Burgenland: Village Secrets and the First Tremors of the Holocaust

New paperback edition - A dazzling multi-generational examination exploring Jewishness in Europe, the Holocaust and the dark spectres of anti-Semitism and populism. ''What an extraordinary achievement. A story told with passion and adamantine dedication. David Joseph takes the reader with great tenderness on an absolutely heart-breaking journey of discovery.'' ''This is a totally gripping book. Deeply moving, utterly engaging and profoundly important.'' ''Highly recommended. An exceptionally researched family story which shines an uncomfortable light on the grotesque reality of the Holocaust and particularly those who stood by as the horrors unfolded.'' ''Throughout this book, it is impossible to ignore the struggle and persecution that Jewish people have faced in Europe for centuries, and still face today.'' ''Indeed, the struggles of those expelled from Burgenland are at times diffcult to read about, but all the more valuable for this since this is a story that must not be forgotten and is a warning to present and future generations.'' ''This is a valuable and moving reconstruction of one family’s tragic personal fate, as well as a timely reminder of why the creation of a Jewish state was necessary in the aftermath of genocide.''

When Hitler marched into Austria in March 1938, he was given a rapturous reception. Millions lined the streets and filled the squares of Vienna. Tobias Portschy, a self-appointed regional Nazi chief, considered what to give the Fuhrer for his birthday, and devised a particular gift from the Austrian people: the elimination of Jewish life in the Burgenland, picturesque farming country about 70 km south-east of Vienna. Eichmann took note of the brutal methodology. The Holocaust had begun.

Burgenland is an astonishing survey of Jewish history in Central Europe, an account of the opening salvo of what turned into the systematic industrial-scale genocide of European Jewry, a stern examination of British policy and the world’s wholly inadequate response. It is also a deeply personal memoir and family history. Impeccably researched and hugely ambitious in scope, it narrates the full arc of the Jewish experience in Central Europe over 300 years, following the lives of one family who played a significant part in events described, from the struggle for civil liberties to the resistance to fascism and the rise of Zionism.

David Joseph has dissected an uncomfortable history, and the results demand a substantial reassessment of the orthodox narrative around the Holocaust both in Britain and in Austria.

• | Author: David Joseph
• | Publisher: Amberley Publishing
• | Publication Date: Oct 15, 2024
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781398122567
• | ISBN-10: 1398122564