Traces of Memory: The Life and Work of Else Dormitzer (18771958)

The remarkable, untold story of one Holocaust survivor's resilience against all odds, discovered through a chance encounter with a collection of her wartime poetry. Originally from Nuremberg, Germany, Else Dormitzer dedicated much of her life to combating antisemitism in a city that became synonymous with Nazi propaganda and spectacle in the Third Reich. Drawing on materials from the family’s extensive personal archive, Traces of Memory follows her life from pre-war Nuremberg to war-torn Amsterdam, from the confines of the Theresienstadt ghetto to post-war life in London. The result is a deeply personal story of a woman at the margins of memory. Accompanied by historical photographs, the book includes Dormitzer’s original poetry collection from Theresienstadt and three testimonial accounts of her Holocaust experience to keep alive the work and story of a singular woman.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter One: Hilversum and London, 1945–1946 Chapter Two: Nuremberg, 1877–1939 Chapter Three: Hilversum and Amsterdam, 1939–1943 Chapter Four: Theresienstadt, 1943–1945 Chapter Five: London and Hilversum, 1946–1958 Appendix  Translator’s Note Pictures from Theresienstadt Theresienstädter Bilder Experiences in Nuremberg, Holland, Theresienstadt, and during the Transport back to Holland  Erlebnisse in Nürnberg, Holland, Theresienstadt und beim Rücktransport nach Holland Life in Theresienstadt Leben in Theresienstadt The Night of Broken Glass Die Kristallnacht Illustrations Bibliography

About the Author :
Sandra Alfers is Professor of German and the founding & executive director of The Ray Wolpow Institute for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. Her research focuses on Holocaust Literature, particularly on German-language poetry from the Theresienstadt ghetto.

Review :
“Alfers contributes to a broader understanding of writing as resistance not only through physical survival but through intellectual and artistic endurance. She also shines a light on the often-overlooked voices of Jewish women before and during the Holocaust and even since then. As the world navigates its own turbulent period, Traces of Memory offers a powerful reminder of how one voice can make a difference. Dormitzer’s work speaks across generations, and Alfers’ scholarship helps revive her message for a world grappling with many of the same fundamental questions that Dormitzer’s did—about identity, survival, and the role of art in confronting inhumanity.” —Western Washington University News “Traces of Memory compellingly reconstructs the life of Else Dormitzer, a remarkable journalist, poet, activist for women’s rights and Jewish causes, and Holocaust survivor whose literary, journalistic, and testimonial output spans more than half a century. Sandra Alfers creates a vivid biographical account of this fascinating woman out of a dispersed archive consisting of published writings, personal correspondence, and family documents. The story she adeptly narrates not only illustrates the upheavals and ruptures effected by National Socialism and the Holocaust, but also paints a sociohistorical portrait of the achievements and the disappointments, the resilience and the fragility of Jewish life in Europe in the first half of the twentieth century. Presenting for the first time some of Dormitzer’s German-language poetry (particularly poems written during her internment in the Theresienstadt Ghetto) in Cornelius Partsch’s superb translation, Traces of Memory rescues from oblivion the life and work of a singular woman.” — Erin McGlothlin, Professor of German and Jewish Studies, Washington University in St. Louis “Stellar scholarship and brilliant writing by Sandra Alfers vividly portray the life and work of Else Dormitzer, a remarkable Holocaust survivor whose poetry—sensitively translated from the German by Alfers’s partner Cornelius Partsch—merits the attention that Traces of Memory gives it. Alfers and Dormitzer never met, and yet they interact eloquently in this special book. With deep respect and insight, Alfers ensures new life for Dormitzer’s Holocaust testimony. In turn, Dormitzer helps Alfers to find her own compelling voice. Witnessing how these two affect each other is sure to create a moving and poignant experience for the many readers that Traces of Memory deserves to have.” — John K. Roth, Edward J. Sexton Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Claremont McKenna College; Author, Sources of Holocaust Insight “Sandra Alfers deserves high praise for bringing the multifaceted life and writing of Else Dormitzer to the attention of an English-speaking audience in this fine volume. As an active Jewish community member, journalist, poet, children’s book author, and survivor of Theresienstadt, Dormitzer’s life is an apt example of German Jewry devastated by the Holocaust. Alfers’ expertise as a literary scholar comes to the fore in her analysis of Dormitzer’s poetry written in Theresienstadt, available in a new translation by Cornelius Partsch. The volume is stark evidence for the meaning of art and literature in the face of utter devastation—and a convincing call for its integration into historical Holocaust research.” — Dr. Anna Ullrich, European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) “Through her sharp focus on the life and writing of one woman, Sandra Alfers sheds light on the activities and achievements of German-Jewish women before, during, and after the Holocaust. Beautifully written in clear prose, this volume shows Else Dormitzer’s important intellectual and creative contributions as a journalist and political activist, as a poet and witness of Theresienstadt. Insisting on the significance of poetry of the Holocaust, Alfers also expands the canon of Holocaust literature. Together with the rich bilingual appendix that includes Dormitzer’s poetry and testimonial accounts, translated by Cornelius Partsch alongside the original German, this Holocaust survivor’s works are now accessible to a wider audience.” — Lynn L. Wolff, Associate Professor of German, Michigan State University “Sandra Alfers’ beautifully written Traces of Memory: The Life and Work of Else Dormitzer provides an in-depth study of the life and works of children’s book author, journalist, political activist, and Terezín survivor Else Dormitzer. Alfers shows how camp poetry, such as Dormitzer’s Theresienstädter Bilder, has been marginalized within German academic discourses and she convincingly argues that such texts deserve much more scholarly attention. The book makes available for the first time Dormitzer’s original poetry collection from Theresienstadt and three testimonial reports in both the original German and in English—skillfully translated by Cornelius Partsch. Dormitzer’s camp poetry and testimonial reports and Alfers’ in-depth analysis are must-use texts in Holocaust Studies—for teachers and students alike. — Natalie Eppelsheimer, Associate Professor of German, Middlebury College “Sandra Alfers' book paints a comprehensive and nuanced portrait of the Jewish writer Else Dormitzer, who continued to write in the Theresienstadt ghetto. With impressive analytical clarity, the study gathers and interprets the powerful testimony of this almost forgotten author.” — Saskia Fischer, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany