Sisters in Sorrow

Sisters in Sorrow: Voices of Care in the Holocaust gives voice to women who took care of the sick in the camps of Nazi Germany, which had been constructed for the sole purpose of human extermination. For some individuals, like the women whose stories are recounted in this book, there remained glimmers of hope in the irrational camps of the Holocaust. Those who were capable and willing were sometimes able to help others live, thereby retaining a measure of value in their own lives as well as contributing to their fellow prisoners.Although much has been written about the Holocaust and the Nazi labor and extermination camps, little specifically on women has appeared. In recent years that lack has begun to be addressed, and Sisters in Sorrow contributes another perspective on the experiences of women. Women exhibited ingenuity and techniques that differed significantly from those of men in adapting to their horrific environments. The survival skills of the women whose histories appear here frequently resulted from their backgrounds as homemakers and caregivers.

To this collection of memoirs Roger A. Ritvo and Diane M. Plotkin have added important historical background, giving context to the stories. In compiling this collection, Ritvo and Plotkin allow these women to chronicle the existence of human decency in those indecent infernos and the paradox of healing in the face of the Final Solution.