- Runner-up, 2007 National Jewish Book Award in HolocaustWinner, 2008 AAASS/Orbis Book Prize for Polish Studies
- Runner-up, 2007 National Jewish Book Award in HolocaustWinner, 2008 AAASS/Orbis Book Prize for Polish Studies
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