Description
Book SynopsisKingdom of Night tells the stories of Canadians in their own voices during the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
Trade Review“Celinscak compiles stark and moving personal accounts by Canadians engaged in the liberation of one of the most notorious sites in Hitler’s camp system... This book fills a gap in the history of the atrocities and its effect on those who saw it first-hand.” *
Canadian Jewish Literary Awards *
“In Kingdom of Night, Celinscak powerfully illustrates through their own words the experiences of these Canadian military and relief personnel. The result is a collection of witness testimonies which will both appeal to a general reader and influence future research into Belsen’s liberation and relief... [it is] an essential book.” -- Robert Thompson, University College London *
Holocaust Studies: A Journal of Culture and History *
“One of the many strengths of Celinscak’s work is his ability to chart change over time in the camp…. This volume is clearly the product of deep and sustained research, and the result gives scholars and students access to another range of English language sources dealing with the war’s end.” -- Lisa M. Todd, University of New Brunswick *
The Canadian Historical Review *
"This book offers a lively description of the efforts, failures and support of the many Canadians involved [at Belsen], while also bearing witness to a great humanitarian tragedy. Both the experiences of the survivors and the actions of Canadian soldiers are described here in a humane and thoughtful way. This book sheds light on an important period of Canadian history that is largely forgotten, while adding valuable perspective to Holocaust studies." *
Vine Awards Jury *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Foreword by Joseph Podemski Preface Acknowledgments Bergen-Belsen: A Timeline Part One: Historical Background Introduction: Canada, the Holocaust, and the Liberation of Bergen-Belsen Reading Testimony Part Two: Testimony 1. Canadians Arrive at Bergen-Belsen Ronald Ford Anderson Mervin Mirsky Alan Rose Maurice Victor Leo Heaps 2. Documenting the Horror Camp Ron Laidlaw Fred Hopkinson Al Calder Alex Colville Donald K. Anderson Aba Bayefsky Henry S. Abramson 3. Relief Measures John Proskie Matthew Nesbitt Saul Stein Lyle M. Creelman John W. Thompson Elsie May Deeks John F. McCreary James Ernest Thompson 4. Eyewitness Testimony Larry D. Mann Leo Velleman Allan Ironside King Whyte Carl Reinke Frank Snowsell Gordon Panchuk 5. Displaced Persons Camp Stanley H. Winfield Ted Aplin Bernard Yale Edgar Jamieson 6. Religious Observation Ross Ketchen Cameron Shalome Michael Gelber Samuel Cass Abraham Brenner Notes Bibliography Index
