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Description
The term “Holocaust survivors” is often associated with Jewish communities in New York City or along Florida's Gold Coast. Traditionally, tales of America's Holocaust survivors, in both individual and cultural histories, have focused on places where people fleeing from Nazi atrocities congregated in large numbers for comfort and community following World War II. Yet not all Jewish refugees chose to settle in heavily populated areas of the United States. This book focuses on overlooked stories that unfolded in the aftermath of the Holocaust. It presents the accounts of Jewish survivors who resettled not in major metropolitan areas but in southern, often rural, communities. Many of the survivors in these smaller communities did not even seek out the few fellow Jewish residents already there. The book transcribes the accounts as they were heard, keeping true to the voices of those interviewed. Its collection of voices, accompanied by poignant photographs, identifies each storyteller as an American—and as a Kentuckian. Like many others of diverse backgrounds before them, Holocaust survivors joined the “melting pot” as a haven from the suffering in their native lands, but eventually came to regard America as home. Although they speak of atrocities, most often experienced when they were children and unable to fully comprehend the situation, the survivors also emphasize the comfort of acceptance—not just by Jewish communities but also by a state that has long equated “religion” with Christianity alone.
Publication Date
2009
Publisher
The University Press of Kentucky
Place of Publication
Lexington, KY
ISBN
978-0-8131-2547-3
eISBN
978-0-8131-7342-9 (pdf version)
eISBN
978-0-8131-3909-8 (epub version)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5810/kentucky/9780813125473.001.0001
Keywords
Holocaust survivors, Jewish community, New York, Nazis, World War II, America, Religion
Disciplines
Cultural History | Jewish Studies | United States History
Recommended Citation
Donahue, Arwen, "This is Home Now: Kentucky's Holocaust Survivors Speak" (2009). Jewish Studies. 4.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_jewish_studies/4
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