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Ponary Diary, 1941-1943

A Bystander’s Account of a Mass Murder
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( 98 ratings, 12 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Ponary Diary, 1941-1943 is a harrowing account written by Kazimierz Sakowicz, who chronicled the horrific events he witnessed during the Nazi occupation near Vilnius. The diary provides a detailed, day-by-day observation of the atrocities committed at Ponary, where countless individuals were executed in one of the lesser-known but devastating massacres of the Holocaust. This personal document offers an unflinching look into the past, capturing the impact of war on both victim and witness.
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Format: Hardback
$19100

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might appreciate this book if you're interested in harrowing firsthand accounts of World War II and the Holocaust, providing a raw and poignant glimpse into the experiences of the Vilnius massacres. Through vivid diary entries, it offers an unfiltered, on-the-ground perspective of survival and loss, making it a powerful read for those drawn to memoirs of historical significance.

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A chilling wartime diary of the destruction of the Lithuanian/Polish Jews, recorded by a non-Jew

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

About sixty thousand Jews from Wilno (Vilnius), present-day Lithuania, and surrounding townships were murdered by the Nazis and their Lithuanian collaborators in huge pits on the outskirts of Ponary. Over a period of several years, Kazimierz Sakowicz, a Polish journalist who lived in the village of Ponary, was an eyewitness to the murder of these Jews as well as to the murders of thousands of non-Jews on an almost daily basis.

He chronicled these events in a diary that he kept at great personal risk. Written as a simple account of what Sakowicz witnessed, the diary is devoid of personal involvement or identification with the victims. It is thus a unique document - testimony from a bystander, an 'objective' observer without an emotional or a political agenda, to the extermination of the Jews of the city known as 'the Jerusalem of Lithuania'.

Sakowicz did not survive the war, but much of his diary did. Painstakingly pieced together by Rahel Margolis from scraps of paper hidden in various locations, the diary was published in Polish in 1999. It is here published in English for the first time.

Ponary Diary, 1941-1943 by Kazimierz Sakowicz offers a harrowing yet crucial documentation of this tragic chapter in history.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Ponary Diary, 1941-1943 by Kazimierz Sakowicz is praised as a poignant and vivid account of the Holocaust, particularly focusing on the horrific events in the Ponary forest near Vilnius. Reviewers highlight the diary's graphic and detailed portrayal of mass murder, underscoring its significance as a unique and compelling witness to these historical atrocities. It stands as a significant contribution to Holocaust literature, offering chilling insights into human cruelty.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780300108538

Publisher: Yale University Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 03 January 2006

Country: United States

Imprint: Yale University Press

Illustration: 2

Contributors:

  • Edited by Yitzhak Arad
  • Translated by Laurence Weinbaum

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 227g

Pages: 176

About the Author

Yitzhak Arad is the author of Ghetto in Flames - The Struggle and Destruction of the Jews in Vilna and former chairman of the Directorate of Yad Vashem.

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