Hell within Hell: Sexually Abused Child Holocaust Survivors

by Rachel Lev-Wiesel, Susan Weinger

Deafening silence generally surrounds the sexual abuse perpetrated against child Survivors of the Holocaust by their saviors and captors. In this book, child Survivors who endured two of the most severe traumas-the Holocaust and sexual abuse-bravely tell their stories to prevent this crucial aspect of the Holocaust from being buried and left virtually unknown to the world. The testimonies of these Survivors, who were beholden to their abusive saviors or entrapped by their terrorizing guards, reveal that sexual traumas leave a differential as well as a combined psychological trail from the Holocaust experience. Hell within Hell begins with background information about the Holocaust and its impact on the lives of Survivors. The authors then explain why sexual abuse is so psychologically devastating and discuss how such a traumatic experience reverberates later in life. Readers are able to use this knowledgeable context to fully listen to the Survivors' powerful voices. The afterword contains a dialogue between the authors befitting the Survivors' forthright accounts.

94 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2011

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very difficult read because of the content, but important to add to your Holocaust repertoire if you desire a more complete picture of the atrocities suffered by the Jews during this horrific period.