En el corazón de la Europa civilizada: Los pogromos de 1918 a 1921 y el comienzo del Holocausto
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- Create Date：2022-11-09 12:16:34
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Jeffrey Veidlinger
- ISBN：8419075671
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Summary
A principios de los años veinte， el pintor Marc Chagall trabajó como profesor en un orfanato judío a las afueras de Moscú， donde tuvo ocasión de escuchar el relato aterrador de los niños que habían sobrevivido a los pogromos en Ucrania， los cuales， habiendo sido testigos del asesinato de sus padres， las violaciones de sus hermanas， el saqueo de sus casas， habían huido despavoridos hacia ninguna parte en busca de cobijo y comida。 «Los huérfanos más desdichados»， los llamó Chagall。 El pintor no fue el único en llamar la atención sobre lo que ocurría。 En la prensa americana， por ejemplo， incluido el New York Times， se publicaron artículos en 1919， cuyo titular se preguntaba: «¿Será una masacre de judíos el próximo horror en Europa？» Entre 1918 y 1921， en más de quinientas localidades de lo que， hoy en día， es Ucrania， se documentaron más de un millar de disturbios antisemitas， lo que se conocería con el término ruso «pogrom»。 En el corazón de la Europa civilizada， Jeffrey Veidlinger reconstruye， con maestría y meticulosidad， la amarga historia de los pogromos en la Europa del Este que causaron la muerte a más de cien mil judíos; de hecho， las masacres de los pogromos tras la Gran Guerra normalizaron la violencia contra los judíos。 Basándose en materiales de archivo， testimonios de testigos， registros de juicios y órdenes oficiales recientemente descubiertos， Veidlinger escribe un libro apasionante que arroja luz sobre unos episodios que crearon， sin duda， las condiciones de lo que fue el Holocausto veinte años después。
Reviews
Todd （Kat）
，
I was very lucky to have studied under Dr。 Veidlinger at University of Michigan。 He has since become a mentor and friend。 This is the first publication of his that I have read post-graduation and it was so nice to hear his voice in his writing。 I was able to read it in his cadence which really helped me retain the information。 For those who do not know him personally， I highly recommend watching his TedTalks。 A great man， a great book， and an undoubtable pro of this topic。 Also a great title whi I was very lucky to have studied under Dr。 Veidlinger at University of Michigan。 He has since become a mentor and friend。 This is the first publication of his that I have read post-graduation and it was so nice to hear his voice in his writing。 I was able to read it in his cadence which really helped me retain the information。 For those who do not know him personally， I highly recommend watching his TedTalks。 A great man， a great book， and an undoubtable pro of this topic。 Also a great title which is used throughout the piece as a truly emotional statement about the world surrounding the terrible atrocities of pogroms。 。。。more
Gary
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Amazing book about a history I knew so little about。
David
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Didn’t finish it， it’s the second of two books I’ve started on a similar topic。 The author doesn’t really ‘author’ the book just journalistically reports a number of chronological events。 The events are shocking and historically relevant but lack any explanation or assessment， there is no common theme or thread to the book， to draw the reader。 I gave up。 Three stars for the geography lesson on the Ukraine。
James Meador
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Understanding the current events in the Ukraine， is easier after reading this book。 A land of turmoil with no clear cut good guys in their history。
Denise Sanchez
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This book was hard to read because it was just so depressing。 But， it was also necessary。 Few people realize just how much violence was perpetrated on European Jews before Hitler came to power。 The only thing I wish the book had was a pronunciation guide and/or an addendum with key figures。 It’s hard for me to remember names when I can’t pronounce them， so I had to write out my own cheat-sheet。
Dropbear123
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（Read on Kindle） 4/5。 Worth reading if interested in the Russian Civil War era Ukraine or in the history of antisemitism。350-60 pages plus another 100 or so pages of notes and extras。 Decent but not great in terms of writing style。 Clearly well researched with lots of notes and sources。 Chronological order starting in pre-revolutionary Tsarist Russia for context and background。 The bulk of the book covers Ukraine after the Russian revolution and the antisemitic violence， but there is some stuff （Read on Kindle） 4/5。 Worth reading if interested in the Russian Civil War era Ukraine or in the history of antisemitism。350-60 pages plus another 100 or so pages of notes and extras。 Decent but not great in terms of writing style。 Clearly well researched with lots of notes and sources。 Chronological order starting in pre-revolutionary Tsarist Russia for context and background。 The bulk of the book covers Ukraine after the Russian revolution and the antisemitic violence， but there is some stuff on Poland as well。 Since it is chronological the bulk of the book is about violence by local Ukrainian peasants or warlords， it takes quite a while to get to White Russian army in Ukraine。 The book is quite in-depth but still covers the individual stories quite well with a lot of chapters focused on specific pogroms。 A lot of time is spent on what motivated the violence。 There is a bit about 1922-41 as well for the impact/legacy of the violence including the assassination of Petliura and the experience of Soviet rule to try and explain why the locals were so willing to collaborate with the Nazis in antisemitic attacks after the invasion of the USSR。 。。。more
Joe Stack
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As well written as this book is， it is a difficult to read because of the eye witness accounts of the blatant cruelty of the progroms covered by the author。 It is not for the faint of heart。 The demeaning horrors and murders of the pogroms are nearly incomprehensible， but because the pogroms did happen the violence is not incomprehensible。 People knew better， but as stated by the author， “during the pogroms of 1918-1921 ‘ordinary men’ and ‘neighbors’ became killers。” The pogroms were carried out As well written as this book is， it is a difficult to read because of the eye witness accounts of the blatant cruelty of the progroms covered by the author。 It is not for the faint of heart。 The demeaning horrors and murders of the pogroms are nearly incomprehensible， but because the pogroms did happen the violence is not incomprehensible。 People knew better， but as stated by the author， “during the pogroms of 1918-1921 ‘ordinary men’ and ‘neighbors’ became killers。” The pogroms were carried out by townsfolk， peasants， and disciplined soldiers。An example of what the author reveals is a pogrom that occurred in the city of Fastiv。 “ 。 。 。 violence spread from storefronts and houses into the open。 。 。 。 groups of Cossacks openly went around the city stopping Jews on the street。 Sometimes they would simply ask， ‘Are you a Jew？’ and shoot them in the forehead。 But much more often they would first search them， even strip them naked， and then shoot them in that state right there on the street。” This pogrom lasted about 5 days。 1，036 to 1，800 Jews were killed。 If the pogrom’s aftermath is considered， the death toll from disease resulting from dead bodies lying in hospitals， homes， and other buildings for 10-12 days is estimated over 8，000。 Fastiv was not unusual。This is a well documented account of a chaotic period。 Jews and non-Jews would celebrate when the group they supported achieved control， but the Jews were blamed for whatever faction was victorious or lost。 While quite a few ethnic and religious groups were targets of discrimination and violence during the years covered in this history， “Jewish civilians alone were singled out for persecution by virtually everyone。 The Bolsheviks despised them as bourgeois nationalists; the bourgeois nationalists branded them Bolsheviks; Ukrainians saw them as agents of Russia; Russians suspected them of being German sympathizers; and the Poles doubted their loyalty to the newly founded Polish Republic。 。 。 。 Regardless of one’s political inclination， there was always a Jew to blame。” When the Bolshevik’s consolidated power or the Bolshevik army advanced， the Jews were blamed。 When either the Bolshevik’s or the White Army retreated， the Jews were blamed。 Jews were targeted because they were “bourgeois speculators” and they were also targeted for being Bolsheviks， the opposite of being “bourgeois。”In many instances， pogrom participants did not need any reason to attack Jews。 They just went along with it。These pogroms occurred during the Russian Revolution and while statesmen were negotiating the Versailles Treaty。 The author does a fine job in drawing back the curtain to these events to reveal what was happening in Eastern Europe。Besides being a thorough accounting of the Ukrainian pogroms， the author takes the reader to the roots of the Holocaust。 Read nothing else but the last four chapters （Part V: Aftermath， 1921-1941）， to learn about the cause and effect of events that lead to a rise in anti-Semitism in Europe & the U。S。， restrictions of Jewish immigration， and to the systemic horrors of the Holocaust。 It is with these chapters （which deserve a 5 star rating） where the author successfully supports his conclusion that the Holocaust was built upon the Ukrainian pogroms。 Anthony Burgess’ novel， “A Clockwork Orange，” depicts a dystopian and violent future。 While the violence in this novel and the movie based on it is fictional， for Jews （and other ethnic and religious groups） in the Ukraine region from 1918-1921， “A Clockwork Orange” was their reality。 This book is a cautionary tale。 It is what can happen when people become inured to violence lowering the constraints to the dark side of human behavior。 。。。more
Laurie
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I just finished this exhaustive and devastating review of the political turmoil in Ukraine following the first World War， with Jews as the ever-present target of unrest。 Hitler had to look no further than the escalating violence against Ukrainian Jews from 1919-1921 for his blueprint to "the final solution。" The anti-Semitic rhetoric was fully formed and violence against the Jews - theft， robbery， humiliation， sexual assault， beatings， mutilations and murder - had been normalized。 Ukraine was th I just finished this exhaustive and devastating review of the political turmoil in Ukraine following the first World War， with Jews as the ever-present target of unrest。 Hitler had to look no further than the escalating violence against Ukrainian Jews from 1919-1921 for his blueprint to "the final solution。" The anti-Semitic rhetoric was fully formed and violence against the Jews - theft， robbery， humiliation， sexual assault， beatings， mutilations and murder - had been normalized。 Ukraine was the perfect location to launch the Holocaust， with the eager participation of Ukrainian citizens。 I am still reeling - nauseated， perplexed， and left wondering how to feel about this country marred by violence and hatred。 。。。more
Bill Brewer
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Historian Jeffrey Veidlinger’s book “In the Midst of Civilized Europe， The Pogroms of 1918 -1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust”。 The 2021 book covered the pogroms in Ukraine 100 years ago。 Most people look back at the Holocaust， the singular tragic event in Jewish history。 But 20 years before the Holocaust， pogroms were taking place all over Ukraine， and they would get a popular following by demonizing the Jewish population such identifying them with the Bolsheviks。 As the book says， the fighti Historian Jeffrey Veidlinger’s book “In the Midst of Civilized Europe， The Pogroms of 1918 -1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust”。 The 2021 book covered the pogroms in Ukraine 100 years ago。 Most people look back at the Holocaust， the singular tragic event in Jewish history。 But 20 years before the Holocaust， pogroms were taking place all over Ukraine， and they would get a popular following by demonizing the Jewish population such identifying them with the Bolsheviks。 As the book says， the fighting “aggravated ethnic relations， raised the towns tolerance for violence， and foreshadowed the crimes to come”。 It is hard to conceive of the horrors described in this book。 California Governor Gavin Newsome signed a law requiring public-school students to complete an ethnic studies course to graduate from high school。 According to an opinion piece in the WSJ by Lori Marcus and Jesse M。 Fried， the curriculum is reportedly heavily anti-Israel and attacks Jews and the Jewish state。 A group of Jewish public school parents and teachers have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the adoption。 。。。more
David
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This is a really important and enlightening book about the history of antisemitic pogroms in Ukraine， from Czarist Times to the massacres carried out by Hitler's Einsatzgruppen following the Nazi invasion of the USSR in June 1941。The author contends that all the conditions which made the Holocaust possible already existed by the time of the German invasion and that， as a consequence， the Nazis simply took advantage of this to facilitate an act of Genocide。 This is very persuasive for a number of This is a really important and enlightening book about the history of antisemitic pogroms in Ukraine， from Czarist Times to the massacres carried out by Hitler's Einsatzgruppen following the Nazi invasion of the USSR in June 1941。The author contends that all the conditions which made the Holocaust possible already existed by the time of the German invasion and that， as a consequence， the Nazis simply took advantage of this to facilitate an act of Genocide。 This is very persuasive for a number of reasons， which Veidlinger explains in exhaustive detail。These includes the social divisions of Ukraine where peasants in the countryside were largely Orthodox Christian， whereas the towns and cities were inhabitated by a mixed population of Christians and Jews。 Rivalries clearly reached crisis point at times of economic downturn when farmers bringing their produce to market blamed merchants for lower incomes。 Traditional antisemitic religious bigotry simply added to the resentment， feeding into explosions of shocking violence。He also explores the impact of the Bolshevik revolution and the subsequent civil war where the illogical accusations of Jews being both Bolsheviks and capitalist exploiters made the cycle of violence worse。Veidlinger focuses on the involvement of a number of nationalist politicians and power-crazed warlords to illustrate the influence of individuals on the continuation of these pogroms。 Finally， this book goes a long way towards both explaining and dismantling Vladimir Putin's justification for invading Ukraine this year。An excellent study of a disturbingly familiar Eastern European phenomenon。 。。。more
Lance
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4。5
Pam
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This was a very informative and interesting book。 I don't ever remember hearing in about some of the events that took place during the time of this book。 The time period of these events and the loss of life was insightful。 For anyone that wants to learn more about the pogroms that led up to the Holocaust this is the book for you to read。 The way that the Ukrainian and Polish citizens reacted and their participation in them gives a better understand of how Hitler was able to do what he did。 It sh This was a very informative and interesting book。 I don't ever remember hearing in about some of the events that took place during the time of this book。 The time period of these events and the loss of life was insightful。 For anyone that wants to learn more about the pogroms that led up to the Holocaust this is the book for you to read。 The way that the Ukrainian and Polish citizens reacted and their participation in them gives a better understand of how Hitler was able to do what he did。 It shows that proproganda can influnece the way that people think and reacted。 There is much in history that hasn't been written about except in the academic world and this book is written for everyone to learn from。 There was so much information that sometimes my head reeled。 To think about everything we have lost because of genocides 。 。。。more
Steve
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A True Horror StoryPerhaps this was not the best time to read this book。 But it brings to light a good number of things which I knew a little bit about。 But it places it in the 20th century and not the 19th。This covers the years of 1918-1921 and the likely 100，000 men， women and children killed in the Ukraine Pograms。this happened 20 years before the Holocaust。 There seem to be no good guys here: Ukrainians， Russians， Poles and later Germans - all mercilessly killed， raped， and stole。 It is not A True Horror StoryPerhaps this was not the best time to read this book。 But it brings to light a good number of things which I knew a little bit about。 But it places it in the 20th century and not the 19th。This covers the years of 1918-1921 and the likely 100，000 men， women and children killed in the Ukraine Pograms。this happened 20 years before the Holocaust。 There seem to be no good guys here: Ukrainians， Russians， Poles and later Germans - all mercilessly killed， raped， and stole。 It is not a pretty tale。 The only heroes are those who somehow survived。 Other than that there are no good guys。 And the amazing thing was it was so personal and so widespread。The book reads like a thriller。 And it is scarier than a Stephen King novel。 Tom Waits music is perfect background for reading this history of horrors。 。。。more
Steven Ridgely
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Good information
Bryan
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A bleak， disturbing account of the pogroms in Ukraine and Poland between 1918 and 1920 when Jews in towns and cities such as Ovruch， Zhytomyr， Cherkasy and Tetiiv were robbed， beaten， tortured， raped and killed by their neighbours in outpourings of religious hatred that shock and appal。 The figures are modest， about 3，000 killed in Tetiiv， for example， but paradoxically are all the more shocking for that。 The Jews were attacked by Ukrainian nationalists for being communists and by communists for A bleak， disturbing account of the pogroms in Ukraine and Poland between 1918 and 1920 when Jews in towns and cities such as Ovruch， Zhytomyr， Cherkasy and Tetiiv were robbed， beaten， tortured， raped and killed by their neighbours in outpourings of religious hatred that shock and appal。 The figures are modest， about 3，000 killed in Tetiiv， for example， but paradoxically are all the more shocking for that。 The Jews were attacked by Ukrainian nationalists for being communists and by communists for being nationalists， there was no escape。 It's rare one feels like cheering on the soviet secret police but， although they weren't immune from communal hatreds， they seem to have been the only body willing to put a stop to the killing。 Of course， once the Nazis came to power in Germany， the pogroms restarted， in Lviv in 1941 for example， and then， of course， the industrial scale murder of the Holocaust commenced。 。。。more
MaryLovesHockey
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Those who think that the mass murder of East European Jews began in 1939 need to read this book。
Terry
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pogroms are a tough read but important。 A shorter version would be appropriate for most people。 Perhaps too difficult a task， but I hope to see in these accounts of war and genocide and race and religion and class and power and survival， if it's possible to separate real motives behind the killings。 pogroms are a tough read but important。 A shorter version would be appropriate for most people。 Perhaps too difficult a task， but I hope to see in these accounts of war and genocide and race and religion and class and power and survival， if it's possible to separate real motives behind the killings。 。。。more
Book Club of One
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I received a Free digital version of this book via NetGalley。In this depressingly thorough descent into the butchery of Russian revolution era Ukraine and Poland， Jeffrey Veidlinger's In the Midst of Civilized Europe: The Pogroms of 1918–1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust documents and contextualizes the turmoil and savagery of civil war as various everyday people aided and abetted by various armed factions turned on their Jewish neighbors to rob， destroy， assault， and murder them。 Already， dur I received a Free digital version of this book via NetGalley。In this depressingly thorough descent into the butchery of Russian revolution era Ukraine and Poland， Jeffrey Veidlinger's In the Midst of Civilized Europe: The Pogroms of 1918–1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust documents and contextualizes the turmoil and savagery of civil war as various everyday people aided and abetted by various armed factions turned on their Jewish neighbors to rob， destroy， assault， and murder them。 Already， during World War I， the Pale of Jewish Settlement was a battle ground between the Tsars Russian forces and the German Empire。 Some towns and villages traded hands multiple times with Russians often more savage and destructive， looting and killing and destroying as they passed through。 With this recent history， Veidlinger begins and then moves chronologically through the hundreds of separate incidents in the Ukraine and Poland with a particular focus on the larger pogroms。 At the center of many of the pogroms and latter violence against Jews is the conflating of bolshevism and Judaism。 Unfortunately a still a common trope of anti-semitism。 Veidlinger derives much of the narrative through the voices of the surviving victims， trial records and official orders。 In talking to "The Times of Israel" Veidlinger spoke to the weight of writing this book。 "It’s terrifying and horrifying。。。 It takes a toll on you to write that testimony。 I’m sure it takes a toll on the reader… It was difficult for me to hear， and probably difficult for them to tell。”*A book that highlights the importance of historical research， the need to look back on past events and both acknowledge what has occurred and hold the perpetrators accountable。 * Rich Tenorio。 "20 years before the Holocaust， pogroms killed 100，000 Jews – then were forgotten。" The Times of Israel 21 December 2021， 3:58 am https://www。timesofisrael。com/20-year。。。 。。。more
Daniel Frank
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Due to the tunnel vision people have for the Nazis， this is a very important contribution to the literature and dare I say essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the history and fate of Jewry。 No， you cannot assume that everything will work out in life just because it would be nice if it did。Ugh， sometimes I hate humans。
Scott Martin
，
（Audiobook） This work looks at the actions of various nations/peoples （Poles， Russians （White and Reds）） towards the Jews in Eastern Europe in the years immediately following World War I。 For the author， it is during this time that the foundations of the Holocaust appeared。 The atrocities committed against the Jews were not all that different from what happened in the 1940s， except without the camps。 It is a tough read at times， but the author does a good job in supporting and defending that the （Audiobook） This work looks at the actions of various nations/peoples （Poles， Russians （White and Reds）） towards the Jews in Eastern Europe in the years immediately following World War I。 For the author， it is during this time that the foundations of the Holocaust appeared。 The atrocities committed against the Jews were not all that different from what happened in the 1940s， except without the camps。 It is a tough read at times， but the author does a good job in supporting and defending that thesis， covering the timeframe from the end of World War I to World War II and the German actions in Eastern Europe。 This work goes a long way in explaining how the Germans has success in the East vs the West。 While the Holocaust was the brainchild of the Nazis， the antisemitism of the East made those efforts that much easier。 The rating is the same for audiobook as hard copy/e-copy。 。。。more
Jill Melrose
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