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The Righteous of the Wehrmachtz describes the life of the author's family in Vilnius before and during WWII and under the Nazi occupation, depicting their miraculous survival thanks to the German officer Karl Plagge. Plagge played a vital role in the survival of more than one hundred Jews, and for this is known as "the Schindler from Darmstadt." After liberation by the Red Army, the author's family moved first to Poland and then to France, forging their lives as refugees with gratitude and courage.
About the author
Simon Malkes was born in Wilno, Poland in 1927. He received his engineering degree in Munich, Germany in 1952 and received his PhD at the University of Strasburg in 1965. His memoir The Righteous of the Wehrmacht details his life before and during WWII under the Nazi occupation and to the present day.
Summary
The Righteous of the Wehrmachtz describes the life of the author’s family in Vilnius before and during WWII and under the Nazi occupation, depicting their miraculous survival thanks to the German officer Karl Plagge. Plagge played a vital role in the survival of more than one hundred Jews, and for this is known as “the Schindler from Darmstadt.” After liberation by the Red Army, the author’s family moved first to Poland and then to France, forging their lives as refugees with gratitude and courage.
Additional text
“This memoir presents the reader with many interesting themes and a look into the life of one Holocaust survivor. It could be a good book to use with high school students or undergraduates in a course on the Holocaust. It is a short but interesting read that offers a complex view of interwar Jewish life, the Holocaust, postwar Europe, and memory that an instructor could use to effectively tease out constructive discussions from students.”
