The Archaeology of the Holocaust: Vilna, Rhodes, and Escape Tunnels

(Hardback)

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In the summer of 2016 acclaimed archaeologist Richard Freund and his team made news worldwide when they discovered an escape tunnel from the Ponar burial pits in Lithunia. This Holocaust site where more than 100,000 people perished is usually remembered for the terrible devastation that happened there. In the midst of this devastation, the discovery of an escape tunnel reminds us of the determination and tenacity of the people in the camp and the hope they continued to carry.

The Archaeology of the Holocaust takes readers out to the field with Freund and his multi-disciplinary research group as they uncover the evidence of the Holocaust, focusing on sites in Lithuania, Poland, and Greece in the past decade. Using forensic detective work, Freund tells the micro- and macro-histories of sites from the Holocaust as his team covers excavations and geo-physical surveys done at four sites in Poland, four sites in Rhodes, and 15 different sites in Lithuania with comparisons of some of the work done at other sites in Eastern Europe. The book contains testimonies of survivors, photographs, information about a variety of complementary geo-science techniques, and information gleaned from pin-point excavations. It serves as an introduction to the Holocaust and explains aspects of the culture lost in the Holocaust through the lens of archaeology and geo-science.

Reviews

Freund (Digging Through History: Archaeology and Religion from Atlantis to the Holocaust), a Jewish history professor at the University of Hartford who has led archaeological expeditions, explains how recently developed high-tech tools have facilitated discoveries about the Holocaust, in this fascinating volume based largely on his experiences in the field. . . . He describes his teams work in Rhodes and in Lithuania, which included extensive research into what was known about the areas to be explored before any planning was undertaken, including interviews with survivors. . . . a valuable addition to the topic that makes good use of the authors expertise. * Publishers Weekly *
In archaeology, the shovel has been augmented, if not replaced, by radar and tomography. Such noninvasive procedures are invaluable when viable buildings sit atop what youre looking for and when what youre looking for shouldnt be disturbed. Both techniques are critical to this books subject and its authors career. Besides the new tools, Freund emphasizes the importance of survivor and witness testimony for finding precisely where to look. He focuses on three projects, two concerned with Jewish communities all but erased by the Holocaust, those of the Greek island of Rhodes and the so-called Jerusalem of Lithuania, Vilna (Vilnius); the third, an escape tunnel from a Lithuanian extermination camp. Besides revealing where victims are buriedwithout violating their resting places: to Judaism, a sacrilegethe projects rediscovered tell much about two historic synagogues on Rhodes and details of the Great Synagogue of Vilna. They also verify the life-saving efforts of an altruistic Nazi and the story of a Lithuanian Anne Frank. All this, and much Holocaust history and archaeological explanation, Freund relays with a good lecturers precision and lucidity. * Booklist *
This is a thought provoking look at the archaeological process in general, and in particular how it can be used to study the holocaust, without at the same time desecrating the graves of its millions of victims. * History of War *

Once the last eyewitnesses of the Holocaust pass away, the significance of archeology as a means of discovery, an archive and as a way to interpret the material evidence will inevitably increase. This new book by Richard A. Freund is the most recent example of how archaeological methods and techniques can successfully be used to research well-documented and well-known historical events
such as the Holocaust.

* Antiquity *

Once again, Richard Freund has demonstrated the enormous contribution that archaeology can make to understanding the Holocaust. By listening attentively to testimonies and exploring intricate details of what he uncovers, Freund is able to demonstrate how archaeology is about people. His depictions of the Great Synagogue in Vilna and in Rhodes reveal the centerpiece of both revered communities.

Michael Berenbaum served as Deputy Director of the President's Commission on the Holocaust (19791980), Project Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) (19881993), and Director of the USHMM's Holocaust Research Institute (19931997).

-- Michael Berenbaum, director, Sigi Ziering Institute, American Jewish University
Richard Freunds contribution to the expanding field of Holocaust studies is immeasurable. The Archaeology of the Holocaust is a gripping account of major archaeological results bringing to light human stories that give the reader a sense of wonder mixed with sadness. I recommend it far and wide. -- James D. Tabor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Freunds book establishes a new paradigm in Shoah studies. Integrating Geoscience, Archaeology, and Holocaust history, he provides new insight from sites of horror in Rhodes, Poland, and Lithuania especially concerning the escape tunnel, and most importantly, his use of non-invasive technology preserves the sanctity of these sites. -- Alan Berger, Raddock Eminent Scholar, chair of holocaust studies and director of the Center for Values and Violence After Auschwitz, Florida Atlantic University
Most of us have heard of the Holocaust, but how much do we know about what actually took place The Archaeology of the Holocaust demonstrates the value of using a multidisciplinary approach to reveal the complex and painful stories of the Holocaust. The union of archaeology with geophysics to retrace these terrible events is a natural one, as the clues are often hidden underground. -- Landon Woods, geoscientist, Advisian WorleyParsons
Freund is a a steward of the evidence. Interweaving testimony with the latest in archaeological science, his chronicle of his investigation of places of the Holocaust compellingly shows how good science can elucidate the lives crucial to preserving a past that society must not forget. -- Carl E. Savage, Associate Professor of Biblical Archaeology, Drew University

Author Bio

Dr. Richard A. Freund is the Maurice Greenberg Professor of Jewish History and Director of the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford. His most recent work in Lithuania has been chronicled in a recent NOVA science series episode: Holocaust Escape Tunnel on the new discoveries made in the Holocaust era Ponar Burial Pits and at the Great Synagogue of Vilna, Lithuania. He is the author of hundreds of scholarly articles and several books (written or co-edited) including Digging through the Bible and Digging through History.