Book chapter
Stealth Altruism under Wraps
Stealth Altruism, pp 113-120
2017
Abstract
Believing that Rena Gelissen, a Jewish prisoner, had dared to steal a potato, a crazed barrack leader set out to capture her and beat her to death. As he chased her wildly through the camp and into a barrack foreign to her, she unexpectedly heard a sharp whisper from a stranger who urged her to hide under a blanket in her bunk. Carers, at risk of their lives, used "safe" barracks to provide essential care and community support. Schooling of very young prisoners was strictly forbidden "on the principle that Jewish children were to be kept uneducated as a punishment for being Jewish". Secret education for adult prisoners often involved new arrivals in camp desperately seeking guidance and support of experienced old-timers. East European Jewish men had a special appreciation of spoken poetry, a popular art form in their pre-camp world. In some barracks, forbidden late-night entertainment included a cabaret-like setting that featured unrestrained satirical skits aimed at the Nazis.
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Details
- Title
- Stealth Altruism under Wraps
- Creators
- Arthur B. Shostak
- Publication Details
- Stealth Altruism, pp 113-120
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Edition
- 1
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Sociology; Culture and Communication [Historical]
- Other Identifier
- 991020705467104721