A Holocaust historian, archivist, and history blogger adds a new dimension to the story of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising during World War II, shining a long overdue spotlight on five young, Polish Jewish women-champions who helped lead the resistance, sabotage the Nazis, and aid Jews in hiding across occupied Poland and Eastern Europe.
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is one of the most storied events of the Holocaust, yet previous accounts of have almost entirely focused on its male participants. In The Girl Bandits of the Warsaw Ghetto, Holocaust historian Elizabeth Hyman introduces five young, courageous Polish Jewish women-known as "the girls" by the leadership of the resistance and "bandits" by their Nazi oppressors-who were central to the Jewish resistance as fighters, commanders, couriers, and smugglers. They include:
Zivia Lubetkin, the most senior female member of the Jewish Fighting Organization Command Staff in Warsaw and a reluctant legend in her own time, who was immortalized by her code name, "Celina"
Vladka Meed, who smuggled dynamite into and illegal literature out of the Warsaw Ghetto in preparation for the uprising
Dr. Idina "Inka" Blady-Schweiger, a young medical student who became a reluctant angel of mercy
Tema Schneiderman, a tall, beautiful and fearless young woman who volunteered for smuggling and rescue missions across Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe
Tossia Altman, a heroic courier with a poetic soul, who helped bring arms into the Warsaw Ghetto, fought in the Uprising, and ferried communiques to the outside world
Interspersed with the stories of other Jewish women who resisted, The Girl Bandits of the Warsaw Ghetto rescues these women from the shadows of time, bringing to light their resilience, bravery, and cunning in the face of unspeakable hardship-inspiring stories of courage, daring, and resistance that must never be forgotten.
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"A meticulous portrait of five women central to the resistance movement within the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII. . . . Hyman sheds intriguing light on how the political and gender dynamics of Eastern European Jewish society between the two world wars prepared the young women for their resistance work. . . . . the tales relayed here are tense and gripping. It's a spellbinding saga of daring acts of resistance in the face of certain death." - Publishers Weekly
"In this uncompromisingly terrifying work of historical recovery, historian Hyman writes of the lives of the young women who led Polish Jewry into a period of confident self-awareness and then, ultimately, to the great and self-annihilating resistance of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising of 1943. . . . . They come alive in letters, memoirs, and reminiscences. Theirs is a story of friendship against hardship. . . We have no statues to their courage. Instead, we have this book. Women of the Jewish resistance come alive in this revisionary history of the Polish Holocaust." - Kirkus Reviews
"Readers will still be entranced by all the emotion and intrigue of this emotional and thrilling account. A superb addition to World War II and Holocaust history, recommended for all general collections." - Library Journal
"Hyman brings these women and their heroic struggles to life. Their stories illustrate the background of organization and activism that provided the basis for Jewish resistance and collaboration with other anti-Nazi and Polish national groups. An interesting and necessary addition to Holocaust and history collections." - Booklist
"With exten-sive use of pri-ma-ry and sec-ondary sources, Hyman has retold this famil-iar sto-ry of resis-tance and upris-ing with an infu-sion of detail and dra-ma. The courage, orga-ni-za-tion, ded-i-ca-tion, and inven-tive-ness of the fea-tured young women, who faced life-and-death sit-u-a-tions on a dai-ly basis, con-tin-ues to amaze. While the uprising's end-ing is known, The Girl Ban-dits of the War-saw Ghet-to tells a sto-ry of such hero-ism, and Hyman's researched por-trait is so cap-ti-vat-ing, that this retold piece of Jew-ish his-to-ry is dif-fi-cult to put down and impos-si-ble to forget." - The Jewish Book Council
"Riveting. . . . Hyman's account is meticulously sourced and emotionally urgent, reminding us that resistance is rarely the stuff of myth-but, rather, the wrenching, courageous choices made in the shadows of oppression." - Chronogram
"A gripping addition to Holocaust history, this work restores rightful honor to five extraordinary women- a testament to courage that must be remembered." - Post & Courier
"Zivia Lubetkin, Vladka Meed, Dr. Idina "Inka" Blady-Schweiger, Tema Schneiderman and Tossia Altman have never before received the spotlight for their heroic deeds. Their time is now." - Hey Alma
"If you have any interest in history, WWII, the Holocaust, or amazing stories of courageous and resilient humans that you likely haven't heard before, you should definitely check out this book." - The Gloss
"'Sensitive yet ambitious', like the women it evokes, The Girl Bandits of the Warsaw Ghetto is a powerful and important addition to the literature on the Holocaust." - Clare Mulley, author of Agent Zo and The Women Who Flew for Hitler
"Captivating from the first pages, this ingeniously written book follows the intertwined journeys, close calls, and moments of normality of young Jewish women who smuggled messages, money and weapons for the Jewish resistance in the Warsaw ghetto, served as witnesses to the Holocaust, stitched together impressive networks of self-help, and fought against Jews' oppressors. Hyman tells this riveting history through the voices and memories of women who refused to surrender while never losing sight of the contexts that shaped the women's choices, decisions, and actions. A brilliant testament to Jewish resilience in extremis." - Joanna Sliwa, co-author of The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles during the Holocaust
"A gifted storyteller, Elizabeth Hyman reminded me once again that the women we both study are not just figures from history but complex human beings making excruciating decisions and trying to make sense of what they were being forced to endure as best they could. This book deserves to be read widely." - Dr. Zoe Waxman, Professor of Holocaust History, University of Oxford
Elizabeth Hyman is the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Polish Jews who fled their homeland in 1939 and ultimately made their way, as refugees, to the United States. She earned dual master's degrees in History and Library and Information Science from the University of Maryland-College Park, and has written the history blog, "HISTORICITY (was already taken)," since 2011. She lives in New Paltz, New York.
