Each Woman Dies Her Death A Thousand Times: Voices Of Female Experience In The Holocaust

Abstract

While the experiences of Holocaust victims are well studied in history, the nuances of female-centric elements of these experiences have been under-represented in Holocaust historiography until relatively recently. While there is no single, “typical” female experience in the Holocaust, a woman’s path, as well as elements of her suffering, were significantly shaped by her gender in unique ways. Utilizing female authored memoirs, this thesis examines experience and memory to illuminate unique elements of how the Holocaust was experienced by female victims. The ways in which gender influenced Holocaust experiences in the pre-WWII era, the era of deportations, and in camp confinement are explored, along with unique and significant examples of female-centric means of resistance. Issues such as menstruation, lesbianism, sexuality, hair loss, beauty standards, childbirth, fetishization of the female body and grief are explored in order to contribute to a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of how women experienced the Holocaust.