Jewish presence in absence : the aftermath of the Holocaust in Poland, 1944-2010

Historiography of the Holocaust does not stop in 1945. As the war ended, Jewish Holocaust survivors returned to their countries of origin hoping to rebuild their lives on the ruins of their homelands, but were often met with resentment, hostility and even pogroms. Jewish Presence in Absence discusses the crucial elements of Jewish life in postwar Poland: the return of Jewish Holocaust survivors and the reaction of the Polish population to their return; the post-war wave of pogroms; attempts to revive Jewish religious, political and cultural life; the gradual restoration of memory, education and research after years of silence; the legal status of looted property; and the present state of the Jews in Poland. Based on sources and studies rarely used before, this book provides a picture of the current Polish historiography of the Holocaust. It can serve as a case study of the short- and long-term impact of the Holocaust on a Jewish community in a given nation and address both researchers and the wider public. This volume is the result of an interdisciplinary research project carried out by a team of 28 researchers - historians, ethnographers, anthropologists, literary historians, demographers and lawyers - that culminated in the presentation of their articles at an international conference at Yad Vashem in October 2010. -- from back cover. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1108 pages ; 23 cm