About sixty thousand Jews from Wilno (Vilnius; Jewish Vilna) and surrounding townships in present-day Lithuania were murdered by the Nazis and their Lithuanian collaborators in huge pits on the outskirts of Ponary. Over a period of several years; Kazimierz Sakowicz; a Polish journalist who lived in the village of Ponary; was an eyewitness to the murder of these Jews as well as to the murders of thousands of non-Jews on an almost daily basis. He chronicled these events in a diary that he kept at great personal risk.Written as a simple account of what Sakowicz witnessed; the diary is devoid of personal involvement or identification with the victims. It is thus a unique document: testimony from a bystander; an “objective†observer without an emotional or a political agenda; to the extermination of the Jews of the city known as “the Jerusalem of Lithuania.â€Sakowicz did not survive the war; but much of his diary did. Painstakingly pieced together by Rahel Margolis from scraps of paper hidden in various locations; the diary was published in Polish in 1999. It is here published in English for the first time; extensively annotated by Yitzhak Arad to guide readers through the events at Ponary.
#1200758 in Books 2002-09-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.98 x .68 x 6.40l; .60 #File Name: 0300097166272 pages
Review
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. A fascinating look at life in early 19th century RussiaBy CustomerWhat a fun book! The author tells of his life as a serf in the Imperial Russia of the early 19th Century. Admittedly; his was not the life of a typical serf--he was well educated; eventually being emancipated by his "owner" (and the description of this process is in itself fascinating). The great part of this book is in the details--the descriptions of the people; places; and interactions of his childhood; the reader cannot help sympathizing with his poor father who tries over and over again to make the best of his situation; yet is trapped by his social standing. This work is a great addition to the current understanding of life in Russia during the period.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Students loved it!By NMEMy Russian history students really enjoyed this one; and it was great for using the "little Russian" experience of Nikitenko to talk about nascent Ukrainian national identity.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good book-for classBy MatthewI didn't read the whole thing but most of it. Short and easy read novel. Most people don't know that slavery (serfdom) ended in Russia just two years before the Emancipation Proclamation in America in 1863.
