Why was it so important for them? The cultural activity of Jewish women at the Labor Camp of Ober-Hohenelbe

Abstract

The presentation is based on the personal story of Lili (Alice) Kasticher who was born in 1923 in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia. She was deported from Hungary to Auschwitz at the age of twenty-one following her capture during resistance operations. From Auschwitz, she was sent to Camp Oberhohenelbe in the Sudetenland. In the camp, every two weeks, Lili, together with other women, organized afternoon cultural events in which about twenty women participated. They held a painting, poetry, and short story writing contest. The works were numbered, so as not to expose their creators’ identity. Lili concealed the pages of poetry and drawings in her blouse. Dr Chava Baruch received her MA focusing on the Budapest Ghetto in 1944 from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and concentrated on her PhD on the world’s perception of the Neolog Jews in Budapest between 1919-1943. Dr Baruh was a Head of the Central European Desk in the European Department of the International School for Holocaust Studies in Yad Vashem, such she organized Teacher training seminars in Israel and abroad for teachers from 8 European countries like Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Republic of Srpska (Banja Luka), Macedonia and Kosovo.

Prezentacija je zasnovana na ličnoj priči Lili (Alice) Kastiher koja je rođena 1923. godine u Novom Sadu, Jugoslavija. Deportovana je iz Mađarske u Aušvic u dobi od dvadeset i jedne godine nakon što je zarobljena tokom operacija otpora. Iz Aušvica je poslata u logor Oberhohenelbe u Sudetima. U kampu je svake dve nedelje Lili, zajedno sa drugim ženama, organizovala popodnevne kulturne događaje u kojima je učestvovalo dvadesetak žena. Održali su takmičenje u slikanju, poeziji i pisanju kratkih priča. Radovi su numerisani, kako se ne bi otkrio identitet njihovih stvaralaca. Lili je u svoju bluzu sakrila stranice poezije i crteža. Dr Hava Baruh je magistrirala sa fokusom na geto u Budimpešti 1944. godine na Hebrejskom univerzitetu u Jerusalimu i koncentrisala se na doktorat o percepciji sveta o neološkim Jevrejima u Budimpešti između 1919-1943. Dr Baruh je bila šef Centralnoevropskog deska u Evropskom odeljenju Međunarodne škole za studije Holokausta u Jad Vašemu, tako da je organizovala seminare za obuku nastavnika u Izraelu i inostranstvu za nastavnike iz 8 evropskih zemalja poput Mađarske, Rumunije, Srbije, Hrvatske, Slovenija, Republika Srpska (Banja Luka), Makedonija i Kosovo.