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The Nazis’ physical war on Jews also had important cultural repercussions. One of these was its assault on Yiddish. The Holocaust not only murdered many Yiddish speakers and destroyed Yiddish institutions, but it also changed the language itself.

In this episode, I talk with Hannah Pollin-Galay about fascinating work on Yiddish during the Holocaust. We talked about the new words added as well as the attempts by Jewish linguists (and survivors) to capture and understand the new Khurbn (Destruction) Yiddish.

Hannah Pollin-Galay is the Pen Tishkach Chair of Holocaust Studies and director of the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies at the University of Massachusetts- Amherst.

Pollin-Galay, Hannah. Occupied Words: What the Holocaust Did to Yiddish (2024)

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Email the podcast at holocausthistorypod@gmail.com

The Holocaust History Podcast homepage is here

You can find a complete reading list with books by our guests and also their suggestions here.

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We often hear the term “dehumanization” used in a variety of contexts. For example, dehumanization a set of beliefs, or a set of behaviors? Is it metaphorical or do people actually believe their victims are less than human?

In this episode, I talk with David Livingstone Smith about his fascinating, challenging, and insightful work on dehumanization, particularly in the context of the Holocaust. This is an episode that will definitely make you think.

David Livingstone Smith is a professor of philosophy at the University of New England.

Smith, David Livingstone. Making Monsters: The Uncanny Power of Dehumanization (2021)

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Email the podcast at holocausthistorypod@gmail.com

The Holocaust History Podcast homepage is here

You can find a complete reading list with books by our guests and also their suggestions here.

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How do we write about Holocaust perpetrators? What does that tell us about not only the historical figures themselves but also the ways in which we approach, describe, and analyze them.

In this week’s episode, I talk with Erin McGlothlin about how writers have dealt with perpetrators in both fiction and non-fiction and also about the ways in which fiction narratives influence how we tell non-fiction stories.

Erin McGlothlin is Gloria M. Goldstein Professor of Holocaust Studies and Vice Dean of Undergraduate Affairs at Washington University in St. Louis.

McGlothlin, Erin. The Mind of the Holocaust Perpetrator in Fiction and Nonfiction (2021)

Follow on Twitter @holocaustpod.
Email the podcast at holocausthistorypod@gmail.com

The Holocaust History Podcast homepage is here

You can find a complete reading list with books by our guests and also their suggestions here.