Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Harvey, David

Keywords

Holocaust, Jewish Women, Judaism, Gender, Gender Roles

Area of Concentration

History

Abstract

Jewish women's experiences during the Holocaust have been largely ignored in favor of a predominantly male narrative. Though scholars have disagreed over the benefits of studying gendered Holocaust history, more female oral testimonies have been recorded, revealing the unique experiences that each gender lived through. Women's particular struggles have been the most invisible throughout this area of study. By studying their behavior, historians can add to a greater sense of diversity within Holocaust experiences that allows for more insight to be drawn about life in the ghettos and the camps. This thesis looks at unique patterns of behavior that emerged among women in times of crisis. The first chapter examines the background from which Jewish women were raised, revealing tendencies toward group-based, female communities in both rural areas in Eastern Europe and in urban regions in Central and Western Europe. The second chapter looks at women's behavior in the ghettos, taking into account various factors such as family obligations and community. The final chapter surveys more examples of female group-forming as it occurred in Nazi concentration camps. This thesis is a brief but significant contribution to the underrepresented field of women in Holocaust history.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida Libraries, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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