Microhistories of the Holocaust in Occupied Poland

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

The contemporary remembrance of the Holocaust in occupied Poland typically emphasizes the suffering of victims or the heroism of rescuers. This panel, however, delves into the lived experiences of Polish Jews during wartime, which gave rise to dynamic memories that transcend conventional frameworks of remembrance. Drawing on their broader research projects, the panelists highlight spaces of experience that are remembered in hybrid and ambiguous ways. Through a blend of testimonial literature and microhistory, the panelists discuss three dimensions of the Jewish stories in Poland: entrapment in the Warsaw Ghetto, rescue by Gentiles in the former shtetl of Lubartów, and refugee escapes through the border town of Małkinia — to reveal new perspectives on local memory. They explain why such experiences resist static forms of memorialization and on this basis propose future directions for Holocaust remembrance, both within Poland and in broader transnational contexts.
Justyna Majewska, drawing from her new book "Mury i szczeliny" ["Walls and Cracks"], sheds new light on the confined space of the Warsaw Ghetto. Claire Zalc showcases from her project "Lubartworld" revealing the hybrid nature of survival within the local community and the emotional intricacies of rescue. Lidia Zessin-Jurek examines Małkinia, a border town near Treblinka, where a largely overlooked mass escape route for Polish Jewish refugees unfolded in 1939.

Sub Unit

• Jewish Studies

Chair

• Lidia Zessin-Jurek, Stockton U

Papers

• In the 'Closed City': Spaces and Proxemics of the Warsaw Ghetto - Justyna Majewska, Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute (Poland)

• 'I'm Somewhere in Between:' – The Doorstep of Identity: Jews and Catholics in Lubartów, 1942-2024 - Claire Zalc, CNRS / EHESS (France)

• Final Stop vs. Gateway to Life: Between Refugee Geography of Małkinia and Holocaust Memory of Treblinka - Lidia Zessin-Jurek, Stockton U

Discussant

• Alicja Podbielska, Emory U