Justyna's Narrative
By Gusta Davidson Draenger; Edited by Eli Pfefferkorn and David H. Hirsch; Translated by Roslyn Hirsch
University of Massachusetts Press
Written during World War II, Justyna's Narrative is a compelling account of the Krakow Jewish resistance. From February through April 1943, Gusta Davidson Draenger (aka "Justyna"?) composed the narrative on scraps of paper smuggled into her prison cell. Between sessions of torture and interrogation at the hands of the Gestapo, she recorded the activities and spiritual aspirations of the clandestine group of young Jewish idealists who forged documents, acquired weapons, and committed acts of defiance against the Nazis.
The literature of the Nazi attempt at a genocide of the Jewish people is vast. One's first reaction to another book on the Holocaust must therefore by, 'Does this add significantly to our knowledge and understanding of this genocide?' In relation to Justyna's Narrative there can be no possible doubt. This is one of the most important books to be written on the Jewish response to Nazi persecution, an eloquent documentation that succeeds in giving a human face to the victims and that has a capacity to move us deeply today.'—Antony Polonsky, Brandeis University
'Justyna's Narrative not only bears witness to the Nazi atrocities perpetrated against the Jews—an ever more important need as Holocaust deniers peddle their pernicious lies—but inspires the reader with accounts of courageous and persistent resistance.'—Abraham H. Foxman, National Director, Anti-Defamation League
'A central document of Holocaust literature and a remarkable achievement. Not only does the author describe the courage, perseverance, and extraordinary planning it took to participate in these underground activities, she also shares with the reader her profound psychological and historical insights into clandestine activities. . . . This English translation is impeccably accurate and well written.'—Nechama Tec, Author of Defiance: The Bielski Partisans
Roslyn Hirsch is a professional translator. David H. Hirsch is professor emeritus of English and Judaic Studies at Brown University. Eli Pfefferkorn teaches Judaic studies at Central Hebrew Academy of Toronto.
