The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933-1945, Volume I: Early Camps, Youth Camps, and Concentration Camps and

Commendation Quotes:

Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2009 Winner, 2009 National Jewish Book Awards, Holocaust Winner, 2010 Judaica Reference Award

"The most efficacious way of fighting the scourge of Holocaust denial is with the facts. No argument posed by deniers can withstand the overwhelming weight of the truth. This encyclopedia will provide a host of detail about crucial aspects of the Holocaust that cannot be found elsewhere." -- Deborah E. Lipstadt, author of History on Trial: My Day in Court with David Irving

"An indispensable source that no one individual could compile in a lifetime of research.... An especially useful reference work for anyone working with survivor memoirs and testimonies." -- Christopher R. Browning, author of Ordinary Men: Reserve Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland

A meticulously researched account of Nazi ghettos in Eastern Europe. The editors have mined all possible resources in many languages and presented their findings in succinct, lucid language. The production of the volume is exemplary. It will serve as the standard reference work on the subject.

"Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2009 Winner, 2009 National Jewish Book Awards, Holocaust Winner, 2010 Judaica Reference Award"

"A meticulously researched account of Nazi ghettos in Eastern Europe. The editors have mined all possible resources in many languages and presented their findings in succinct, lucid language. The production of the volume is exemplary. It will serve as the standard reference work on the subject."

"An outstanding work of scholarship that marks a major achievement in studies of the Shoah. Martin Dean and his expert contributors draw on archival records, survivor testimonies, and publications in countless languages to produce vivid accounts of hundreds of the Holocaust sites now known as 'ghettos.' The results both confirm and unsettle conventional wisdom. . . . The details are unforgettable: a ghetto that consisted of only two houses; an orphanage known as a 'children's cage'; Jews who went on foot from their homes to the killing center of Treblinka."

"An indispensable source that no one individual could compile in a lifetime of research. . . . An especially useful reference work for anyone working with survivor memoirs and testimonies."

"This magnificent collective effort, uniting the research and expertise of leading scholars from around the world, provides a fundamental new reference for the history of the Holocaust. Anyone who wishes to understand the variety of Jewish experience in the ghettos and the scale of the destruction of a whole European world must consult this encyclopedia."

"The most efficacious way of fighting the scourge of Holocaust denial is with the facts. No argument posed by deniers can withstand the overwhelming weight of the truth. This encyclopedia will provide a host of detail about crucial aspects of the Holocaust that cannot be found elsewhere."

"This book is the first in a projected multivolume reference work on the thousands of concentration camps and ghettos administered by Nazi Germany both prior to and during WW II. All told, millions of prisoners from all over Nazi-occupied Europe were placed in these camps. After being incarcerated for various reasons involving race, politics, and Germany's need for labor, millions were murdered. Although Jews were the special targets, other groups included were Roma and Sinti (Gypsies), homosexuals, resistance fighters, common criminals, communists, prisoners of war, and more. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum undertook this project to provide a reliable, up-to-date reference based on the massive amount of archival material that has become available since the expiration of the 50-year archival restrictions in many countries and the successful effort to open the Bad Arolsen archives in Germany. Toward this end, the project directors enlisted the leading experts on the Holocaust and on Nazi Germany to write the articles included in this work. The result is a readable encyclopedia with very up-to-date bibliographical sources. This important reference work belongs on every library bookshelf. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers."

The most efficacious way of fighting the scourge of Holocaust denial is with the facts. No argument posed by deniers can withstand the overwhelming weight of the truth. This encyclopedia will provide a host of detail about crucial aspects of the Holocaust that cannot be found elsewhere.

An indispensable source that no one individual could compile in a lifetime of research. . . . An especially useful reference work for anyone working with survivor memoirs and testimonies.

An outstanding work of scholarship that marks a major achievement in studies of the Shoah. Martin Dean and his expert contributors draw on archival records, survivor testimonies, and publications in countless languages to produce vivid accounts of hundreds of the Holocaust sites now known as 'ghettos.' The results both confirm and unsettle conventional wisdom. . . . The details are unforgettable: a ghetto that consisted of only two houses; an orphanage known as a 'children's cage'; Jews who went on foot from their homes to the killing center of Treblinka.

This book is the first in a projected multivolume reference work on the thousands of concentration camps and ghettos administered by Nazi Germany both prior to and during WW II. All told, millions of prisoners from all over Nazi-occupied Europe were placed in these camps. After being incarcerated for various reasons involving race, politics, and Germany's need for labor, millions were murdered. Although Jews were the special targets, other groups included were Roma and Sinti (Gypsies), homosexuals, resistance fighters, common criminals, communists, prisoners of war, and more. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum undertook this project to provide a reliable, up-to-date reference based on the massive amount of archival material that has become available since the expiration of the 50-year archival restrictions in many countries and the successful effort to open the Bad Arolsen archives in Germany. Toward this end, the project directors enlisted the leading experts on the Holocaust and on Nazi Germany to write the articles included in this work. The result is a readable encyclopedia with very up-to-date bibliographical sources. This important reference work belongs on every library bookshelf. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers.

This magnificent collective effort, uniting the research and expertise of leading scholars from around the world, provides a fundamental new reference for the history of the Holocaust. Anyone who wishes to understand the variety of Jewish experience in the ghettos and the scale of the destruction of a whole European world must consult this encyclopedia.

"This book is the first in a projected multivolume reference work on the thousands of concentration camps and ghettos administered by Nazi Germany both prior to and during WW II. All told, millions of prisoners from all over Nazi-occupied Europe were placed in these camps. After being incarcerated for various reasons involving race, politics, and Germany's need for labor, millions were murdered. Although Jews were the special targets, other groups included were Roma and Sinti (Gypsies), homosexuals, resistance fighters, common criminals, communists, prisoners of war, and more. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum undertook this project to provide a reliable, up-to-date reference based on the massive amount of archival material that has become available since the expiration of the 50-year archival restrictions in many countries and the successful effort to open the Bad Arolsen archives in Germany. Toward this end, the project directors enlisted the leading experts on the Holocaust and on Nazi Germany to write the articles included in this work. The result is a readable encyclopedia with very up-to-date bibliographical sources. This important reference work belongs on every library bookshelf. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers."--J. Fischel, Professor Emeritus, Messiah College, CHOICE, November 2009

"Well researched . . . accessible . . . this valuable resource covers an aspect of the Holocaust rarely addressed and never in such detail. A valuable addition to libraries focusing on the Holocaust.August 15, 2009"--Library Journal

"A readable encyclopedia with very up-to-date bibliographical sources. This important reference work belongs on every library bookshelf.November 2009"--Choice

"[This] volume would well serve those who research the Holocaust or work with survivor memoirs and testimonies.April 2, 2010"--The American Jewish World

"This work will be of particular use to specialists in the fields of German and Austrian history, European labor history, and the history of World War II.Fall 2010"--Jewish Book World

"The USHMM Encyclopedia is a highly significant and overdue synthesis of existing documentary studies and specialized knowledge on the history and profile of Nazi concentration camps."--German Studies Review

"All in all, the USHMM encyclopedia is a most welcome contribution to the history and memory of the Nazi concentration camps. For scholars, this first volume is a valuable reference work whose great strength lies first and foremost in the transfer of knowledge, bringing the hitherto mostly German discourse to the wider international audience."--Studies in Contemporary Jewry

"[A] staggering achievement. . . . at around 2,000 pages it's an even more impressive compendium of scholarly research and editorial enterprise than Volume I . . . Without the efforts of this consortium of international contributors, most of these places . . . might have disappeared from historical memory and slipped into oblivion."--The Jewish Daily Forward

"Using a variety of scholarly and archival materials, the editors provide a very detailed analysis and history of the events that took place in the towns, villages, and cities of German-occupied Eastern Europe. . . . A rich source of information, this will make an excellent addition to reference collections."--Library Journal

"This user-friendly reference work belongs on every library bookshelf."--CHOICE: Social & Behavioral Sciences

"An essential addition to any public or academic library with significant collections of Holocaust literature or Jewish genealogy."--Jewish Libraries Newsletter

"The massive two-volume set . . . focuses specifically on the ghettos of Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe. It stands without doubt as the definitive reference guide on this topic in the world today. This is not hyperbole, but simply a recognition of the meticulous collaborative research that went into assembling such a massive collection of information. . . . Every serious scholar of the Holocaust in the East and every academic library should have this encyclopedia on hand."--Holocaust and Genocide Studies

"The most efficacious way of fighting the scourge of Holocaust denial is with the facts. No argument posed by deniers can withstand the overwhelming weight of the truth. This encyclopedia will provide a host of detail about crucial aspects of the Holocaust that cannot be found elsewhere."--Deborah E. Lipstadt, author of History on Trial: My Day in Court with David Irving

"An indispensable source that no one individual could compile in a lifetime of research. . . . An especially useful reference work for anyone working with survivor memoirs and testimonies."--Christopher R. Browning, author of Ordinary Men: Reserve Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland

"Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2009 Winner, 2009 National Jewish Book Awards, Holocaust Winner, 2010 Judaica Reference Award"--

"An outstanding work of scholarship that marks a major achievement in studies of the Shoah. Martin Dean and his expert contributors draw on archival records, survivor testimonies, and publications in countless languages to produce vivid accounts of hundreds of the Holocaust sites now known as 'ghettos.' The results both confirm and unsettle conventional wisdom. . . . The details are unforgettable: a ghetto that consisted of only two houses; an orphanage known as a 'children's cage'; Jews who went on foot from their homes to the killing center of Treblinka."--Doris L. Bergen, author of War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust

"A meticulously researched account of Nazi ghettos in Eastern Europe. The editors have mined all possible resources in many languages and presented their findings in succinct, lucid language. The production of the volume is exemplary. It will serve as the standard reference work on the subject."--Zvi Gitelman, University of Michigan

"This magnificent collective effort, uniting the research and expertise of leading scholars from around the world, provides a fundamental new reference for the history of the Holocaust. Anyone who wishes to understand the variety of Jewish experience in the ghettos and the scale of the destruction of a whole European world must consult this encyclopedia."--Timothy Snyder, author of Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin

Foreword by Elie Wiesel
Preface
Acknowledgments
Overview
Reader's Guide
List of Abbreviations

Early Camps
Introduction
Camps: Ahrensbök-Holstendorf-Zwickau

Youth camps

WVHA Camps

Introduction

Auschwitz
Main camp
Subcamp system
Camps: Altdorf-Tschechowitz

Bergen-Belsen
Main camp
Camps: Bomlitz-Unterlüss

Buchenwald
Main camp
Subcamp system
Camps: Abteroda-Wolfen

Dachau
Main camp
Subcamp system
Camps: Augsburg-Horgau-Zangberg

Flossenbürg
Main camp
Subcamp system
Camps: Altenhammer-Zwodau

Gross-Rosen
Main camp
Subcamp system
Camps: Aslau-Zittau

Herzogenbusch
Main camp
Camps: Amersfoort-Venlo

Hinzert
Main camp
Camps: Bad Nauheim-Zeltingen

Kaunas
Main camp
Camps: Kauen-Alexoten-Schaulen

Krakau-Plaszöw
Main camp
Camps: Kabelwerk-Zakopane

Lublin-Majdanek
Main camp
Camps: Blizyn-Trawniki

Mauthausen
Main camp
Subcamp system
Camps: Amstetten-Wien-Schwechat-Heidfeld

Mittelbau
Main camp
Subcamp system
Camps: Ballenstedt-Napola-Wickerode

Natzweiler
Main camp
Subcamp system
Camps: Adun-le-Tiche-Wesserling

Neuengamme
Main camp
Subcamp system
Camps: Alt Garge-Wöbbelin

Ravensbrück
Main camp
Subcamp system
Camps: Ansbach-Zichow

Riga
Main camp
Camps: Dondangen-VEF

Sachsenhausen
Main camp
Subcamp system
Camps: Bad Saarow-Wulkow

SS-Baubrigaden
Introduction
Camps: Alderney-Wuppertal

Stutthof
Main camp
Subcamp system
Camps: Adlershorst-Zeyersvorderkampen

Vaivara
Main camp
Camps: Aseri-Vivikonna

Warschau

Wewelsburg

Appendices
International Tracing Service Sources Update
About the Editor
List of Contributors

Index

Geoffrey P. Megargee is an applied research scholar at the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. He is author of War of Annihilation: Combat and Genocide on the Eastern Front, 1941 and Inside Hitler's High Command.

This monumental 7-volume encyclopedia, the result of years of work by the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, will describe the universe of camps and ghettos--some 20,000 in all--that the Nazis and their allies operated, from Norway to North Africa and from France to Russia. For the first time, a single reference work will provide detailed information on each individual site.

This first volume covers three groups of camps: the early camps that the Nazis established in the first year of Hitler's rule, the major SS concentration camps with their constellations of subcamps, and the special camps for Polish and German children and adolescents. Overview essays provide context for each category, while each camp entry provides basic information about the site's purpose; the prisoners, guards, working and living conditions; and key events in the camp's history. Material from personal testimonies helps convey the character of the site, while source citations provide a path to additional information.

Review Citations:

• Library Journal 08/15/2009 pg. 106 (EAN 9780253353283, Hardcover)
• Choice 11/01/2009 (EAN 9780253353283, Hardcover)
• LJ Best Reference Sources 04/15/2010 pg. 28 (EAN 9780253353283, Hardcover)