Description
Book SynopsisFew Polish Holocaust survivors went home after liberation. Lukasz Krzyzanowski recounts the story of a group who did—the returnees of Radom. Bureaucrats tried to hold back their property and possessions to prop up the ruined state. And the returnees faced pogroms and even gangs of fellow Jews. Against it all, they struggled to rebuild their lives.
Trade ReviewThey came back from the war, from the camps and from exile, only to face hostility, indifference, and loss. Yet some Polish Jews did decide to return to their devastated hometowns. Lukasz Krzyzanowski describes what happened to a forgotten group of Holocaust survivors who tried to rebuild their lives in a place where they were now ‘ghost citizens,’ alive but often unwelcome. -- Anne Applebaum, author of
Iron CurtainFrom a brilliant young historian comes this insightful look at the immediate postwar period, a stellar example of what is known as the New School of Holocaust Studies in Poland. A must-read for anyone interested in the Holocaust and its aftermath. -- Jan T. Gross, author of
NeighborsUtilizing a rare collection of Jewish community documents that survived World War II by a fluke, Krzyzanowski recreates the world of lawlessness, isolation, and intimidation experienced by Jewish Holocaust survivors who returned to the Polish city of Radom after the war. He deals with a sensitive topic with balance, empathy, and courage, adopting an appropriate tone that eschews accusatory histrionics on the one hand and distorted apologetics on the other. -- Christopher R. Browning, author of
Remembering SurvivalThis compelling book takes us inside the daily struggles of Jews returning home in the aftermath of the Holocaust. Krzyzanowski shows that surviving was not only about making it through the camps but also dealing with the fear, loneliness, and violence of the postwar world. -- Tim Cole, author of
Holocaust LandscapesA haunting microhistory of a time period, a community, and a place…An important book that will pave the way for further studies into the issues raised in
Ghost Citizens and that is bound to inspire fresh perspectives on the return home after the Holocaust. -- Joanna Sliwa * H-Net Reviews *
Impeccably well-researched. -- J. P. O’Malley * Irish Independent *
A work of exceptional scholarship. * Choice *
Superb, well-written, and thoroughly researched…beautifully translated…should appeal to both general readers and specialists. -- Samuel D. Kassow * Holocaust and Genocide Studies *
