WARSAW TESTAMENT

A first-person account of life inside the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust, combined with later reflections on the period.

As explained in the introduction of Auerbach’s unforgettable memoir, translated by Kassow, the author kept a secret diary during the war, recalling her life in the Warsaw Ghetto. While she describes historical events, like Germany’s invasion of Poland, in harrowing detail—“The corpses buried underneath collapsed houses filled the air with the stench of death that, combined with the smell of smoke, hung over Warsaw during all the years of the occupation”­—Auerbach primarily focuses on day-to-day life in the ghetto and tributes to fellow writers, artists, workers, and librarians. She begins her diary recounting the last prewar generation of Jewish writers in Poland, where she was a young journalist in the summer of 1939. When Germany invaded, she took up work in a public kitchen. Avoiding what she calls the Great Deportation, Auerbach attributes her survival to luck. Within the regular waves of horror of 1942 and 1943, there were brief moments of hope, such as the excitement when Mussolini fell in the summer of 1943. Auerbach recalls the collective anticipation at the time: “Like most people in Warsaw I was full of excitement....I fantasized and spoke nonstop about what would come next.” She also details the valiant struggle and tragic death of Emanuel Ringelblum, the organizer of the secret ghetto archive, without whose help this book most likely wouldn’t exist. Despite the dire conditions, an artistic movement flourished between November 1940 and July 1942, which, thanks to the Yiddish Culture Organization and local librarians, was documented. In the final section, Auerbach describes leaving the Warsaw Ghetto in March 1943 and reflects on life on the Aryan side. This poignant account isn’t meant to be read in one sitting but revisited over time. Alongside Auerbach’s direct writing and reflections are quotes and testaments from others, providing a comprehensive view of Jewish life in the ghetto during the Holocaust. Includes extensive endnotes, biographical notes, and a chronology.

A poignant testament to the endurance and character of the Jewish community during one of history’s darkest times.