Süssen Is Now Free of Jews offers a close look at the legacy of a few Jewish families from Süssen―a village in the District of Göppingen; which is located in the state of Baden Württemberg in southern Germany. The author; Gilya Gerda Schmidt; looks at this rural region through the lens of two Jewish families―the Langs andthe Ottenheimers―who settled there in the early twentieth century. As a child; she shared with the Langs the same living space for just a few months. She remembers her mother’s telling her of the Jews who lived in Süssen until the Holocaust. More than thirty years later; in a used bookstore in Knoxville; Tennessee; the author accidentally found documentation verifying the Jewish presence in a book about the surviving Jews of Württemberg. In it; she found confirmation that there had been Jews living in Süssen until the Holocaust. For the first time; she had the proof she needed to look into the reality behind this lingering mystery. Here began her detective-like journey to find out what happened to the Jews of Süssen.A decade of research into local and regional archives ensued; and this very penetrating study is the result. In it; the author attempts to shed light on not just the original question of what happened to the two families during the Holocaust but also on a host of other questions: What was it like to be Jewish in rural southern Germany a century ago? What were the Jewish traditions of this region? What were the relations between Jews and Christians before the Holocaust? And where did those family members who were able to escape or who survived the concentration camps go when they left Süssen or Göppingen? Few witnesses came forward; yet the documents in the archives spoke volumes. This micro-history records the not-so-romantic journey of two Jewish families who lived in the Fils Valley. The study also addresses issues of being an American prisoner of war; of resuming life after the Holocaust; of the bureaucratic nightmare of requisitions; restitution; and reparations; and of life in America.This unique book will be of interest to a general readership and is an important book for scholars in German and Holocaust studies.
#5156986 in Books Rhoades Nancy L Bailey Lucy E 2009-07-07Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x 1.10 x 5.50l; 1.15 #File Name: 082141805X368 pagesWanted Correspondence Women s Letters to a Union Soldier
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Civil War Personals! (SWM seeks...)By Jim SchmidtA really interesting and unique book! The book is a collection of 150 letters written to soldier Edwin Lybarger (43rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry) from several different women who answered his "Wanted: Correspondence" personal advertisements placed in various newspapers.I received the book as a kind gift from author Jennifer Wilke; who is Lybarger's great-grandaughter! Jennifer is working on a novel based on her ancestor's Civil War experiences; and you can learn more about it at her website and blog; where you can also learn more about - and see photographs of - Edwin Lybarger.In addition to the letters; the book includes a well-written and interesting Introduction by Lucy E. Bailey; an assistant professor in the Women's Studies program at Oklahoma State University. She describes letter writing as important "war work" on the part of women during the war; and covers topics such as: the importance of letter-writing in the war; correspondence as "romantic work;" the importance of exchanging photographs between men and women during the war; women and education in the mid-19th century; letter writing as education in itself; and Ohio during the Civil War.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. amazingBy A CustomerAmazing book - very insightful. The writing is easy to read and flows nicely. Very engaging and smart. Incredible.
