This presentation focuses on a little-known but significant part of the history of Polish Jews during WWII: the escape, deportation, and evacuation of Polish Jews into the interior of the Soviet Union. The unintended consequence of this event was that approximately a quarter million Polish Jews survived the Nazi genocide in the relative safety of the Soviet interior. These “accidental” survivors represent a large majority of the Polish Jews who survived the war. This presentation will examine some of the reasons why, until fairly recently, this remarkable history is not better known.
Dr. Stephen J. Gaies is the Director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education, and Professor Emeritus, Department of Languages and Literatures, at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA.
Date and time: Sun, October 16, 2022, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CDT
Location: German American Heritage Center & Museum 712 West 2nd Street Davenport, IA 52802
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