From the Archives

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The diaries found in the Oneg Shabbat archives present segments cut out of the very fabric of life, telling directly of events and experiences, depicting the bare, unadulterated truth. The diary has something personal to it, something emotional and intimate, with watchfullness and self-reflection accompanying the objective, factual material as well. This material abounds in details of daily struggle for survival, in actions and events occurring in the life within the ghetto, and in portraits of people involved in the communal life, their thoughts and feelings under the shadow of death.

Selected Documents from the Warsaw Ghetto Underground Archives Oneg Shabbat

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Pages from Emanuel Ringelblum’s diary ( March, 18, 1941) Żydowski Instytut Historyczny Instytut Naukowo-Badawczy, Warsaw, Poland June 10, 1942 “The future historian will have to devote a fitting page to the Jewish woman in the war. She will fill an important page in Jewish history for her courage and resilience. Thanks to her, thousands of families managed to survive the horror of those days. Recently, an interesting phenomenon has taken place. In some of the house committees, women have taken the place of the men, who have abandoned their tasks, tired and exhausted by their work. On some of these committees, the entire management is composed of women.” From Emanuel Ringelblum’s diary Ringelblum Archive, Jewish Historical Institute, Warsaw, Poland.