THE RESCUE OF JEWS IN WESTERN EUROPE DURING THE HOLOCAUST: THE LOCAL, THE NATIONAL AND THE TRANSNATIONAL

Since the mid-1970s, the factors that led to different rates of survival in Western Europe during the Holocaust have been much debated by historians. Many variables need to be considered: the timing and implementation of German policy, different attitudes towards Jews in particular localities, the role of the Church and of civil society, and the varieties of Jewish organisation in different countries. Even after weighting up all these factors historians still disagree as to why, for example, 75% of Jews in France survived the Second World War, whereas in the Netherlands, 75% of Jews perished. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together historians and scholars from multiple disciplines (law, modern languages, literature and the social sciences) to think about new methodologies and innovative responses to these questions. What was the interplay between local, national or transnational factors in the survival rates of Jews in each country? In what ways did national, or transnational influences, impact on the decisions by the local civilian population to rescue Jews? How important was tradition and networks (local, national or transnational)? What was the impact of law and of different legal cultures? How are these different factors remembered in post-war literary and visual representations of rescue? 

Workshop programme.pdf [PDF 132KB]

This event is free, but registration is essential