The book A Space of Her Own: Women in the Holocaust is the result of a joint publishing project between ShoahLab – the Holocaust Studies Laboratory of the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, and WHISC – Women in the Holocaust International Study Center, based in Israel. The collaboration between these two research institutions began with the co-organization of the international conference Women in the Holocaust, held in October 2023 at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory in Belgrade, and continued with the preparation and eventual publication of A Space of Her Own: Women in the Holocaust in March 2025.
The book A Space of Her Own: Women in the Holocaust emerged from a need to deepen the understanding of the dynamics of suffering and survival experienced by women during the Holocaust, as well as from a desire to further open up space for exploring women’s specific experiences within these historical circumstances. Although the topic of women in the Holocaust is not entirely new, it still represents only a niche within broader research interests in this field – a niche that clearly requires and deserves full scholarly attention. In this light, the book presents ten chapters framed by a prologue and an epilogue by the editors (Dragana Stojanović, Lily Halpert Zamir, Batya Brutin), offering contextual and thematic guidance through the way into and out of these extremely sensitive areas of research.
The book is divided into three broader thematic sections. The first section focuses on the bodily and physical experiences that women endured during the Holocaust, and it includes topics related to sexuality, physical violence, and the (im)possibility of releasing the Holocaust-related trauma which continues to manifest in the bodies of survivors. The chapters in this section explore different roles that women occupied during the Holocaust, including both victims and perpetrators. Angela Ford writes about the conditions that necessitated sexual barter in the Holocaust; Natalija Perišić examines the implications of the Holocaust for a post-Holocaust woman’s reality through the case of Sophie Zawistowska, and Verena Meier analyzes the trial against Erika Bergmann, a camp guard at Ravensbrück.
The second section addresses the inscriptions and testimonies that women left through art, writing, diaries, and publishing work during and after the Holocaust. The chapters here explore the role of artistic expression through art as documentation in case of Halina Olomucki, (analyzed by Batya Brutin); the writings of Lili Kasticher (discussed by Lily Halpert Zamir), and the L’écriture féminine of the Holocaust through distinctive voices of Hilda Dajč and Diana Budisavljević (examined by Nevena Daković), while Žarka Svirčev offers a study of publishing activities, focusing on Women’s Holocaust Narratives in the Yugoslav Jewish Almanac.
The third section of A Space of Her Own: Women in the Holocaust introduces the theme of resistance – both to the Holocaust itself and to its erasure – while emphasizing the importance of responsible remembrance of women’s legacy related to the Holocaust. This section includes a text by Sylwia Szymańska-Smolkin on the contributions of female Jewish couriers in resistance movements during World War II, a co-authored piece by Bruna Lo Biundo and Caroline François on the diverging fates of Diament sisters in the French resistance, and a study by Randi Becker on teaching project involving the research of local women’s history during National Socialism with students. In her text, Becker highlights contemporary Holocaust education as a vital strategy for actively contributing to constructive social change, positioning education itself as a form of resistance to the potential return of exclusionary politics.
The book A Space of Her Own: Women in the Holocaust is intended both for scholars already working within Holocaust studies and for those whose work falls within the fields of gender studies, art studies, or education. It also addresses a wider readership that recognizes the importance of a gender-sensitive approach to studying the Holocaust, a historical period that offers countless lessons and calls for more conscious, responsible social engagement.
This book was published with the support of the Claims Conference – The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.