On August 2, 1943, prisoners at the Nazi extermination camp Treblinka, located in occupied Poland, launched an uprising against their captors, during which hundreds successfully escaped while guards killed as many in the process. In this groundbreaking work, Chad S.A. Gibbs draws upon recently discovered sources and novel research methods to fundamentally reassess Jewish resistance at Treblinka—both before and during the revolt.
Using the testimonies of revolt survivors, prior escapees, those who passed through the camp, and a handful of bystander witnesses and former SS guards, Gibbs sheds new light on the events of August 2 as well as many prior acts of resistance. Critical to these new interpretations of the revolt are the actions of women prisoners, who here assume a central place in this story for the first time.
List of Illustrations
Introduction
1. Space, Networks, and Escape: Camp Geography and Early Resistance Activities
2. Defending the Few: Forming and Preserving Spatial Social Networks
3. Taking Up Arms: Prior Plans, Resistance Placemaking, and the Revolt
4. “There Was No Women”: Reevaluating the History and Memory of Women at Treblinka
5. Surviving Treblinka: Finding the Few and Localizing Definitions of Survivorship
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Appendix: Survivors of Treblinka
Notes
Bibliography
Index
