This is the complete English Translation and Update of The Memorial (Yizkor) Book of the Jewish Community of Yurburg; Lithuania; originally published in 1991 in Hebrew and Yiddish. The original book; written by survivors and emigres; provides a vivid portrait of Jewish village life in Lithuania as it existed before the Shoah. The book memorializes the richness and depth of the community - its people and its institutions depicting the fabric of history from which Litvaks are descended. All original photos and illustrations are included. More than 150 pages of new photographs and articles have been added in a new appendix. They were collected from Yurburg families from all over the world as a result of numerous Internet communications. The new material includes: recently discovered poignant letters and photographs sent from Yurburg to Mexico shortly before the Nazi invasion in June 1941; an honest and thorough account of the murders in Yurburg by a Lithuanian university student in her bachelor's thesis; impressions and photographs from a trip to Yurburg and nearby Sudarg in 2001; the official 1907 map of property plots and the list of plot owners and a list of over 300 identifiable headstones in the Yurburg Jewish cemetery in 1995. The book is hardcover with 740 pages; containing all the photographs and images from the original book plus over 200 photographs including new photos collected from all over the world from Yurburgers and from a trip taken to the town in 2001. Originally it was published by Assistance to Lithuanian Jews; Inc.; and since March 2014 published by Friends of the Yurburg Jewish Cemetery; Inc.
#321246 in Books The Aberjona Press 2002-07Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.75 x 6.00 x .75l; .80 #File Name: 0966638980224 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Memoirs of an SS soldierBy Lewis WoolstonIt is fairly rare to hear the voice of soldiers of the axis powers. History has deemed them "the bad guys" and their account of the war has been brushed aside in favour of the victor's.This book is the memoir of a young man who volunteered for the SS and survived the horrors of war including combat on the eastern front and then had the luxury of looking back and asking critical questions. The author himself was not involved in war crimes or atrocities but spent his time as an ordinary infantry soldier albeit one who war the SS uniform. He didn't know about the holocaust until after the war was over when he was in an allied POW camp. That is when he began to wrestle with his conscience.The book is very well written and is totally unputdownable if you like history; war memoirs or just a riveting and complex story then this book is for you.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An intriguing look at World War II from the other side.By FantasymanA compelling memoir. Mostly written while the author was a POW in American custody; it is an attempt to correct the impression that all soldiers of the SS were involved with the atrocities committed by the "special" groups of the SS. His contention is that he wore the same uniform; but; was front-line soldier; not a rear-area hooligan murdering innocent civilians. Much of his story concerns his motivations in selecting the Waffen SS as the branch of the armed forces he wished to serve in. As with many German soldiers; he considers his service was first and foremost to his country; and not to some ideology; certainly not to Nazism. Serving most of his active duty in the Northern front in Finland; he saw little; if any contact with civilians of any stripe; and the only Russians he met with were on the battlefield.Voss claims he wrote this memoirs for his fellow soldiers; to remind them what they fought for and not to let the rest of the World determine what their motivation was; and to retrieve some honor regarding their service as front-line soldiers in the Waffen SS; not as murderers slaughtering civilians; or running concentration camps. His decision to serve with the Waffen SS rather than follow his father into the regular army seem somewhat baffling seven decades later. Voss could have served with the Wermacht; and with the assistance of his father; who was an officer serving on the Eastern Front; could have probably had a pretty good position; instead; he chose the Waffen SS. Much of his memoirs involve descriptions of life in Germany during the war; and are very illuminating to those who wonder what life was like in Hitler's Germany during the war. However; his dialogs included in his memoirs that illustrate how he came to his decision to join the Waffen SS; seem somewhat less illuminating. Almost as if he were still trying to convince himself about how he made what indeed may have been the greatest decision of his youth.There is some action in this memoir; although; only a few actions are described in any detail. Mostly Voss writes of the everyday experiences of soldiers on the front lines; and what it is like to serve far from home in war. I enjoyed the book; though to be frank; a little more of the combat experience might have made this a better memoir. Then again; maybe not being that close to the center of action at times is what allowed him to live to tell the tale.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A middle class German youth speaks candidly about the Waffen-SSBy Fritz WenckThis was written by an upper class German youth. He is very patriotic; and like American youth who feel need to fight with best like the Marine Corps or Navy Seals; he wants to fight with the best; in this case; the Waffen-SS. The author makes a strong case that there two separate departments in the Waffen-SS. One is a highly motivated fighting corps; and the other in charge of the Holocaust; but both wearing the same black uniforms with silver piping. He writes at length of the courage and nobleness of the fighting Waffen-SS; while the remaining SS was forever tarnishing the German peoples. The author; Johan Voss; claims to be completely unaware of the campaign to exterminate the Jews. Many; many Germans have stated that they; also; were unaware of Nazis extermination of the Jews. But I believe they did not want to know; and turned their heads; tried not to consider what was happening
